The Carlton Restaurant

Easter is this Sunday and many people will be serving ham for dinner. It can be hard to find a wine to pair with this meal because ham is both salty and sweet with the glaze. Listed below are Winery Adventures top five recommendations for Wines that pair well with Easter Ham.

1. Scarlet Sunrise: White Rock Vineyards and Winery in Goodview, Virginia. The fruitiness of this Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Merlot blend would be wonderful with a sweet glazed ham.

2. Reflections of Lake Erie: Arrowhead Wine Cellars in North East Pennsylvania. This crisp, dry wine is the perfect complement to your Easter dinner.

3. Cin Zin: Henke Winery in Cincinnati, Ohio. A fruity Zinfandel that pairs beautifully with your ham without overpowering the glaze.

4. Semi-Dry Riesling: Bowers Harbor Vineyards in Traverse City, Michigan. The subtle sweetness of this Riesling will highlight the flavors of your ham.

5. Laurel Blush: Laurel Mountain Vineyards in Falls Creek, Pennsylvania. This crisp and refreshing blush would be a wonderful addition to your Easter dinner table.

I hope to see you all at our Jess Jackson Portfolio Wine Dinner tonight at The Carlton!  In the past 25 years, Jackson has gone from an obscure and struggling winery owner (Kendall Jackson) to one of the dominant players in the California Wine industry.

All of our offerings are rated above 90 points. Cambria “Julia’s Vineyard” Pinot Noir earned “93″ points and was named Wine Enthusiast’s #1 Wine of the Year!  We open with a La Crema’s “90″ rated Chardonnay and our Cabernet course pits the “93″ rated Kendall Jackson “Hawkeye Mountain” versus the “92″ rated Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon.  Another great California lineup you do not want to miss!

“JESS JACKSON PORTFOLIO” WINE DINNER

With Majestic Fine Wines Regional Manager Matt Mitchell
Culinary selections by Executive Chef Mark Swomley
Tuesday, March 30, 2009
$99 per person excluding gratuity

LA CREMA MONTEREY CHARDONNAY’07

LOBSTER-CRAB & SCALLOP GNOCCHI
Jumbo Lump Crab, Lobster & Scallops served over homemade Gnocchi
with Spinach, Caramelized Onions and Tomato-Ketel One Cream

CAMBRIA “JULIA’S VINEYARD” PINOT NOIR’06

SHORT RIBS
Oven braised and served with Cauliflower Mousse,
Demi-Glace, Manchego Cheese and grilled Chard

ARROWOOD RUSSIAN RIVER”SARALEE’S VINEYARD” SYRAH’04

GRILLED RED & GOLD BEETS
Served chilled with Panko crusted Black Currant infused Chevre,
Triple Berry Vinaigrette, local greens and toasted Almonds

KENDALL JACKSON HIGHLAND ESTATES “HAWKEYE MOUNTAIN”’05
ARROWOOD SONOMA COUNTY CABERNET SAUVIGNON’05

VENISON LOIN
Seasoned with Cracked Mustard & Cumin and served with Sweet Corn Cakes, Fennel Sausage Ragout, Smoked Paprika Butter and crisp Arugula

CAMBRIA “LATE HARVEST” VIOGNIER’08

CITRUS CRÈME NAPOLEON
Crispy sweet Phyllo layered with Lemon Crème, Mandarin Oranges,
Cherries and Cinnamon-Mint Whip Creme

Here are The Carlton’s Quick Picks for the week of March 29th.

Remember, you can always find more events on the Post-Gazette’s Event Calendar as well as the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s Calendar.

These are just a few of our favorites!

Jess Jackson Portfolio Wine Dinner at the Carlton Restaurant. Sample some of the best offerings from the extensive Wine Portfolio of Jess Jackson on Tuesday, March 30th. It is sure to make for a great night with one of the dominant players in the California Wine industry.

The Wizard of Oz. Bring the whole family to experience the classic musical with Dorothy and her friends. This week only you can travel over the rainbow at Heinz Hall. Enjoy dinner at the Carlton and get a free limo ride to the show!

Pens vs. Lightning. Cheer on your Pittsburgh Penguins as they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning Wednesday, March 31st! The game begins at 7:30 so be sure to start your pregame activities at the Carlton before heading over to the Mellon Arena or stay for the game!

Stanley Cup on Display. Don’t miss the opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with the Stanley Cup! It will be on display at the History Center and Sports Museum from April 1-4. As part of the display, fans will also get a chance to take their photo with 10 individual trophies earned by the Penguins throughout the years. Visit www.heinzhistorycenter.org as more details become available.

This is your last chance to see the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Byham Theatre. Don’t miss the opportunity! The last day is March 28th! So head on over to the Carlton for dinner and we’ll drive you over to the show.  Hope to see you tonight!

Taken from the book of Genesis, the story of Joseph and his 11 brothers is the first musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice. Joseph is wrapped in a tuneful score that runs the gamut of rock’n roll styles. This season, don’t miss Joseph. Stop by The Carlton for dinner and get a free limo ride to the show!

It’s Make Up Your Own Holiday Day!

Once a year everyone gets a chance to make up their own holiday. That day is Friday the 26th. We have decided to call this holiday “Glass Half Full Day”. In honor of this very important holiday we would like the take note of some unique wine glasses.  The following websites show examples of wine glasses most of your friends probably won’t have.

Toxel.com

Wine Rack

Jewel Basket

Here are The Carlton’s Quick Picks for the week of March 22nd.

Remember, you can always find more events on the Post-Gazette’s Event Calendar as well as the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s Calendar.

These are just a few of our favorites!

Girl Scout Cookie Sale. The Girl Scouts Trillium Council will be selling all your favorite Girl Scout cookies in the Center Court of Fifth Avenue Place. Thursday, March 25-Friday, March 26: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Plus, the Girl Scouts are featuring their “Operation Cookie Share” program. This entails buying an extra box or two of cookies for our soldiers serving overseas! Cookies that not only taste good, but do good too!

For more information, please visit www.gswpa.org

Pens vs. Flyers. The Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Philadelphia Flyers this Saturday at Mellon Arena. The game starts at 1pm so be sure to stop by The Carlton for your pregame activities or to watch the entire game.

Pens vs. Maple Leafs. It’s a hockey weekend in Pittsburgh! Sunday at 5pm the Pittsburgh Penguins battle the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Mellon Arena. Stop by the Carlton for a meal before the game or stay and help us cheer for the Penguins!

Looking for something to do this weekend? Come to Heinz Hall and experience The Planets!

Heinz Hall
Friday, March 19, 2010 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 2:30 PM

The Planets is inspired by the composer, Nicolo Paganini’s, own travels and wanderings in the Abruzzi region. The Planets is as much about the astrological gods as it is about the physical planets. Come and enjoy displays about this popular work from both the perspective of the scientific side as well as the astrological side. There will be different stations around Heinz Hall where audiences may learn more about the solar system, have their tarot cards read and hear about recent scientific advancements, such as space travel! Come early for pre-concert exhibits juxtaposing the scientific and astrological viewpoints of the planets. Join us at The Carlton Restaurant for a meal before the show!

As the dark winter months come to an end everyone seems to be in need of a fun splash of color. A great cure for your winter blues is a great springtime sangria! It’s refreshing AND half the calories of most other fruit drinks.

Here is the Basic Red Sangria recipe from sheknows.com

Basic Red Sangria recipe

Ingredients:
1 bottle (750 ml) red wine (Spanish table wine or merlot work fine)
4 oz. Grand Marnier or simple brandy
1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup fresh pineapple juice (optional)
Ground cinnamon to taste
1 orange, sliced into rounds
1 lemon, sliced into rounds
1 lime, sliced into rounds
1 half apple, unpeeled, chopped

Directions:
In a large bowl or pitcher, combine wine, brandy, fruit juices, cinnamon and fruit, reserving some fruit for garnishing. Let chill for at least one hour. Pour over plenty of ice. Garnish with remaining fresh fruit.

Here are The Carlton’s Quick Picks for the week of March 15.

Remember, you can always find more events on the Post-Gazette’s Event Calendar as well as the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s Calendar.

These are just a few of our favorites!

Jay Z Featuring Young Jeezy & Trey Songs in Concert. Head over to the Mellon Arena on March 16th to see Jay Z live.  This show is a must see! Visit Ticketmaster for ticket info.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Don’t miss the opportunity to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Byham Theatre from March 18th-28th. Taken from the book of Genesis, the story of Joseph and his 11 brothers is the first musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice. Joseph is wrapped in a tuneful score that runs the gamut of rock’n roll styles. This season, don’t miss Joseph. Stop by The Carlton for dinner and get a free limo ride to the show!

Penguins vs. Hurricanes. The Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday, March 20th at the Mellon Arena. Make sure to stop by and see us at The Carlton Restaurant.  Located just a few blocks away from the Arena, we are the best place to stop by for a pregame drink or meal.  And, if you’re not going to the game, watch it in our lounge and enjoy our Happy Hour prices!

Tonight is our “Best of California” Wine Dinner showing the wines from the outstanding portfolio of Vintage Imports.  We will be sampling wines from Monterey, the Central Coast, Russian River Valley, Napa Valley and Paso Robles with three courses of wine comparisons.   Lee Kuehn will be Vintage’s expert host for this great evening! Hope to see everyone here!