The Carlton Restaurant

We welcome Ken Freeman to The Carlton on Friday, November 6 to introduce his prestigious small production Russian River Valley Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs to a Pittsburgh audience!  Ken has enjoyed a super successful career in business, but was able to realize a dream when he and his wife purchased a small Russian River Valley winery in 2001.  Today, his exclusive and highly rated wines are found at the finest restaurants and he has been heralded as one of the top Pinot Noir producers in the world!

Here’s the menu:

“FREEMAN WINERY” WINE DINNER
Friday, November 6, 2009 – 6:30 p.m.

With Ken Freeman
Culinary selections by Executive Chef Mark Swomley
$109 per person excluding gratuity

FREEMAN RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY RYO-FU CHARDONNAY’06

HONEY GLAZED SALMON
With creamy Leeks, whipped Carrots, Apple Butter & fresh Thyme

FREEMAN SONOMA COAST PINOT NOIR’06

ROAST GAME HEN
With Butternut Squash Ravioli, sautéed Pearl Onions, Veloute and crisp Arugula

FREEMAN RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY PINOT NOIR’06

CHILLED PEPPER CRUSTED TUNA
Seared rare and served with Basmati, Pickled Ginger and Mango Vinaigrette

FREEMAN RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY “KEEFER RANCH”‘07

PLUM & WASABI ROAST DUCK
With Scallion Pancake, dark Soy Glaze & Lemon Daikon Salad

ROYAL TOKAJI “FIVE PETUNAS”‘03

BANANA CASHEW WONTON

Pairing food with wine is something we do often at the Carlton.  We have many amazing wineries and vineyards come in for our Wine Dinners and it’s always important to match their exquisite wine with the right cuisine.  There are a few guidelines that will help you pair a wine with the appropriate meal.  

One guideline to live by in pairing food and wine: Light foods go with light wines. Heavy foods go with heavy wines. Delicate meals need a light wine. Heavier meals need a bigger wine.

• Example: Filet of Sole goes nicely with a Sauvignon Blanc, not a Zinfandel. The Zin in most cases would overpower the fish.
• Example: A pesto pizza with prosciutto and cheese goes nicely with a Zinfandel, not a Sauvignon Blanc. The pizza would overpower the Sauvignon Blanc.
• Sauvignon Blanc – white or light fish, mild cheese, fruit
• Chardonnay – grilled chicken, salmon, shellfish, and grilled fish, anything with a cream sauce.
• Pinot Noir – light meats, chicken, grilled anything, salmon.
• Merlot – pasta, red meat, duck, smoked or grilled foods
• Zinfandel – tomato pasta dishes, pizza, pesto, red meats, chicken with heavy sauces
• Cabernet Sauvignon – red meats, especially a juicy barbequed steak, grilled and smoked foods.
• Syrah – red meats, spicy pizzas, herbed sauces on red meat, turkey
• Dry Rosé - salads, pasta salads, bbq chicken or fish, light spicy foods

Source:  http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/pairing.html

Just a reminder that our third Fall Wine Dinner is this Friday with Bodega Benegas!  Vintage Import’s Lee Kuehn presents the Bodega Benegas Wines from Argentina on Friday, October 30 at The Carlton Restaurant!  Argentinian wines captured the attention of Wine Advocate’s Robert Parker in his August 2009 cover story!  He hailed the value and strength of these offerings and singled out the Bodega Benegas wines by giving 7 of their offerings scores of greater than 90 points!  Come sample two Malbecs and some wonderfully blended reds paired with great cuisine!

Click here to see the full menu!

There’s always something to do in the city and sometimes there’s TOO much to do!  At The Carlton, we love every type of Pittsburgh event – from sports to cultural shows and family friendly events, we embrace it all!  Every week, we’re going to give you our Quick Picks for the week – these are just SOME of the events going on in town that we think you’ll really love. So let’s get it started with this week’s Quick Picks!

1. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens. Sports fans, you don’t want to miss this week’s match up between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, October 28.  The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. at the Mellon Arena and tickets can still be found on the Penguin’s Ticket Exchange.  We always have a great pregame at The Carlton before home games because we are so close to the arena. So stop over for a beer before making your way to the game or, if you don’t have tickets, we’d love to watch the game with you right here from our top-notch bar!
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2. Kennywood Fright Nights. If you have yet to get to Kennywood for their Fright Nights, you are missing out.  This is the last week for their Halloween themed rides and haunted houses (voted one of the best in the country!) and a year is a looooong time to have to wait to get to experience this fun Halloween activity!
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3. Ella at the O’Reilly Theater. Ella Fitzgerald is the greatest jazz singer of all time and this show will transport you to the French Riviera and one of Ella’s most thrilling concerts! November 2 is the last day to see this fantastic show, so get moving! Remember, we offer complimentary limo service to all Downtown shows, so make it a date and come for dinner at The Carlton before heading to the theater!
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4. Nautical Nature Fall Foliage Cruise. Cooler weather means it’s time for Fall and the fabulous changing of the trees!  There’s nothing like it, especially in Pennsylvania, when those trees change from green to orange, yellow and red!  Take it all in for yourself on the Nautical Nature Foliage Cruise in Moraine State Park in Butler County (about 40 minutes north of the city.)  The drive is worth it  – for only $5 you can take a ride on the Nautical Nature, a 45-passenger enclosed pontoon boat, to learn about the park’s history and osprey reintroduction while appreciating the unique scenery and wildlife.  It only runs this coming weekend.
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5. BNY Mellon Grand Classics. This series features the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) performing some of the best works created classical music’s most legendary composers. This weekend, spend Halloween hearing one of the great masterpieces of all time, Hector Berloiz’s “Symphonie Fantastique”.  For show times and tickets, call 412.392.4900.

The “Steps” Of Wine Making

• Grapes ripen in late August/September depending on climate. A winemaker tastes the grapes, chews the seeds, and measures the sugar content to decide when to harvest.
• Vineyard workers then quickly harvest the grapes and drop them into bins that are taken to the winery to be crushed.
• When crushed, the skin and seeds stay with red wines but are removed for white wines.
• The juice, skins, and seeds (not for white wines) are poured into stainless steel fermenting tanks.
• The winemaker usually adds cultured yeast to this grape juice. Fermentation begins when the yeast begins to digest the sugars present in the grape juice. Carbon dioxide and alcohol are by-products of this process.

Reference: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/winemaking.html

Vintage Import’s Lee Kuehn presents the Bodega Benegas Wines from Argentina on Friday, October 30 at The Carlton Restaurant!  Argentinian wines captured the attention of Wine Advocate’s Robert Parker in his August 2009 cover story!  He hailed the value and strength of these offerings and singled out the Bodega Benegas wines by giving 7 of their offerings scores of greater than 90 points!  Come sample two Malbecs and some wonderfully blended reds paired with great cuisine!

Here’s the menu:

“BODEGA BENEGAS” WINE DINNER
Friday, October 30, 2009 – 6:30 p.m.

With Vintage Import’s Lee Kuehn
Culinary offerings by Mark Swomley
$89 per person – excluding Taxes & Gratuity

CLARA BENEGAS CHARDONNAY’07

CHILLED SHRIMP & CLAM SALAD
Served in crisp Phyllo with Macadamia Slaw,
Champagne Vinaigrette and Citrus Zest

DON TIBURCIO’05

BEEF CARPACCIO PINWHEEL
Beef Carpaccio rolled with fresh Mozzarella, Red Pepper Pesto, Olives and Spinach.
Served with Balsamic Vinaigrette, chopped Egg and Smoked Sea Salt

JUAN BENEGAS MALBEC’06
BENEGAS “ESTATE” MALBEC’06

VEAL ROULADE
Roasted with Shiitake Mushrooms, Red Peppers, Pine Nuts, grated Asiago.
Served with Herb Pilaf, Roast Tomato Cream and Micro Herbs.

BENEGAS ESTATE FINCA LIBERTAD’05
BENEGAS LYNCH MERITAGE’05

FILET MIGNON
Served with Horseradish crushed Potatoes, grilled Vegetables,
Roast Garlic Butter and Blue Cheese

d’ARENBERG CHARDONNAY-SEMILLON “THE NOBLE”‘06

GRILLED PEAR “SHORTCAKE”
With toasted Macadamia and Raspberry Drizzle

How many bottles of wine?

One bottle of wine = 750 ml or 1/5 of a gallon

One Barrel = 60 gallons – 25 cases or 300 750 ml bottles

One Ton of Grapes = approximately 700 bottles of wine

One Acre of Vineyards – Low yield for high quality wines = 2-4 tons

One Acre of Vineyards – High yield for less expensive wines = 10 tons

Reference: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/wine-barrel.html

We welcome back native Gary Eberle,  of Eberle Winery, to Pittsburgh on Monday, October 12 to savor the wonderful wines from his Paso Robles vineyard!  After Gary finished playing college football at Penn State in the 60’s he went on to LSU where he studied cellular genetics and then to U.C. Davis for work on a enology doctorate.  After co-founding Estrella River Winery (now Meridian), Gary decided to produce premium, small production wines in Paso Robles.  He began his own label with the release of the 1979 Eberle Cabernet Sauvignon.  Please join us in saluting the success of one of our own and I guarantee you will leave a big fan of Eberle!

Here’s the menu:

“EBERLE WINERY” WINE DINNER
Monday, October 12, 2009 – 6:30 p.m.

With Gary Eberle – Proprietor
Culinary offerings by Mark Swomley
$99 per person – excluding Taxes & Gratuity

EBERLE COTES du ROBLES BLANC’08

ALMOND CRUSTED SEA BASS
Oven roasted and served with Mixed Grain-Cranberry Risotto and Citrus Cream

EBERLE CHARDONNAY’08

ROAST LOBSTER TAIL
Served with Brie Risotto, French Beans,
Three Tomato Tartar, Crab Relish and Beurre Blanc

EBERLE ZINFANDEL’06

BRAISED SHORT RIBS
Tender slowly braised Short Ribs in Pastry with Caramelized Onions, Pancetta,
Roast Peppers, Boursin Cheese, Pan Jus Reduction and Herb Butter.

EBERLE “ESTATE” CABERNET SAUVIGNON’05

TENDERLOIN OF BEEF
Served with Fingerling-Vegetable Hash, Saga Blue Cheese Cream,
shaved Truffle and Cabernet Demi-Glace

EBERLE MUSCAT CANELLI’08

WARM APPLE NAPOLEON

Just a reminder that our Fall Wine Dinners kick off tomorrow with Iron Horse Vineyards!  We hope you can make it to this dinner - I know you will love the food, wine and our wine host Joy Sterling.  Here’s the information for the dinner again:

CEO Joy Sterling presents the wonderful offerings from Iron Horse Vineyards at The Carlton on Thursday, October 8.  One of Sonoma County’s most prestigious, small independent family owned wineries, Iron Horse was founded by Audrey and Barry Sterling in 1975.  Iron Horse had their award winning sparkling wines served at the White House in five consecutive presidential administrations!   In addition to highly rated wines and well paired cuisine, you will enjoy our charming host!  Joy is Yale educated, a former ABC correspondent and has authored four books!  As a second generation owner, she is taking Iron Horse to new heights!

Here’s the Menu:

“IRON HORSE VINEYARDS” WINE DINNER
Thursday, October 8, 2009 – 6:30 p.m.

With Iron Horse Vineyards CEO – Joy Sterling
Culinary offerings by Mark Swomley
$99 per person excluding Tax & Gratuity

IRON HORSE WEDDING CUVEE “BLANC DE NOIR”‘05

SHELLFISH STEW
Crab, Lobster, Shrimp, Oysters and Mussels in a rich Tomato Cream with sautéed
Ricotta Gnocchi, Red Pepper Coulis and Spinach Chiffonade

IRON HORSE “UNOAKED” CHARDONNAY’07
IRON HORSE “ESTATE” CHARDONNAY’08

SEARED SCALLOP
Served over Brioche Crostini with Smoked Cheddar Orzo,
Sun-dried Tomato Butter and Yukon Gold Gaufrette

IRON HORSE “ESTATE” PINOT NOIR’06

RACK OF LAMB
Served with a Wild Mushroom & Onion Risotto Cake, Bacon-Spinach Sauté,
Cabernet Demi-Glace & Roast Garlic Mousse

IRON HORSE T-BAR-T BdX3′05

VENISON LOIN
Served with Sausage-Fennel Ragout, Roast Corn Butter,
Bourbon Glaze and crisp Onion Straws

IRON HORSE CLASSIC VINTAGE BRUT’04

LEMON TART
With fresh Berries

Generally,  wine is served in glasses with gently curved rims at the top to help keep aromas in the glass. The thinner the glass and the finer the rim, the better. A flaring, trumpet-shaped class dissipates the aromas.

When tasting wine, hold the wine in the mouth for a moment or two and then either swallow it or, preferably, spit it out, usually into a spittoon. A really good wine will have a long aftertaste, while an inferior wine will have a short aftertaste.

Source: http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/08/21_wine.html