Eno-Vino Valentine

I'm unfortunately booked up for Valentine's day. Taxes, school commitments then work at night. So I celebrated Valentine's day two days early. It was one of those let's-eat-everything-today-then-we'll-start-a-new-diet-tomorrow days. 

We started with a very sinful brunch in the couch with our favorite TV series. 

We were going to watch a movie but since we couldn't agree on what movie to watch, we decided to skip the cinema. I wanted to watch The Vow but he kept insisting  that we watch Underworld: Awakening. [Seriously?! Underworld Awakening?! on a Valentine date?! Who does that? sigh.] We tried to keep it simple so we just went to Madison in pursuit of something to do to get rid of boredom. 

The mall is full of over the top mushy gift items. This industry must be making a lot of money. There were literally hearts everywhere. Even Starbucks had their cups designed for Valentine's. 

It was dinner time and we had nothing better to do. We went to my favorite restaurant, Eno-Vino for dinner.  [Read my previous post about Eno-Vino here.]   We got seated and immediately greeted by our server. She went on with a very long spiel telling us about Eno-Vino's Valentine special. I didn't pay much attention as I was busy observing everyone in the room. As expected, there were a lot of couples. I silently estimated how much money the restaurants, flower shops, hotels/motels are making on Valentine's day. It's so overrated. We tried not to blend in with those couples. We talked about Europe, real estate and the Federal Reserves. Basically anything other than romance. 

We couldn't decide on what to order. So we just settled for their five course Valentine's menu. $65 dollars per person plus the option to pair it with five different wines for a $20 add on. We agreed to do the wine pairing too because we were too lazy to come up with something interesting/different to drink. 

She immediately brought a sourdough bread with a little scoop of cheese spread on the table. 

Next thing she brought was a pair of little canapes. It's a sourdough crostini topped with salmon and cranberry encrusted cheese. She also brought a glass of sparkling wine paired with it. She muttered the wine variety but it was inaudible since the restaurant was a full house. This pair was complimentary, like a prelude to the main event. I absolutely loved the canape. It was an excellent start. It took us three seconds to chow it down.

She immediately brought the first course which was the Sweet Potato Ravioli with sage cream, brown butter, pecorino romano and prosciutto. Every bite was heavenly. It was paired with Erath Pinot Noir. I wasn't generally a fan of red wine but this was good.

Next up is the B.L.T Salad It was literally a cross between a BLT sandwich and a salad. Roma tomatoes, mixed greens, English cucumber and basil emulsion  were staked in between sourdough croutons topped with bacon and parmagiano reggiano. This was my least favorite part of the meal. The entire experience would still be awesome without this. It was too bland for my taste. Good thing it was paired with Remy Pannier Vouvray, a Chenin Blanc from Loire France. It instantly became my new favorite white wine. I googled it as soon as I get home and looked for a place where I could buy it.

The third course was Peter's favorite. Parmesan Crab Crepes with tarragon buerre blanc and lemon shallot vinaigrette. This dish was also a winner and I honestly think that it was not because of the crepe itself but because of the vinaigrette. I imagined it would be good all over my rice too. What?! I eat everything with rice okay!  I was getting a little full at this point so I have to give up half of my crepes dish which Peter gladly took advantage of. The dish was paired with Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay. There was nothing remarkable about the wine. I would still prefer Kendall Jackson for Chardonnay.

The fourth course was the bomb! Seared Beef Tenderloin plated daintily over a bed of mushroom risotto and served with baby carrots drizzled with Pinot Noir reduction. This was the highlight of my night. The beef was so tender and flavorful. You know what the best part was? They paired it with rice. It was nothing but spectacular. The Show Cabernet was the wine paired with it. I hardly drink this wine since Cabernet is my least favorite wine.

No matter how full I may be, there's always room for dessert. The fifth course was a White Chocolate Mousse with cocoa espresso whipped cream topped with a fresh raspberries and almond biscotti. Sweet! The biscotti dipped in the cocoa espresso whipped cream was heaven on earth. Seriously. It was paired with Warre's Late Bottled Vintage Port. Sweet and strong just the way I like it.

Just before the server handed us the check, she brought these two rich chocolate covered strawberries. But of course, our gluttonous appetite was still up for it even if we can hardly stand from our chairs.

We left the restaurant with happy hearts and tummy. For sure we'll be back again.. Soon.