Layne’s Wine Gig Presents
A NEIGHBORHOOD GEM
By Layne V. Witherell
Ruby’s West End restaurant at 64 Pine Street sparkles and shines like a gem. Inside it resembles your mémère’s (grandmother’s) kitchen with its assortment of mismatched tablecloths and plates from an adorably romantic long-gone age (envision the 50’s). You can hang out in the morning for fresh baked goods, coffee, and a glass of orange juice. Or while away the hours with a delectable weekend brunch, or you can choose a decadent, celebratory date night with their tasting menu and extraordinary selection of wine and food pairings. Most recently we chose the latter.
Valentine’s Dinner Wine Pairing at Ruby’s West End
Aperitif: Furlani Alpino
A brisk little Northern Italian white with just enough fizz to make it resemble a miniature pet nat (pétillant naturel) with a hint of grapefruit. This is clearly not mémère’s wine. Local grapes farmed in granite with an inspired introduction to a biodynamic winemaker’s touch. Somewhere in the “Sound of Music” with 7-Up snowflakes melting in your glass. A terrific introduction to a meal. Life beyond Champagne – edgy frizzante.
First Course: Scallop Crudo with strawberry, hibiscus, and house made chia crackers
Nothing quite resembles a fresh out of the water scallop from Maine. Slurp-able in very tiny bites. The hibiscus offers a pomegranate/cranberry character that is lively, fruity, and a marvelous complement. The chia cracker provides the crunch.
Wine Pairing: Gaintza Txakolina (chock-o-lee)
From the Basque country in Spain, it resembles either a Vinho Verde or Muscadet. This is a great seafood accompaniment that doesn’t get in the way of delicate flavors but dances along with dishes that feature scallops.
If you want to be traditional and Basque local, climb atop a ladder and pour it from four feet high streaming from the bottle or a porrón (a decanter with a spout you can drink from) into your glass.
Second Course: Gnocchi with mushrooms, caramelized onions, black pepper, egg yolk
Now we are settling into mémère territory. Little dumplings the size of miniature wine corks, topped by a perfect egg yolk, smothered in a rich sauce, make the antique 50’s table patterns a perfect setting and vibe. This is soothing home comfort food.
Wine Pairing: Erggelett Brothers, “Del Barba Vineyard” Contra Costa Zinfandel, 2018
I am a sucker for great old-world Zinfandels, made and grown in the similar style favored by the 19th century Italian Immigrants. The brothers aren’t even Italians; they are Germans who carried paperback copies of the British philosopher Bertrand Russell in their backpacks on their voyage to California. Zinfandel (formerly known as “the mystery grape” due to its wandering origins) can either be innocuous, thin stuff grown in young high yield vineyards or wines with character and strength that will age for decades. This is the latter.
The Del Barba vineyard is comprised of incredibly old zinfandel, a key to quality. Their yields are low and the quality high. Unrefined and unfiltered. Only 9 barrels produced (3,000 bottles). Their tasting notes: blood orange, mixed berries, red plum. WOO-HOO! A sensational pairing. Mémère would be proud.
Third Course: Halibut, fingerling potatoes, salsa verde, pine nuts
Fork tender halibut with a mild pesto/chimichurri pine nut-style flavor accompaniment. This is one subtle, melt-in-your-mouth dish.
Wine Pairing: Bedrock Wine Co., Alta Vista Vineyard Sonoma County Gewurztraminer, 2017
You are clearly not in mémère’s house anymore. Gewurztraminer is usually a loud, highly aromatic, nectarine and guava flavor combo housed in one grape that is used to calm down aggressive curries and other highly spiced foods. It is usually consumed young and can be used to chase blue cheese around the room. This wine is not that. It is elegant and subtle and wraps itself gently around the dish like a cloak.
The idea of the pairing is culinary wacko. The reality is a marvelous experience in subtlety and layering of flavors.
Fourth Course: Chocolate covered strawberries, roasted white chocolate, mint
FYI, this was not your croissant and coffee experience, as we were approaching the two-and-a-half-hour mark.
Wine Pairing: Lambrusco Cantinas Salamino de Santa Croce, Emilia-Romagna
This is the moment when mémère meets the hipsters. Lambrusco is a dark, frothy semi-sweet Italian red served with fatty meat dishes in Italy. In America in the 80’s it was a gateway drug to real wine. Just pull up the Aldo Cella TV ad featuring the white fedora and white suited Aldo (portrayed by a Greek/American actor) surrounded by his chorus of female followers crying out, “Aldo, Aldo!” – You get the idea. Then it left the American consciousness for two decades.
Today Lambrusco joins the pantheon of the hippest beverages. A little less sweet and frothy, it is an ideal accompaniment to the chocolate covered strawberries. The bottle didn’t just sneak onto the table but was presented with panache like real wine. And it was.
Fifth Course: Foie Gras
We added this option, seeing it was on their dinner menu another night. The fatty goose or duck liver is either revered (as in France) or reviled (as in a wide variety of other places). It is rich, buttery, and delicate and can add both pounds and calories just by looking at it.
Wine Pairing: …
It was right there on the table, waiting for us in glasses. The Bedrock Gewurztraminer was made to go with this dish. You are kind of laid back after all the courses. The wine is a gentle close to a great Valentine’s meal.
I purchase all the food and wine for the column and the thoughts are my own, as I am not a rep. They add a 20% gratuity to the bill because it is the right thing to do for their hard-working staff. Along with Bonobo and Chaval, they are a gem of an addition to the wonderful dining trifecta on this section of Pine Street in the West End. Corrinna Stum (front of the house) and Matt Stum (chef) are owners, chief cook, and bottle washers. They both have thirty plus years in the biz, and it shows in their quality, service, and dedication.
Ruby’s West End is located at 64 Pine Street, Portland. Call 207-956-7916 or visit https://www.rubyswestend.com. Parking in a lot shared with Chaval. On street parking and the #8 bus. Handicapped accessible. And they do vegan.
Layne has been a professional in the wine business for many decades as a teacher, importer, writer, competition judge, and winery CEO. He was awarded the Master Knight of the Vine for his pioneering work in the Oregon wine industry.
Read more WEN Layne’s Wine Gig posts here.
Visit Layne’s blog at http://winemaniacs.wordpress.com/blog.
