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Super-Tuscan Extravaganza

By on August 15, 2011 in Charity, wine

Last night I was priviliged to be among the guests invited to a spectacular wine tasting dinner. The meal, prepared by Chef Craig Strong (Executive Chef, Studio, Montage Laguna Beach), was paired with three decades of each of the four Super-Tuscan wines: Ornellaia, Sassicaia, Solaia, and Tignanello.

The dinner was donated by philanthropists Hal and Sharon Lampert as a live auction item at the Vintage Hollywood event, with the proceeds going to OPCC. The winning bidders were kind enough to include my husband and me on their guest list, and that’s how I came to be part of such an extraordinary evening.

To my surprise, I conistently favored the Ornellaia, even in a blind test (we weren’t told which wines were which for the pasta and lamb courses until after we’d tried them). Having said that, all the wines were absolutely spectacular, and the food was delectable from start to finish.

Here’s the menu:

Hors d’oeuvres
Mini Caprese
Saffron Arrancini
Country pate on crostini
Mini onion and carraway tart
Brandade croquette with basil aioli
Paired with: Krug Grand Cruvee NV

Tableside presentation of Japanese Hamachi
Himalayan pink salt with caviar lime dressing
Didier Dagueneau Silex 2004

Farm-raised rabbit in prosciutto
Tuscan white beans, tomato, fine herbs
Antinori Solaia 1988
Antinori Tignanello 1988
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 1988
Teunta dell’Ornellaia Ornellaia 1988

Hand Rolled Pasta with Wild Mushrooms
Fresh Australian black truffles, foie gras butter sauce
Antinori Solaia 1998
Antinori Tignanello 1998
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 1998
Teunta dell’Ornellaia Ornellaia 1998

Superior Farms Grilled Lamb
Fava beans, baby fennel, artichoke ragout, lamb jus
Antinori Solaia 2004
Antinori Tignanello 2004
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2004
Teunta dell’Ornellaia Ornellaia 2004

White Chocolate Amaretto Mousse
Apricot and lemon verbena ice cream

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TwitChange Auction Benefits Haiti

By on September 22, 2010 in Charity, twitter

My client and friend Curt Smith is one of dozens of celebrities contributing to the wonderful TwitChange auction, the proceeds form which will build housing for orphans in Haiti.

What each celebrity is donating, at a minimum, is to follow, retweet and/or mention the winner of their bid on Twitter. Some are “packages,” meaning the celebrity will do all three for the winner.

Some are donating “mega” or “bonus” packages. Curt, Alyson Hannigan, Pete Carroll and others have offered to personally call the winners of their auctions.

The celebrities involved include musicians, actors, athletes, executives… truly something for everyone. It’s a great idea for a great cause. Check it out soon, as bidding ends on Saturday!

Welcome To TwitChange.

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Vintage Hollywood 2010

By on May 1, 2010 in Charity, Restaurants, wine

I’m a founding board member of a non-profit called Vintage Hollywood Foundation, which raises money for charitable organizations that work to improve the health and well-being of Southern California’s diverse community.

Our flagship annual event, Vintage Hollywood, will be held on Saturday, June 12 (just 6 weeks away!) from 6:30-9:00pm. It features two dozen prestigious wine producers, each represented by its winemaker and/or proprietor; a dozen of L.A.’s top restaurants and purveyors including Artisan Cheese Gallery, The Foundry, Jar, Joe’s, and Tavern; and live and silent auctions. Our celebrity auctioneer this year is the brilliant Kevin Pollak; our emcee for the evening will be KNX Newsradio afternoon host Jim Thornton.

Vintage Hollywood is a relatively intimate event – we admit a maximum of 350 guests – held outdoors, this year at the home of Mr. Ray Leonard and Mrs. Bernadette Leonard (boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard) in Pacific Palisades.

Our primary beneficiary for 2010 is JDRF / Los Angeles Chapter. JDRF’s mission is to find a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications through the support of research. JDRF is also committed to developing new and better treatments to improve the lives of people with type 1 diabetes in the near term, and keep them healthy while they advance toward a cure.

Tickets for Vintage Hollywood are $200 apiece, and can be purchased at the Vintage Hollywood website. Sponsorship opportunities, including a private June 11 “dinner with the winemakers,” are also available; for more information, contact Annie Aft at (310) 559-6325 or email VH2010 (at) vintagehollywood (dot) org.

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