Fancy Feast!

Last Wednesday I decided that I needed a date night with myself.  I had a gift card to a Phil Stefani Restaurant and since the weather was unseasonably warm, I decided to go to Riva at Navy Pier.  I was incredibly impressed by the food and the service -- if you've got the time or the budget for a fancy meal, go ahead!  (I had a four course meal with a wine pairing with each which totaled nearly $150 at full retail value with tax & tip.  If you skip all the wines and go with 3 courses which is much more standard you could get away with $80-100 per person.)

I took this as an opportunity to really test my wine knowledge!  Not bad, but I'm clearly a novice...

Course 1:
Appetizer: Crispy Spring Rolls made with duck confit, daikon salad, spicy yuzu glaze 
If you like duck you will enjoy this appetizer.  The spicy yuzu glaze added a delicious sweet flare to the crispy shell and of course there was a fabulous presentation!
Wine Pairing - Trimbach Gewurztraminer, Alsace
I honestly had no idea what that wine really was, but it seemed (by guessing the name) like it might be similar to a Riesling so I got it.  Not so much.  It is much dryer and despite the very German Name, Alsace happens to be a region of France.  It was dryer and slightly bitter and while still good, proved to be my least favorite of the wines I had that evening.

Course 2:
Salad: Seafood Chopped Salad with calamari, colossal shrimp, jumbo lump crab, salmon, Dijon vinaigrette
This salad was quite large and could easily be an entree.  I knew I was doing a four-course meal so I halved all portions (or less).  If you like seafood, this was tasty dish!  The vinaigrette was excellent and I ate every leaf on that plate.  I knew the actual seafood would fare better the next day so I saved most of it for later. 
Wine Pairing: Valley of the Moon Pinot Blanc
This wine turned out to be my favorite of the evening.  When I asked the difference between a Pinot Blanc and a Pinot Grigio, the wine manager I work with said that basically Pinot Blanc is a more consistent and slightly nicer version of Pinot Grigio.  He told me that because Pinot Grigio's are so common and commercialized they have become very wide in variety and quality.  I'd say he was dead on because this Pinot Blanc worked nicely with food & as a stand-alone wine.  If looking for a nice white, I would suggest this.  This was my favorite.

Course 3:
Entree (picture 2 above): I don't have the exact name of this dish as it wasn't on the online menu (which I am definitely copy-pasting all these descriptions from -- c'mon, let's be real.  I don't take notes while eating because I'm too busy stuffing my face.)  This was a pasta dish with shrimp, crab & mussels, some kind of sausage and a Cajun sauce.  What I learned from this dish is that mussels with black shells taste better and aren't as tough as the mussels with lighter shells.  This meal lasted me about 3 days worth of snacking.  The seafood portion was excellent.  I don't love super spicy foods so I was a bit worried about the Cajun spices but it actually wasn't too bad.  I would recommend this to anyone who isn't afraid of having underwater sea creatures on his or her plate.  Plus they served it with a shell bucket and mini mussel forks -- how fancy!
Wine Pairing: Trefethen Chardonnay
We carry Trefethen Cabernet at work and I really liked it (for a Cabernet, anyway).  My red wine drinker friends really liked it when they tried it and I often recommend it to guests.  It has a smoother finish and although Cabs are heavier I found it easier to drink than some (i.e. J Lohr Cabernet which is easily found in stores and is slightly more bitter and has more tannins -- at least I think that's tannin).  All that being said, it seemed necessary to do a Chardonnay for the main course and Chardonnays are commonly served with fish & seafood along with dishes that are cream-based (rule -- white wines for white foods, red wine for red foods, especially steak/red meat).  This Chardonnay did not disappoint.  While I know I don't love Chardonnay's, like it's Cabernet Sauvignon counterpart, this had a very nice finish and I found it enjoyable.  Chardonnays are on the dry end of whites so I did prefer the Pinot Blanc but if you like dryer wines, this makes for a yummy option.

Course 4:
Dessert: Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Coconut Gelato (picture 1 above)
And this is why we save room, kids.  I don't like chocolate very much and will always pick a fruity option first and this did not disappoint!  While I'm not that into cake, the coconut gelato had such a great flavor that paired so well with the cake (which was also really good to my surprise).  I shoved it in shamelessly -- kind of like how you'd imagine starving children eat except I just had some of the most expensive courses prior to that in my life.  And I'm not huge into dessert so that's a statement.  If you're not feeling chocolate, get it.  Heck, even if you are feeling chocolate get it.
Wine Pairing: Rotari Brut Riserva N.V., Trentino
This Prosecco  (Italian Champagne) was not on the by-the-glass list but they were very nice and found they had a bottle open and gave it to me by the glass anyway.  While it was dryer, there was too much of a contrast for me personally with the sweetness of the cake & gelato.  And honestly, I really didn't need another glass of wine but if I was gonna do it, I was doing it right, dammit!  Now a moscato is very sweet and while it serves as a great dessert wine, I felt that the 2 different types of sweetness would have clashed here.  In retrospect I probably should have tried a nice port (a mix of red wine and brandy which is often considered an after-dinner drink) which would have probably been a good option too.  Either way it was, all and all, a delectable dinner.