Tastemakers: Stella & Shorts Beer Dinner/ L.Mawby Custom Labels

Stella & Shorts Beer Dinner

There are a lot of reasons why Trattoria Stella has enjoyed success since opening in 2004 in Building 50 at The Village at The Grand Traverse Commons. Certainly the quality of the food and a focus on fresh local ingredients is one reason. Professional service is another. But their secret success ingredient is education. Proprietors Paul and Amanda Danielson go to great lengths to make sure their team is knowledgeable. They are constantly encouraging their staff to further their food and beverage education, and the Danielsons put their money where their mouths are by often funding the edification (they sent Chef Myles Anton to Italy to work with chefs). This benefits the consumer and improves one’s dining experience immensely.
For those who enjoy adult beverages with their meal, having a well-educated bar manager on site is equally important. The Danielsons have that in Jon Ingham. I attend about 100 specialty dinners and culinary events a year around Northern Michigan, and one of the most impressive from last year was the Imperial Beer Series Dinner at Short’s Brewery in Bellaire. Ingham loaned his culinary and food and drink pairing expertise to the dinner. The result was an impressive 13-course beer and food pairing featuring all new beers (3 ounce servings) from Joe Short. Ingham not only created the pairings, but he also prepared the food in a tiny kitchen to a sold out crowd of 130, and received a standing ovation at the end of the night. Every pairing was dead on as Ingham accomplished the delicate task of highlighting the flavor profiles of each brew.
This week Joe Short will visit Stella for their Third Annual Beer Dinner. Ingham, Anton and Short have again assembled a senses-stimulating menu. Short will bring some old favorites like Huma Lupa Licious and The Soft Parade, and in typical Short fashion, some new creations like Über Goober Peanutbutter-Oatmeal Stout and Plum Smuggler Stout. On the food side highlights include Beef Crudo, Cioppino (stew) featuring scallops and mussels in lobster stock and Venison Tenderloin carved tableside. Having attended the previous two beer dinners at Stella with Short, this is a must for the beer aficionado, and oh yeah, if you have an appreciation for great food paired perfectly with beer, that helps too. The dinner is this Thursday, January 24 and the festivities start at 6:30 p.m. Reservations are required and may be made by phoning 231-929-8989. To see the complete menu go to stellatc.com.

L Mawby Custom Wine Labels

If a wedding reception, anniversary celebration, special birthday party or some other event of note is in your plans, consider marking that occasion with local bottles of custom labeled wine. Several wineries in Northern Michigan offer a custom label program, so if you have a favorite local winery, check with them.
For those looking for bubbly, look no further than L Mawby. Not only is Larry Mawby producing world-class sparkling wines using the famed Methode Champenoise technique (only wines from the Champagne region in France may be called Champagnes), he has two formats for marking that special occasion. His Personal Imprint Label is the simplest and most cost effective way, as you may add up to four lines of text to be added to the label. With this program you may order just one bottle or several thousand bottles. Another program is the Custom Label where you may use photos and images. This costs slightly more than the Personal Imprint but allows you to do full color labels. Mawby produces wines in two groups: his L Mawby label uses the Methode Champenoise and are priced in the $18-$30 a bottle range; his M. Lawrence line produces cuvee close method sparkling wines and are in the $10-$14 a bottle range. Mawby also offers some splits and some magnum size bottles. Here are my personal favorites that will certainly please your guests: in the L. Mawby line go with Cremant, Talismon or Blanc to Blanc; in the M. Lawrence line, try Sex, Fizz and US. Contact Larry at 231-271-3522 or order online at lmawby.com.

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