Tastemakers: Lobster Dinner/Chateau Chantal Bubbly

Dec. 26, 2007

LOBSTER DINNER
There are several options to ring in the New Year from a dining perspective. But if you prefer to celebrate in the comfort of your home and maybe entertain a few friends, lobster is the way to go. Okay, I know a few months ago I wrote that the focus with Bottoms Up/Tastemakers would be local, and certainly lobster is not local – but before I am done, I will localize this dinner.
A few years ago at the Epicurean Classic I attended a dinner that Chef Tom Gutow (here is the start of localizing this dinner) prepared: lobster on the grill. It was fantastic and Gutow was gracious in his tips on preparing this tasty alternative of grilled versus boiled lobster. Gutow, who grew up in Northern Michigan (he worked during high school at Tapawingo) and now lives in Maine, is the previous “Lobster Chef Of The Year” champion and is a lobster guru. He owns the Castine Inn (castineinn.com), a popular Maine destination, and if an East Coast trip is in your future, seek his place out.
For me, preparing seafood on New Year’s Eve is a tradition, and lobster, crab legs and shrimp on the grill with a nice slab of beef tenderloin makes it one of my favorite meals of the year. Preparing all these items on the grill takes planning, organization and a good bottle of local red wine. The red wine is key because often I find myself standing outside by the grill for 45 minutes, and the warming effects of the wine seem to do the trick. Now, looking through the archives of Tastemakers, you will find how to prepare all these items on the grill from previous columns. As for purchasing lobster, look to local retailers; I have had much luck over the years at Meijer and Bayside Market in Traverse City. Friends have told me about monster size lobsters at the Tannery Creek Meat Market in Petoskey. If you like what you see in the photo, go to MaineLobsterDirect.com where they will ship you live lobsters overnight. If you really want to splurge, the Atlantic Elegance Lobster Dinner (photo) comes complete with Sevrug Caviar, Lobster Stew, truffles smoked salmon and all the accessories necessary for the dinner (boiling pot and butter warmers too). So if you are feeling guilty about this non-local dinner, just accessorize your plate with foods from the region. Serve with a nice bubbly from the region (see Bottoms Up) and also a good red from either the Leelanau or Old Mission Peninsulas. A meal of this magnitude deserves multiple wines. Have a Happy Grilling New Year!



Chateau Chantal Bubbly (Happy New Year)
Winemaker Mark Johnson (now vice president of Winemaking Operations) of Chateau Chantal on the Old Mission Peninsula is one of the region’s pioneer winemakers, and also has probably the best sense of humor in the industry. In addition to making great wines, he is a master marketer. When Johnson became winemaker at Chateau Chantal in 1993 (prior to that, he was winemaker down the road at Chateau Grand Traverse for 10 years), he garnered publicity often for his ice wine harvests, delivering their Nouveaux by horse and even a few grape stomping events. A few years back when his colleague Larry Mawby released his bubbly named Sex (a major accomplishment considering the strict label standards the federal government has), Johnson called me to let me know about his new promotion: “Celebrate” “Sex” “Tonight” (see photo). Chateau Chantal makes both Celebrate (formerly known as Carpe Diem) and Tonight, along with a couple of other bubbly’s. In fact, Johnson could add “at Sunset” in his promotion. While this is a cute promotion, these are all great sparkling wines (Champagnes are only made in that region of the same name in France) and worthy of the dinner table all year round.
Sparkling wine is not just for celebrating, and it partners well with many foods. I enjoy sparkling wines at least once a week and find that they do very well with spicy cuisine. As we ring in 2008, be sure that local wines are part of your celebration. The Northern Michigan wine industry continues to grow in numbers and reputation. Look for a lot of coverage on our regions shining star in 2008 in Bottoms Up. There is also so much to celebrate in our “foodie” industry as more small family farm operations are appearing and succeeding. The past year brought several new and tasty restaurants, and more are in the works for 2008. And with all the food and beverage products being produced here in Northern Michigan, this really is the place to be. So raise a toast to our great region and look for many exciting happenings in the world of food and beverage right here in our own backyard in 2008. Check out chateauchantal.com or call them 231.223.4110.
Happy New Year!