Date Night - Wagner Wine Dinner at BTG

Wagner Family of Wines

We love a good wine pairing especially if it's at a place like BTG which has become one of our go to spots downtown.  Granted we did have one bad experience there.  We were with two other people. Two people ordered the same flight.  One of the glasses of wine seemed off.  We all tried it and thought it was probably bad.  We told the waitress who later came back and said the sommelier tried it and said it was fine.  We left those glasses undrunken and very disappointed that we were not offered something else or a discount.  Later, Sothea tried that glass again and it tasted completely different.  It was good that time.  So we highly doubt that she ever talked to the sommelier and we don't think she works there anymore which is fine by us.  

Anyways back to the wine dinner.  We went with our friends Daniel and Nai who have been wanting to attend more events like this.  We started off with shrimp paired with the Conundrum White. That sauce was delicious.  We all souped it up with our bread and left nothing on the plate.  The men agreed that this was their favorite pairing of the night.  

Gambas al Ajillo paired with Conundrum White

The next dish was a brown butter risotto with crispy shallots and a grilled butternut squash. The risotto was perfect and creamy. The butteriness paired perfectly with the Chardonnay.  The ladies thought that this was the best pairing of the night.

Risotto with Grilled Butternut Squash paired wiht Mer Soleil Chardonnay

The first two dishes were so amazing that we couldn't wait for the rest.  Sadly, the first two pairings and dishes were the best ones. The next one was everyone's least favorite but the wine on it's own was Sothea's favorite wine of the night.  The wine was the Emmolo Merlot.  It was dark in color and had a smokey aroma.  It was inviting and warm with hints of plum.  The dish however was not.  Both men hated the texture of the beans. 

Duck with White Bean Cassoulet and Fig Gravy with Emmolo Merlot

The next dish was beef shoulder with a crispy Asiago potatoes.  Sothea, who doesn't eat beef had one with mushrooms instead. Some people are hesitant to try tasting because of allergies and such but if you notify them in advance, most places are willing to accommodate.  We have not yet been to one where they didn't accommodate Sothea being a non beef eater.  The chimichurri was very tasty and two others tried Sothea's mushrooms and thought it was better than the beef!  Also, we didn't get a picture of the beef dish.  The one below is with mushrooms.

The wine was the Red Schooner Voyage 2 which was the men's favorite wine of the night.  They liked it so much that they ordered 2 more ounces each.  It is a Malbec which is Som's favorite type of wine.  

Mushrooms with Chimichurri and Crispy
 Asiago Potatoes paired with Red Schooner Voyage 2

For dessert, we had a poached pear with Gorgonzola cream anglais.  It was paired with the Conundrum Red.  

Poached Pear paired with Conundrum Red

Good food, good wine, good friends equals a good night.  Oh and good service!  Ask for Mike, he's the best!