Quinones

For a long time now, J and I have been looking over the menus for Quinones on our weekly (or so) jaunts to Star Provisions. I have long been intrigued by their 10-course tasting menu which always focuses on using all-organic ingredients at the height of the season. Saturday night, J and I finally went to Quinones for the first time.

The service was impeccable. I felt incredibly well-taken care of. The maître d', Rob, was totally awesome. He was fun to talk to and made us feel very comfortable.

J and I arrived around 7.35pm, rather early for our 8pm reservation, but we were seated almost immediately. Following is a summary of our almost-five hour dinner. Although we did stop to talk to Rob for a while before we left, we headed out to the car around 12:15am. As a note, Quinones does not turn tables so the table you have is yours for the night.

Since we were early, we did not want to throw off the timing of the kitchen too much. J and I each started off with a glass of champagne. It was light and tasty though perhaps a bit too carbonated for my taste.

Amuse bouche: Profiterole with carmelized shallots and marscapone cheese and vichyssois.
The profiterole really set my taste buds going with an explosion of flavor. The vichyssois was creamy and luxurious like it always seems to be.

First course: Georgia Sweet Corn Custard with Maine Lobster & Chanterelle Mushroom Salad
Gruner Veltliner, Brundlmayer 2005, Austria
The corn custard was light and delicate with whole kernels of corn. The wine, like almost all the wines, went perfectly with this dish. I think this was J's favorite dish. He was very sad when his bowl was empty.

Second course: Slightly Cured North Georgia Rainbow Trout with Young Fennel, Marinated Cucumber & Trout Roe
Beaune du Chateau 1er Cru, Bouchard Pere & Fils 2004, Burgundy
This dish was far more delicate than I expected. Six or so small filets of rainbow trout, translucent, with their paired translucent toppings. I enjoyed it very much.

Third course: Shellfish & Summerland Farm Squash & Squash Blossom Pilau
Sancerre 'Les Baronnes', Henri Bourgeois 2004, Loire Valley
This was my favorite dish of the night. The richness of the shellfish broth was amazing. I believe it was made of shrimp and lobster. My first mouthful of this dish included a kumamoto oyster. It was rich yet briny... Delicious!

Fourth course: Pan Roasted Maine Halibut with Small Tomatoes, Morel Mushrooms & Sweet Corn
Trimbach, Cuvée Emile Riseling 2001, Alsace
The first cooked dish of the night was good, yet I couldn't help being a little disappointed after the mastery of the first three courses. I also wanted a palate cleanser. The halibut was perfectly cooked, lightly seared on the outside. But it was the tomato, mushroom, and corn that added depth to this dish.

Fifth course: Glazed Veal Sweetbreads with Vidalia Onions, Roasted Brown Turkey Figs & Georgia Pecans
Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Clos Saint Jean 2004, Rhone Valley
Each sweetbread was served on (what I thought was) a maple syrup roux which I found to be too sweet and overbearing. However, even after removing the sweetbreads from the roux and eating them with the fig on its own, the sweetbreads were too maple syrupy. Perhaps the sweetbreads were seared in the maple syrup first.

Sixth course: Pan Roasted Kurobata Pork Loin with Confit Pork Belly, Green Tomato Marmalade & Butter Bean Stew
Fisher Coach Insignia, Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, Napa Valley
I was pretty disappointed in this dish. The pork loin itself was unremarkable, and the stew was okay. Perhaps I was just spoiled by the rest of the night and after the sweetness of the maple syrup. Although I found that the wine was far too strong for this dish, J felt that it went very well. Of course, since each course's wine pairing came with a half glass of wine, and we were keeping pace, I had already had four glasses of wine by now.

Seventh course: Kenny's Kentucky Asiago Tart with Local Arugula & Georgia Peach
I wasn't really too impressed with dish. I found the asiago tart to be too strong.

Eighth course: Summer Melon Ice
This dish was comprised of three ices: honeydew, watermelon, and cantelope, each topped with a bit of fleur de sel. Very tasty though perhaps a bit too much salt. Although the watermelon was my favorite, J preferred the honeydew.

Ninth course: Brown Sugar Baby Cake with Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Chateau Guiraud 1re Cru 2000, Sauternes
I don't remember much about this dish except that I thought it was way too sweet. The wine was also incredibly sweet. I believe I gave mine to J and stuck to Evian. As a note about the water, Fulton County water is gross. Definitely get bottled water if you go.

We finished off the night with decaf cappucinos. We got some tasties to go along with it. I cannot remember all six of them, but they included a homemade marshmellow, a blackberry jelly, and a shortbread cookie.

All in all, it was a very mind-opening experience. I've never had wines so perfectly paired with food before. J and I look forward to returning in the fall which tends to be our favorite season for dining out. Though I may have to skip the wine pairing or maybe just not finish my wine each course.