Dinner with Rick Two: Only 3 bottles, but we still Lost

As mentioned previously, Friday night's dinner was a little rough.  Needless to say, the drinking did not necessarily end with dinner.  This of course led to the usual problems the following day.  While the dining options in Houston are almost limitless, there is something to be said for having a home cooked meal.  There's also something to be said for hanging out and cooking while enjoying beer and wine with good company.  With all this in mind, Rick and I decided to do dinner at home Saturday night.  Rick's a great cook, and he and Shannon are great company.

We picked up the food and a couple extra bottles of wine at H.E.B. Central Market.  We also grabbed a bottle while we were at World Market earlier in the day.  The World Market wine ended up being our starter for the evening, but as per usual in these things, it wasn't the last bottle.

We started with a bottle of Famega Vinho Verde which is a light Portuguese white wine.  Pris really enjoyed this wine and has a separate post on it, so I won't say too much here.  However, this wine has been called "the perfect summer wine" and I'm hard pressed to disagree.  It was light, fizzy, fruity, and refreshing.  Everything a summer wine should be. 

We also opened a bottle of La Mozza I Perazzi Morellino Di Scansano 2006.  Pris and I had tried this fine Sangiovese before, and kept the empty bottle around.  We wanted to share it with Rick and Shannon since we liked it so much (to be fair we also grabbed a bottle of McPherson's Sangiovese, but we didn't quite get around to it).  Also, Rick enjoys cooking Italian foods, so wine from a winery co-founded by Mario Batali seemed fitting.

The La Mozza was an excellent starter wine.  It starts off light and fruity, but develops a full flavor as it opens up.  The flavors of dark fruit dominate the palate, but swish it around some and you'll discover an underlying spiciness that really adds kick to whatever you're pairing the wine with. Both wines paired splendidly with Manchego cheese drizzled in olive oil and olives.

Then came the main course: Rick and I had one and a half inch thick Kobe beef rib eyes (Pris had her NY Strip, as is her custom) and Shannon had a tenderloin.  To go with the steaks Rick prepared a cheesy polenta and sautéed mushrooms, garlic, and onions in a cream sauce; and Shannon grilled up asparagus.  All the food was incredible, and easily as good as anything we would've had in a restaurant.

We continued with the fine Italian red as we started dinner, but there wasn't much left by the time dinner came around.  Rick brought out a bottle of Rutherford Hill 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon to work on as we worked our way through the piles of food on our plates.

The La Mozza did well with the steak, but the Cab truly shined.  Deep dark garnet in color and tasting of deep dark fruits and currants.  This wine complemented the steak perfectly.  It was bold and full bodied, but not too dry.  The Rutherford Hill had a strong fruit finish that lingered nicely on the palate.  All in all it was an excellent Cab for anyone wanting the perfect pairing for a big juicy steak dinner.

Ultimately the food and wine won.  No one was able to finish their steaks.  To be fair, I think the rib-eyes were over a pound each.  It made for great leftovers later though. We did finish the bottles and then some, but didn't do near as much damage as the previous night.

Pris and I picked up the La Mozza I Perazzi at Central Market, and it runs about $20 a bottle.   I haven't seen it anywhere here, but if we find it we'll be sure to update. You can find more about it at: http://lamozza.com/winery.html.  Since we didn't get the Rutherford Hill, I'm not sure where to find it here.  However, I imagine our local stores would be up for ordering some if they don't already carry it.  For more information you can visit: http://www.rutherfordhill.com/

This meal capped off an incredible weekend of eating and drinking in Houston.  I'd be remiss if I didn't give Rick and Shannon a big public thank you as well.  They were incredible hosts and showed Pris and I a great time during our stay with them.  We're already looking forward to a time when we can make a repeat trip up.  Although I think we'll fly next time, that drive is a little rough.