Zack Bates and his ‘CEO Tastemaker’s’ strike again.
Bates, the CEO of Private Club Marketing and his elite Tastemakers group have been holding a delightful series of social food and wine events at private clubs and luxury resorts around Southern California, celebrating the epicurean pleasures of the region with partner Touring and Tasting Magazine. The latest such event took place at the historic Newport Beach Country Club in their newly redesigned “California Craftsman” styled clubhouse, recently completed after club officials wrote a cool $40 million dollar check toward high-end improvements.
Cuisine
The October event featured an exclusively designed surf and turf menu for a four-course dinner with something to please any foodie, or bon vivant. Tastemaker diners enjoyed the panoramic view in Newport Beach Country Club’s ocean boardroom, while dining on lavish plated selections, like:
Grilled Spanish Octopus
Artisan greens, Humbolt Fog goat cheese, blistered butternut squash, pomegranate, with apple vinaigrette.
Hot smoked Scottish salmon, braised porchetta pork belly, de Puy lentils, rainbow chard, and buerre rouge.
Traditional sticky toffee pudding for dessert.
Wines
The meal featured four delightful dinner wines, including three regional selections from California, as well as a Graham Beck Brut Champagne, from the Graham Beck Winery located in South Africa. Although this highly-rated champagne is a sparkling white grape selection, sippers were delighted by the pale slivery-pink tinge of this fine brut. The blush color is accompanied by “aromas of raspberries, cherries…and subtle berry flavors.”
Other dinner wines included a dry chardonnay from Plume Estate Winery in Napa Valley, a robust and spicy pinot noir from Sebastiani Winery in Sonoma, and a 2009 port from EOS winery in Paso Robles, CA.
The group of reception wines included a light-hearted duo of choices, also from California wineries: a full-bodied Napa Valley chardonnay from Plume Estate Winery, and a ripe, fruity cabernet sauvignon from the Sextant Winery,
Newport Beach Country Club’s unique and decadent take on “California cuisine” continues to delight diners, whether they are serving members of the elite “CEO Tastemakers” club, their own membership, or guests.
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