Friday, June 15, 2012

Mozaic in Sarasota - Superb Dining Experience

Several days ago, we joined friends at Mozaic Restaurant (http://www.mozaicsarasota.com/) for a Savor Sarasota dinner (http://viaggiviniecucine.blogspot.com/2011/06/savor-sarasota-two-weeks-of-delicious.html). The meal was delicious and creative. The three-course meal was $25 per person, and pairing with one glass of wine for each course was an additional $14 per person. We did the wine pairing.

The cuisine of chef Dylan Elhajoui emphasizes culinary influences of Morocco, western Italy, southern France, and southern Spain.

Every course of our meal was wonderful.

At the start of the meal, we were all given an amuse-bouche of a cold soup that was called a Maltese gazpacho. It had a small bit of a kick. One of the main spices was cumin. It was accompanied by poppy-seed grissini.

My wife's first course was Velouté of Green Asparagus accompanied by a goat cheese crostini. The wine that was supposed to accompany it was a Sauvignon Blanc. However, my wife requested and received a wine that went with another first course. It was a Nonvintage Gruet New Mexico Blanc Des Noirs sparkling wine.

My first course was a crab and clam bisque with oysters and roasted corn. I was mistakenly served the Sauvignon Blanc rather than the Gruet sparkling wine. The waiter quickly brought the Gruet, but left the Sauvignon Blanc for me to drink. This was first wine I've had from New Mexico. The wine was decent, but I probably would not buy it.

Our second course was Sautéed Ruby Trout with Chive Buttermilk Aioli accompanied by curried fingerling apple salad. The paired wine was a 2010 Chateau Peynaud white Bordeaux.

Our third course was Moroccan lamb kefta and vegetable kebab with a harissa andalouse sauce. For $3, I added lamb merguez sausage. The paired wine was a 2009 Temptations Alexander Valley Zinfandel from Sonoma County.

My wife had an espresso for $2.50, and I had a double espresso for $2.95.

The atmosphere was very nice, and our waiter, Jeff, was outstanding.

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