Consider our dinner at The Artist's Palate/Canvas. Note the ambiance and atmosphere of the room. Describe the nature and quality of the service. How did the establishment make our group feel welcome?
Elaborate on the marriage of food and wine at our meal. Describe your meal in precise sensory detail. How did the wine support or conflict with the food?
Think critically about how well the establishment met your expectations. Apply your professional knowledge toward making a supported conclusion about the dining experience.
Write 400 words on the subject. This assignment is due by midnight on Friday, February 25th.
While in California, you will eat together as a group almost every day. In each instance, consider what distinguishes the restaurant. Have fun, too! It has been a pleasure having you in class. Please direct inquiries about the trip to Professor Morris.
Best regards,
Brent W.
My experience at The Artist’s Palate was very good considering that a lot of people that I talked to that went there said it wasn’t very good. Also, after eating at Terrepin, I had low expectations as to how the meal was going to be. But to my surprise it was very good. When entering the restaurant, I was very shocked too see how empty it was. There wasn’t a lot of décor and the decorations that were there weren’t hung. But when the chef came out and spoke to us about her career and gave us advice I was able to see that it wasn’t finished. After hearing that I was bale to put my initial reaction aside and realize that this place could be a really fun hangout. When it does officially open I will definitely go there with friends to hang out, have a few drinks and eat good food. The servers there were very polite and accommodating. Considering our meeting went an hour over, they maintained their cool and kept patient with us. They didn’t try and continuously take things from the table trying to say, “Hey, get out. I want to go home.” They were also very prompt with their service. When wine glasses were finished, they vanished before we could even notice and all of the glasses were filled way before the next course came out. I would definitely have to say that the servers helped make that a great experience.
ReplyDeleteAs for the food and wine pairings, some were very good and some were terrible in my opinion. To kick the night off with a sparkling wine is always a great idea. I personally thought that the wine was awful. The smell was terrible, like cat pee and an old barn. I know some wines smell like that but for me it is very unappealing. The taste of it was not very good either, all I tasted was lemon juice and it burned my throat going down. But on a positive note it definitely cleansed my palate. The Sauvignon Blanc I thought was a much better wine, but I did not think it paired well with the salad. Everything about the wine was appealing to me. The nose had a nice green apple and citrus fruit smell with notes of pineapple. The flavor also had all of those scents in it and made for a very nice wine. But the pair with the salad was bad. For starters I did not like the salad. I thought it needed more dressing and after I ate some salad I could not take anything in the wine. The Pinot Noir was an excellent wine. Everything about it are things that I am all about. The nose had a cherry, cinnamon and clove smell. The taste was also amazing containing all those notes plus and addition of plum. Of all the courses I think that this was the best pairing for me. I had the duck dish and everything on that plate went well with the wine. Since the wine was acidic it cut through the fat of the duck and paired very well with the richness of the reduction sauce. The final wine was also very good. The nose had strong notes of pear and rose. Both of those notes came out when tasting the wine accompanied by honeysuckle. The pairing with the bread pudding was very good considering the wine was much sweeter than the bread pudding. Everything from that plate worked with the wine and when drinking the wine with the food, it made the raspberry more apparent in the dessert.
I personally think that this hole experienced provided to us by The Artist’s Palate was a very good one. Everything worked for me and I will definitely find myself going back there again. I could not have asked for a better way to this class than to eat great food, taste good wine and find out where exactly I am going in California.
-Arthur P.
When I walked into the Artist's Palate Tuesday night I was immediately impressed with the art work. I had expectations for the decor of the restaurant considering its name, but besides the artwork it looked to be under construction which Chef Meghan explained at the end of our meal it was. They were trying to work the kinks out before its grand opening “ you only have one chance to make a first impression”; her very appreciated words of wisdom for us young dreamers who too want to own a restaurant someday.
ReplyDeleteThe Artist's Palate made me feel welcome immediately by requesting to take my coat when I walked in. The room was dimly lit, and very calming, with somewhat of a high end feel to it. The service was great; fast, and efficient I was happy to see my water glass was always full. One mishap of the night, on the front of house end, was when a fellow student dinner immediately in front of me ended up wearing some of his braise sauce complement of the fast moving server.
When it came to the food I found every course to meet my expectations. I had a longing for a really nice meal after being let down a bit by the Telpan Bistro on the first trip. The brut rose champagne toast was very dry but a nice complement to the acidic tomato jam, and the olive oil on the bread. The first course of a spinach salad with pistachio crusted goat cheese round and pear was light and satisfying. The sauvignon blanc had a very bright tropical fruit flavor before my first bite of food. With the food I found the wine to bring out the sweetness in the poached pear. Opposinly the goat cheese component was wiped away by the flavors of the wine. The pistachio crust did not come through to me as well as the vinaigrette which I felt could have had a little more flavor; maybe the addition of acid, or even some more salt. The wine also had an oily residual feel to it which impacted the residual tang of the goat cheese. For my entree I enjoyed the braised short rib with sticky rice and kimchee. The pinot nior at first taste burst with deep cherry, and raspberry flavors, it was crisp with a quick finish. It had a deep leathery smell and deep plum color. It paired nicely with my braised ribs. The crispness cut right through the fatty meat. The deep charred flavor of the meat also brought out a hidden smoky flavor in the wine. The kimchee on the other had I felt was way to spicy for the wine. One sip after eating a bite sent my mouth a flame. The dessert was my favorite part of the night. Still slightly warm the white chocolate raspberry bread pudding was eggy, and with the sweet cream light and floaty...(like sitting on a cloud floaty). I also enjoyed the dessert wine the most out of all four, with a floral dried golden raisin nose, and light golden color I was overjoyed to take a sip. With low acidity and tannins the sweet wine complemented the dessert perfectly. Nothing over shadowed or out shined. Every bite kept getting better so much so I decided to finish off Trevor's.
Overall I really enjoyed our dinner out, the words of Chef Meghan's accomplishments also rounded out the night with a feeling of pride, and excitement for my own future endeavors. It was interesting to hear of her set backs as well. She gave really incite-full advice.
Gabrielle C.
The art at Canvas although incomplete was starting took look pretty nice. They didn’t have all their art up on the wall and there really didn’t seem to be that much. But from what I saw it was mostly very interesting and I don’t actually much like modern art. The atmosphere was very warm and welcoming especially after coming off the streets of downtown Poughkeepsie. I was asked if I wanted my coat taken twice, on the second request for my coat I just gave it to him. They were obviously there to please the guests.
ReplyDeleteThe food was actually very nice. Much better than the spinach water sauce served at Terrapin or however you spell it. But this is a wines class so I’ll start with the aperitif. The Brut was in my opinion extremely acidic and tasted like pure lemon juice. Not a pleasant wine in my opinion but after finishing it I did realize exactly what it was for. It worked extremely well as a palate cleanser (my mouth didn’t taste like an ash tray anymore). The first course had a nice simple presentation. The pistachio crusted goat cheese wheel was very creative and delicious and worked very well with the sweetness of the poached pears. However I felt that the lettuce was a bit too dry. As to the comparison with the wine I don’t feel that they worked well together. The wine alone was a rather light wine and when your mouth is coated with tangy goat cheese the wine tasted simply like your drinking water.
For the second course I got the short ribs. The house made kimchi was in my opinion better than Kanner’s. it was a great contrast of hot and cold on the plate with the warm short rib, hot rice, and cold kimchi. The short rib was actually (unlike many times at CIA) tender and I didn’t even need my knife. The only thing I would have to say it was lacking in was again…sauce. The wine pairing I thought also went very well with it. The Foppiano was a in my opinion a very tannic red with little fruit and mostly more of leather and spice. This truly brought out the meatiness of the short rib a great deal more.
Finally for dessert we were presented with raspberry bread pudding. Although very tasty I felt that it was a bit too eggy. However when paired with the Asti’ like, lychee like, pear tasting, rose scented Quady Electra Muscat, the bread pudding Ceased to be eggy and just became creamy. As we learned in wines class the wine must be sweeter than the dessert itself for a good pairing. I feel that due to the eggyness of the bread pudding it played down its own sweetness allowing the rather sweet wine to cut through and pair extremely well…but I could be wrong.
Canvas was a very pleasant experience that I would most certainly visit again if given the chance. There food was done well. The atmosphere was friendly, and the wait staff was EXTREMELY PATIENT…..and on top of that, at least it’s better than Terrapain.
Upon entering Canvas, I felt like I was in a very welcoming and comforting atmosphere, yet also a very upscale and trendy one as well. I really liked the communal lounge area and the fact that the bar counter was made of slabs of Himalayan pink salt. The dining area was very welcoming as well, though the chairs were not very comfortable and a little small in my opinion. The lighting and table settings were nice. My only other complaint about the restaurant itself is that it not very warm at all in the dining area; this feeling was mutual among many of my classmates.
ReplyDeleteOur first wine, the Iron Horse Brut Rose, had a pinkish-copper appearance and a scattered pearlage. with a nose of green fruits and orange. The wine was not overly bubbly and had a taste of red currants; it was medium-bodied with a semi-dry finish. Overall it was just an okay wine.
The next wine, the 2003 Honig Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, was silvery, almost hay-colored in appearance, with a nose of green fruits and mango. The taste was fruity, light bodied, had flavors of pineapple and had a very acidic finish. The wine worked well with the greens, though the same can’t be said of the goat cheese. The wine was very tart after tasting some of the goat cheese, though it did help to cleanse the palette of the cheese’s richness.
The2006 Foppiano Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was a disappointment for me. The wine was very light red with a pinkish rim, and had a nose of cocoa, caramel, raspberry and cherry. The taste however, left something to be desired. The wine was a little bland, slightly watery, had a very short finish. When paired with my main course (the swordfish), it worked well and complemented the clean flavors of the fish well. The fish helped to bring out some more flavor from the Pinot Noir.
The final wine of the evening, the 2009 Electra Quady Orange Muscat, was probably my favorite wine of the four we tasted. The muscat had a distinct golden appearance, with a nose of pears in syrup (the kind that come in single-serving plastic containers) pine and eucalyptus. The wine had a taste of bosc pears and golden raisins. I felt that the wine worked well with dessert, as the wine’s acidity helped to cut the sweetness of the bread pudding.
Overall it was a very enjoyable experience, my only gripe with the service is that one particular server was constantly trying to take away my bread plate when there was clearly still a piece of bread on the plate.
Mike D.
Eating at The Artist Palate was a great dining experience to have. It was a great food and wine pairing experience to have in preparation for the California trip. The beautiful ambience and modern décor with bright warm colors really set a peaceful mood to dine.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing we had was a sun-dried tomato spread with toasted bread. It was simple but a delicious way to start the meal. We drank a palate cleansing Iron Horse Brut Rose from 2003. Its grapefruit citrusy aroma and dry finish was a great way to begin the meal.
The appetizer was baby field greens, poached pear, pistachio crusted Coach Farm’s goat cheese, with a beet vinaigrette. This was pair with Honig Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc from 2009. The dish was very light and refreshing with a creamy goat cheese toping. Wrapping the goat cheese in pistachios was a perfect way to add a nice crunch to the soft creamy goat cheese. The wine happened to pair very well with this dish with its fresh green apple crisp taste. It was a beautiful clear white wine with a slight gold tint, with the fresh aroma of dryer sheets.
The mid course was cocoa dusted pan seared Hudson Valley duck breast, zinfandel reduction, mascarpone polenta paired with a Foppiano Vineyards Russian River Pinot Noir from 2006. The duck was perfectly done to my desired temperature with a crispy fatty crust. The beets it was served with were cooked perfectly and seasoned well. The wine was filled with stone fruit and fig aromas and a beautiful deep ruby color. It paired beautifully with the dark duck meat.
For dessert we had a delicious raspberry white chocolate bread pudding with fresh whipped cream and it was paired with Quady Electra California Orange Muscat from 2009. The bread pudding was a very soft and airy texture filled with fresh berries and a warm white chocolate sauce covering the berries. The wine was a very sweet delicious dessert wine that paired very well with the white chocolate in the dessert. With a lemony and strong acetone scent it had the taste of white grape juice. It was so sweet it was very hard to even taste any alcohol. It was a nice way to end the meal and made me wanting to come back for more. The whole dinner was delicious and was a great time shared with the rest of my class mates I will be in California with. This was a great preview to the food and wine experiences to come in my future.
Josh R
Located in the heart of Poughkeepsie, The Artist’s Palate was the destination for our Class. When I entered I was greeted and my jacket was taken. This immediately made me feel comfortable and welcomed. The lobby that we were waiting in was filled with comfortable chairs and beautiful artwork. As soon as everyone arrived we were seated. During the course of the meal the wait staff was friendly and made me feel welcomed in there establishment.
ReplyDeleteBefore our first course we were served a Iron Horse Brut Rose 2003. This was had a floral scent. The taste was of citrus, like grapefruit. I thought this was an excellent choice as a palate cleanser. The first course of our meal was a baby field greens salad. The salad was a nice complement to the Sauvignon Blanc, but when i ate a piece of pepper from the salad with the wine it became much sweeter. For my Entree I had the Grilled Hawaiian Marlin, with jade rice and a cherry pepper chimmi churri. The wine with this was Foppiano Vineyards Russian River Pinot Noir 2006. Personally, I would have enjoyed a White wine with the fish, but I still thought the wine alone was good. It had a red berry aroma, but the taste was of cinnamon or Stone fruits. For desert we had a raspberry-white chocolate bread pudding with a quady electra california oragne muscat 2009. The desert was my favorite part of the meal. The desert wine did not over power the sweetness of the bread pudding but brought it nicely. Both the wine and desert I would have thoroughly enjoyed alone.
My experience at the Artist’s Palate was a very pleasurable one. The staff, atmosphere and overall quality of service was excellent. The artwork gave the restaurant’s name justice and led to a very welcoming atmosphere. The staff was friendly I hope to return to this restaurant in the near future, and would definitely consider throwing a party through the Artist’s Palate.
-Kyle B
I found the atmosphere of Canvas to be very cool and relaxing. In my opinion it has the potential to become a very high end food/ music venue. The high pressed tin ceilings give the space an industrial art studio fell reminiscent of a New York City jazz lounge. I found the service to be very efficient and personal. Our food came out at the same pace and the time between courses was reasonable. I felt welcomed when then gentleman offered to take my coat for me as I entered the establishment. The seating arrangement gave the dining experience a family style intimacy that I appreciated because it gave us the chance to interact with one another.
ReplyDeleteFor dinner we started with a glass of 2003 Iron Horse Brut Rose which went very well with the grilled breads and sundried tomato pesto offered to us at the start of our dinner. The first course was a salad of baby field green, poached pear, and pistachio crusted Coach Farm’s goat cheese with beet vinaigrette. The salad was paired with a 2009 Honig Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc. The wine was pale gold in appearance, had a fruity nose of apple and stone fruit melon and cantaloupe, the light bodied wine was a refreshing palate cleanser and cut through the fat of the goat cheese. For an entrée I ordered the Marinated Grilled Hawaiian Marlin, jade rice, and cherry pepper chimmi churri. This was paired with a 2006 Foppiano Vineyards Russian River Pinot Noir. This wine was garnet in color and had a musty, oaky cherry and plum nose with a medium body mouth feel with hints of berry and plum. The Marlin was cooked to perfection. It had nice grill marks and was cooked to medium-rare. The fish stood up to the wine by complementing the oakiness of the wine with the smoky flavors of the grilled cooking method. The jade rice and chimmi churri were nice addition to the dish because they added flavors of citrus and acid which contrast the smokiness of the fish which created a complex flavor profile that entertained my palate.
Overall the Artist Palate met my expectations. I believe they were able to do this because one of the owners is a graduate of the CIA. And they do an exceptional job creating fine food. The only negative portion of my dining experience was that my Marlin was not very hot when it was served to me. I was able to accept this because background knowledge tells me that they do not have the heat lamp capacity to serve their a la carte menu banquet style.
When you walk into the restaurant you don't see a bunch of beautifully dressed tables with candles and people everywhere. My eyes were directed straight to the extremely large pinkish, possibly salt, bar. As I handed off my coat and scarf to the server I peeked down the hallway and saw offset hanging white canvas ball lights in a big open space. It reminded me of a patio dinning area outside on warm summer night. We were the only guest and there was about four servers to help us with whatever we needed. I have to say that I enjoyed most of the service but one of the servers I felt was a little overbearing, I feel somewhat uncomfortable when I can see people staring at me while I eat. When I took the first glimpse at the menu i was really excited about tasting the rose, because I have only ever had three in my life. Before coming i had the highest expectations about the meal as a whole with the pairings. The Rose was a little light for me to get a good taste of the wine. I was also a little congested and not having the whole system of smelling and tasting makes it hard. The second wine, the Sauvignon Blanc I think went very well with the greens, dressing and pears, but when it came to the goat cheese covered in pistachios it made the food have a unpleasant after taste. The wine was clear with no color with what I think a fruity nose. For my main entree I choose the duck course. Usually i love all the components that made up this plate but that evening I didn't enjoy it so much. The wine that was paired with Russian River Pinot Noir. I had drank the whole sip of wine before I even received my dinner.p It was very light in taste and tannins and the color was of a cherry and translucent. I thought that it would be best if i had something to drink with my dinner, so i ordered a Cabernet Sauvagnion from California that was a little heavier in all aspects which i think went a little better with my very fatty heavy meal. Electra, with that being said you know that your about to drink honey syrup. The color of the dessert wine had a gold tinge and a very sparkly appearance. The rule being that the wine should be more sweet then the dessert itself and it was, therefore mission accomplished. My overall rating on the evening was about a 5 out of 10. I was very disappointed with the food and the fact that we were poured a sip of each wine, barely enough to eat with our meal. Cheers to all.
ReplyDeleteJessica M.
To begin with, the Iron Horse Brut Rose 2003 was an excellent start off to a wonderful meal. The balance between the acidity and bubbles opened your eyes and just got you in the mindset that something great is going to happen. I had tried it with the grilled bread and sun-dried tomato spread, or pesto, if you will, and it was a perplexing match. I felt that it negetated a lot of the great elements of the spread; like the acid and the umami-ness. But it also complemented the smoky and roasted flavors of the bread and spread. It helped the naturally strong flavors of the char to linger on your palate. Overall I would say that the two was a great match; but keep in mind that champagne (sparkling wine) really goes with anything it's paired with.
ReplyDeleteThe appetizer of baby field greens with a beet vinaigrette, and accompanied by poached pear slices and a pistachio crusted goat cheese (Coach Farm's) was very good by itself. The sweetness of the vinaigrette with the pear battled the natural salty element of the crusted goat cheese. I need to add that that cheese tasted like Pringles. With this dish we were paired with a Honig Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2009. The wine, on its own, was very pleasant. It had a short finish that whipped your palate of any lingering tastes. It was very refreshing and clean. A strange taste I picked up was Lemon-Drops (the candy); although it was faint. Together with the dish I didn't like it as much; this was due to a strange "leather" taste that was left in my mouth. I believe that the sweet elements of both, the wine and the beet vinaigrette, cancelled each other out which allowed the bitterness of the greens stand on your palate longer. What the wine did to the overall pairing was to help cut through some of the fattiness of the goat cheese. This was very rich item on a pretty delicate salad. Overall rated would be 6/10 for the pairing.
Now for our main course we were able to choose from a selection of three: duck, short ribs or marlin. I chose the short ribs solely on the reason they had home-made kimchee (I love this stuff). These items were served with scallion sticky rice and the braising liquid. This dish was killer. Everything played off each other. The kimchee took full command to help cut the fat from the short ribs. This was missing from the wine because it just couldn't stand up to a big piece of meat like that. The wine was a Pinot Noir from Foppiano Vineywards Russian River 2006. Pinot Noir's are cross over wines meaning they work for either a lean piece of meat or a steak-like fish. For the wine I was surprised how much earth elements stood out. Usually, or at least the ones I've tasted, pinots' are fruit forward. The wine still had fruit flavors, on the nose and tongue; like cherry, ripe strawberries, blackberries, etc., but I picked up ash, young branches and iron, in the wine. But still even with these elements the complement of the wine and dish just didn't work for me. From the heat and fermentation of the kimchee and than the fattiness of the short ribs the wine just fell flat on the palate. It didn't bring any structure. The stand out of the pairing was the kimchee (the best I've ever had) it had a great balance between fermentation and spicy. The cabbage was prickly. It just stood right up on your tongue like ballerinas.
--Tim T.
Now for the final pairing; this was our dessert course. We had a raspberry-white chocolate bread pudding paired with a Quady Electra California Orange Muscat 2009 from Fresno. I was deeply disappointed in the dessert. The bread was just too mushy and eggy. The best part, in my eyes, of a bread pudding is the crunchy corners of the bread as it bakes in the oven. Even if the bread might look a little dry it still plays like a Gusher in your mouth. The bread cube just pops full or moisture while still having that textural crunch. So my desires that I look for in bread puddings wasn't fulfilled. Also, I didn't find the dessert really that sweet; well until you really get a hold of a raspberry, but the whip cream that was next to it wasn't "seasoned" correctly. It just tasted like whipped heavy cream. Personally, I don't like the feel of cream in my mouth and when it's not sweetened than its really unappetizing. Now for the pairing. The wine brought great elements of sweetness with a crisp, medium-long finish. Because the pudding was really wet I feel the Electra didn't help. The wine had viscosity which added to the overall "wetness" in the mouth. For me, it was like playing around with a piece of fat with my tongue. I wish there was more acidity to help cut that heavy cream from the pudding. But the Electra on its own was very good. It had a low alcohol level so that stuff just went down so smoothly. I wouldn't have mind it if my parent would have given that to me as candy as a child. One thing I picked up from the wine, which I found very interesting, was pollen. Although it was faint it was like you could taste the bee’s work of pollination. This was probably due to the honey elements that the wine was presenting.
ReplyDeleteTo conclude, the tasting was a success. I had a great time eating and drinking (as I usually do) with great company. This really is the most important factor in any dining setting. Even if the food not might meet expectation the compensation of family, friends and professionals at your table could negate any bad burger. I love how we were able to shoot our ideas of the food back and forth. It's great because it allows you to get things you might have missed, or it allows people to question and even argue over things. It's really a great feeling when people are having a great time over food. Nothing is more natural than this. And even after thousands of years I bet the conversations haven't changed too drastically.
Now I don't want to be a negative Nancy but I felt the service was under par. It was rushed and a bit sloppy. One of the waiter's basically through a plate down in front of a student. Plus, when I was presented with my entree the plate was extremely hot; and the guy didn't even warn me of that. This is definitely just being picky but I feel that how you are presented your food is as important as how the food looks and tastes.
--Tim T.
The building had a drafty look to it, which went nicely with the drafty air that seemed to chase me wherever I went in the dining area. The couches in the front where we sat for a while although were not harmful to my eye, were a bit harmful to my backside. The art which was yet to be hung seemed very pleasing if not busy, and I enjoyed the effort they took into making them look functional even though placed on the ground (they were backlit by some light source placed behind the canvas’).
ReplyDeleteWhen the meal got started I was very happy with the bread nice and grilled and still a little warm to the touch and the tomato compote was well executed, why they took this away so early and failed to bring us more bread throughout the meal, I haven’t the foggiest. The champagne was what I had expected, although I thought it rather odd how she used the double pour method when she gave us less then a regular tasting amount. I have always enjoyed the Iron Horse Rose even though it doesn’t seem to know what type of wine it would like to be. There was a wet peach smell to it, which I could pull from the dregs of the champagne flute from which my .3 ounces were gently dropped into. I also received a mineral acidity which flowed into the mouth upon take the shot.
The appetizer I did not care very much for, the vinaigrette seemed to literally dot the dish with pieces of beet that looked unappetizing, much like eating lettuce with chicken pox. But the Sauvignon Blanc tasted like a walnut being smashed between two ceramic tiles. There was a slight nuttiness that brought the flavors of the cheese out from inside its nutty casing. The entrée I did enjoy, the short ribs were well prepared if not too sweet, the hoisin seemed to flow throughout the dish, and I’m not sure if there was anything else actually used in the preparation. The sticky rice was tasty and developed itself inside the Pinot Noir, as long as I could find some unadulterated by the hoisin sauce. And the kimchee tasted like kimchee, which is always a plus in my book.
The dessert seemed to have soaked for too long, I did not really get much out of it other then scrambled eggs, or perhaps a lumpy crepe filled with raspberries. The Muscat tasted much like simple syrup dumped into a wine bottle, in a good way; although I failed to get much more of it then that due to the fact that the amount in the bottom of my glass made me yearn for the, at this point, seemingly bottomless champagne flute.
Jeff S
Overall when I look back at the meal that we experienced at the Artists Palate, I would say that it was a decent experience. The Iron Horse sparkling rose was a fantastic wine. It had a lovely floral smell to it, and an acidic grapefruit taste to it with a short finish. The best part of the first course by far was the pistachio crusted goat cheese square, but the salad definitely could have used more dressing on it to add a little more flavor to the rest of the dish. I was very skeptical about the sauvignon that we had when I first tried it. The smell to me seemed musty and kind of soapy, but after trying it with the salad, everything changed. The wine paired very well with the pear in the salad which helped bring out the fruity sweetness of the wine. The wine almost replaced the fact that the salad was underdressed by adding its own acidic feel to the mouth.
ReplyDeleteThe duck that I had for the second course, although wasn’t necessarily anything special, was pretty good. It was cooked perfectly and the other components to the plate went really well with the meat. I found the flavor of the pinot noir on its own to be pretty tannic, with a raspberry flavor to it along with a slight hint of cinnamon spice in the finish. With the duck the wine seemed to have more of a fruity taste to it. I felt like the slight spice flavor to the wine just added to the flavor of the duck, especially with the zinfandel reduction which seemed to have similar fruit notes to the wine.
As soon as I saw the menu I knew that it was the final course that I was most looking forward to, simply because of the fact that bread pudding happens to be my favorite dessert. Even with all the high expectations that I had for this dish, it certainly did not disappoint. It had a creaminess to it which went well with the fruity notes of it and overall was my favorite part of the entire experience. Being overwhelmed with the bread pudding I had almost completely forgotten about the muscat that we had with the dish. The wine had an very strong smell to it that I could only compare to some sort of cleaning chemical, along with some lemon and fig notes to it which were secondary to me. Despite the strange displeasing smell to the wine that I got, it was actually a very good wine that tasted a lot like sparkling green apple juice with a hint of lemony citrus in it. After finally pairing it with the bread pudding, the wine took on a lot more berry notes which paired perfectly with the dish.
In the end I would have to say that the only complaint I had is that the food didn’t quite meet up to my expectations. I had very high expectations for the food and, other than the bread pudding, there was nothing that really stuck into my head as outstanding. I will say though that the wines chosen for each dish paired perfectly with each course and really accentuated the experience.
Joe C.
I found the Artist's Palate/Canvas to be very welcoming and cozy upon arriving. The lighting was dimmed perfectly to where it was dark but light enough to see clearly. the area itself was very spacious and had a lot of interesting art on the walls as well as the bar and rest of the room being designed in a very unique way. The area itself though was maybe too spacious in some respects once we were shown to our tables in the back of the room. I was later informed that they were still doing some renovating so it was understandable to some extent the large painting still unhung and lack of decor toward the back where we were.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the service, they did a wonderful job in being attentive to all the guests and making sure that all needs were met. Any dietary restrictions or allergies were immediately asked for and all the wine, table ware, food, etc. was promptly poured, cleared/set, and served well. Water was constantly filled which was a major plus. I find that thats always the one downfall of a establishment is that water is not always filled and not cold. The servers were also very suave in the sense that i didn't feel too disturbed while I was talking and they were doing their jobs, it was very nice.
Now on to the food. Regarding the salad, I found it to be well balances between the harshness of the fat in the fried goat cheese and the sweetness of the pear. The two really complimented each other. The plate also had a nice distribution of components where there was a nice amount of everything on the plate. Some more pear might have been nice though. I found the cheese and the pear went very well with the wine we had. The Souvignon Blanc had nice citrus and red fruit notes that went well with the fattiness of the cheese and brought out the pear flavor even more. I feel it would have worked even better with the plate if there had been more dressing. The salad was very dry and if it had that beet vinaigrette, that might have helped to bridge the wine to the plate a bit.
James E.
Next was the Marlin. I absolutely loved the dish. The salad on top with what i found to be a citrus dressing went amazingly with the fish and also with the jade rice. The cherry pepper chimmi churri was also very good but I would have liked to see more on the plate. There was plenty of citrus and subtle flavors from the rice but that spiciness would've been great. I also say this because the wine helped to bring down the heat when I did eat the peppers. The portion was great and i was very satisfied at the end. The wine however, and i heard this from the other people who had different entrees, didn't seem to go well with the dishes. Regarding mine, the Pinot Noir was just too string on the palate. It presented, to me, mostly vanilla, oak, red fruits, and that lactic acid that coated my mouth. The dish focused on brighter sharper flavors that didn't need to be dumbed down by the wine. It had a contrast but maybe too much of a contrast.
ReplyDeleteLastly is the dessert. The perception of the dish that i had in my head was a little different when it came out. The white chocolate was really nowhere to be found in my opinion. However, overall I loved the bread pudding. The raspberries were perfectly ripe, not too sweet or sour. and the bread pudding had a nice constancy, though a bit of an outer crust would have given the dessert that crunch I was looking for. When I tasted the wine with it though, it was perfect. The Orange Muscat had hints of dry fig and pear with a high sweetness and med acidity. This wine was balanced perfectly and worked well with the sweetness of the pudding and raspberries. The wine was pretty sweet but the pudding was overly sweet so that helped to bridge the two together and compliment each other.
Overall I had a good meal at the Artist's Palate. Every plate, though with some minor flaws, was very well plated and executed. We all got our food in a timely manner and it was served hot and seasoned well. Everyone seemed to know what they were doing, and I think that once they have the area fully set up and ready for permanent use, it will be an amazing place to grab some small plates and have a glass of wine.
James E.
When I First entered the Artists Palate I was very surprised on how big the space was. I had always walked past the restaurant but never had the time to go in and try it out. The space that we were eating I felt was good for the size of people and the type meeting that it was. I could see how that room could be changed to meet different circumstances. The food I found to be good, I was not expecting much when I walked into the dinner being that I hadn’t heard a lot about the restaurant. Also I know that the food that sometimes is received at banquets is not always a good representation of the quality of food a restaurant puts out. That being said the salad I thought was good and helped level out the acidic notes in the wine. With a few turns of freshly cracked black pepper it turned out to be a nice salad. For my main course I ordered the Duck, The wine that was chosen to go with the main course didn’t pair well with my duck but I assumed that. However the duck was good well and the polenta was of ok consistency. The beets were defiantly one of my favorite parts of the dish they could have used a better seasoning but other than that the beets were cooked to perfect doness. Also a highlight of the dish was the duck the crust on the searing of the duck was done very nicely the seasoning was spot on how ever on the menu it said the duck was coco seasoned and I couldn’t tell if there was coco on the duck at all. But that was something that I didn’t notice was missing until I had looked over my notes when I got home. Finally the desert was served, I felt that the wine alone was the highlight on this course. It was zesty, light but not too sweet. The bread pudding could have defiantly used more raspberries that would have helped the desert stand up to the wine a little more. I was left craving the taste that the wine would have brought out if the flavors were right. But over all I feel that the dinner was a success, I feel that I will be returning to have dinner one night or get a drink at the bar when it opens.
ReplyDeleteMaria M.
Before we were served the appetizer, we were served an, “Iron Horse, Brut Rose, 2003”. The wine had a medium wine and a medium acidity level. The wine had possessed fruity characteristics such as peach and this also brought a hint sweetness to the wine. Besides the fruitiness, the wine was semi-dry. The dryness of the wine was exemplified by the metallic characteristic of the wine. The medium levels of acidity in the wine helped to salivate the palate. Therefore, it was a good wine to start the meal.
ReplyDeleteFor the first course, we were served a, “Honig Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, 2009”. It was a light to low-medium bodied wine. It had a very light silver color. The aroma of the wine suggested sweetness derived from fruits such as mangoes and honeydew, and furthermore had materiality at the nose. The wine had a low acidity as well. However, I do not think that the wine paired well with the first course, which was a, “Baby field greens, poached pear, pistachio crusted Coach Farm’s goat cheese, beet vinaigrette salad”. The beet vinaigrette which had a high level of acidity, completely overpowered the wine which only of a low - medium body. Furthermore, the wine could not match the intensity of the goat cheese. The creaminess of the cheese could not be complemented with the low – medium body of the wine. Neither could the low acidity of the wine contrast the creaminess of the cheese. Basically the goat cheese overpowered the wine too. The poached pear was probably the only thing that actually paired with the wine, although this was only true when only consumed separate. The sweetness in the wine complemented the sweetness of the poached pear, and helped to accentuate it.
For the second course, we were served a, “Foppiano Vineyards Russian Pinot Noir, 2006”. We were served a, “Hoison – ginger braised short ribs, scallion sticky rice, and house-made kimchi”. Frankly, this was a horrible wine – food pairing. Although the Pinot Noir had low-medium tannin levels and a medium body, it could not match up to the intensity of the short ribs. The hoisin-ginger sauce of very rich and had a very complex flavor. Even though the wine had some tannin levels, it just could not complement the intense flavor of the sauce and got completely lost. The spiciness of the kimchi was exemplified when consumed with the wine, and because of the medium body and spiciness of the wine brought by the tannin, it made the spiciness of the kimchi even higher and therefore tasted horrible.
Basically the Pinot Noir and the food did not pair well for me.
For the third course, we were served a, “Quady Electra California Orange Muscat, 2009”. This dessert was a “Raspberry-white chocolate bread pudding”. I think that this was the only course where the wine and food had paired well. The fruitiness such as strawberry and sweetness in the wine complemented the sweetness in the dessert that was brought about by the white chocolate. The tartness of the raspberry in the dessert was contrasted by the sweetness in the wine and helped to decrease the tartness, which worked very well. The heaviness of the bread pudding was contrasted with the medium acidity of the wine, which also helped to salivate the palate and clean the heaviness of the pudding.
- Taijash Kakshapati
Within entering The Artist's Palate/Canvas I was surprised with the ambiance it was quite open and really supported the local art scene. It was also quite nice that there was a place for the group to gather before being seated. As we walked backed to are tables we got to see even more of the local art. Once we entered the room I noticed the gorgeously laid out black and white tables. Then my eyes immediately focused on the lights. The large globes were bright enough to light the room but dim enough not to hurt the eyes they also were a great conversation starter. Once we are all seated the service staff was very attentive and poured our first wine.
ReplyDeleteThe Iron House Brut Rose 2003 had a blushing pink color and a light grapefruit nose. The flavor was low tannins and was as great plate cleanser. It also had a sweet under lying citrus flavor and was a wonderful wine to toast with. As we moved into the first coarse I feel the Sauvignon Blanc was a great wine on it own but the pairing wasn’t very good. It was a nice balance with the goat cheese but for the rest of the salad it just seemed bland and lost. I do feel the salad was a lovely though just in the need of a bit more vinaigrette.
The third wine poured was the Pinot Noir light burgundy color and a sweet caramel butter scotch nose. Sadly the flavor did not support the nose. Since it was tannic, bitter and reminded me of a weak flavored Port. It disappointed me even more once my entrée came out; it was a horrible pairing with the duck. I feel it would have been a better pair with the grilled fish. I must say though the duck was perfectly cooked and the Zinfandel reduction was super rich and decadent. So over all the entrée was quite a lovely mouth full.
My all time favorite for the night though had to be dessert, since I am a baker. Orange Muscat is already one of my favorite wines and this one was a delight. It had a light gold color with a hue of green through it. All though the nose gives off a rotten berry and beet scent the flavor is a whirlwind of sweet pears, ripe grapes and candied orange zest. I feel this was the best pairing for the night with the warm raspberry bread pudding. It really completed the meal.
Emily U.
Upon entering canvas I did not know what type of food and wine to expect, so I came in with an open mind and an open palate. The first thing I saw when I came in was the under-lit bar. I learned later that night that the bar surface was actually made out of salt, which I could imagine that was covered in resin. When we sat down to the table we were poured a rose wine. I think this was a great wine to start our dinner experience with. It was slightly flavored, with an undertone of citrus fruits. After about 10 minutes the appetizer came out. It was a wonderful salad with crisp fried goat cheese and pear slices that was optionally garnished with ground black pepper. This was accompanied by “ Honig Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc” I think that this was a great salad, the goat cheese was the perfect temperature, and with the pistachio as a crust it gave it a different flavor that worked very well with the pear and greens. I do think the salad could have been dressed a little bit more, I was looking forward to beet vinaigrette and I got little to no flavor that was reminiscent of it. As for the wine paring, I don’t believe that it was the best choice for this type of salad. Maybe it was the pepper that put it off for me, but I thought it was slightly bitter when drank right after taking a bit of the salad. Because I am a vegetarian I got a special dinner. I was served roasted eggplant, smoked mozzarella and tomato sauce over pasta. I believe this dish was wonderfully crafted. The smoked mozzarella brought everything together with the sharp flavor. The eggplant was roasted with garlic and something hot [that I really wasn’t explained what it was exactly] even though it was just pasta and eggplant this dish had several levels of depth and complexity. The one thing I didn’t like was that every single one of us was served a very intense red wine, even when we had different entrees. The flavor was really off for me, and also really heavy. When the last course came out I had high expectations for it after following the other two courses. We were served, what was supposed to be, a raspberry white chocolate bread pudding. When it came out I didn’t understand why they used strawberries to garnish a raspberry dish. The bread part was really soggy and had little to no flavor, but the raspberry filling was the main component that was pulling the whole dessert along. The one thing that I will always remember was the wine that was paired with dessert. The “Quady Electra California Orange Muscat” was perfectly sweetened. It tasted like it was made for people with a sweet tooth, like me, no I naturally enjoyed it immensely. All I wish was that I could have been able to take a bottle of that home for my own pleasure.
ReplyDelete-Tara B.
Opportunities to dine in newly opened spaces with great food and wine while in the company of friends don’t come often for me. When I was told we were to dine at Canvas I was excited about it. I was excited just about the opportunity at first and then as the days went on I became excited about my expectations of the dining experience. On the way to the restaurant my mind was swimming with expectations, but I did keep reminding myself that the dinner and wine experience was an opportunity given to me. This way of thinking is my way of saying “don’t be snobby about the food or how much wine you’re given just be cool and live the experience”. This thought to myself throughout the day primed me for an enjoyable dining experience. Prior to the visit my expectation of the atmosphere was only that it would be formal because we were asked to dress elegantly. I didn’t have much expectation of the food accept that it would be good and accurately pared with the selected wines. I knew that Chef Megan was a Culinary Alumni so I felt ahead of time that our food would be in good hands. When walking to the restaurant I could see that we were in a part of Poughkeepsie that was undergoing change. Most of the storefronts were vacant as we walked past one after another until we got to Canvas. There stood Chef Megan at the front door to greet us. We went inside and the experience continued. Stepping into the space from outside I first noticed part of the class there, but after that I began to sense the interior further. Waiters stood by to take our coats for us and as I removed my coat I panned the ceiling of the space. A cavernous rectangle of a space entered my line of site. In the front was seating where most of the class waited. Along the walls were mural paintings of people seines that had not been hung, but propped up against the brick walls with light shining out from behind. These led my eyes to a well stocked bar that had a bar top glowing in pink and only after I was told about the glowing surface did I realize it was made of slabs of salt. After taking in the space I began to feel comfortable in it. Its minimalist feel appealed to me and I began to think of it as a Canvas. Chef Megan had told us that the space was still undergoing development, but I don’t think it needs much more in my opinion. I felt like the bar and waiting area alone would be suitable for any small entertainment event. We were led to the back of the space were we would be dining and rows of tables set on white table cloth awaited us under the glow of large hanging Chinese paper lanterns. The walls were red brick that must have been the original construction. The red brick led my eyes up to an exposed I beam near the ceiling. The freshly painted industrial look was pleasing to me. It showed the spaces integrity. The paper lanterns hung and swayed among the exposed air duct system as it blew.
ReplyDeleteContinued in following blog...
Michael's blog continued...
ReplyDeleteWhile I looked around I noticed elements of nature in this space like a small plant and some bamboo accent. Next to the restrooms is a drinking fountain, but not just any plain old drinking fountain it’s a nature fountain. There were small river rocks in the drain and candles on the side. I thought that decorating the fountain this way was a brilliant idea and it was another example of the owners working with what they had. Up to this point the tone had been set and I was enjoying the experience before I had eaten. We started the meal off with a toast. The wine selection was “Iron Horse” Brute Rosé 2003. The Rosé was a good selection because the bubbles and dry finish were a much needed palate cleanser. After the toast of Rosé I was ready to continue. The appetizer was, baby field greens, poached pear, pistachio crusted Coach Farm’s goat cheese, beet vinaigrette. The wine was “Honig" Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2009. The Honig had high acid and short finish. There were pineapple, mango, and unripe fruit notes to it as well. These qualities in the Honig complemented the poached pears and the field greens. I found the forwardness of fruit flavors to contrast the pistachio crust of the cheese. There was some enjoyment from the tangy flavor of the goat cheese and the fruit flavors of the Honig, but I do not recommend this type of pairing of this Sauvignon Blanc and cheese as I found the aftertaste of the cheese to antagonize a cat pee aroma that had not been noticed before in the Honig. Of the three entrées offered I chose, Marinated Grilled Hawaiian Marlin, jade rice, cherry pepper chimmi churri. The wine was “Foppiano Vineyards” Russian River Pinot Noir 2006. The Pinot Noir had a medium body with medium tannin levels. There were notes of leather, vanilla, dry leaf, on the nose and flavors of dried cranberry and dark cherry. I also detected slight green pepper. I thought this wine had a significant mineral quality on the attack. The flavor of the Grilled Marlin enhanced the mineral quality of the wine and its fattiness was sufficient to complement the body of the wine. The chimmi churri did antagonize the dryness of the wine with its spiciness, but not past the point of enjoyment. The bonus garnish of Arugula dressed with a lemon vinaigrette was good in the dish and I thought the nutty flavor of the greens would have complemented the mentioned earthy qualities of the Pinot Noir had it not been dressed with citrus. The Dessert was a Raspberry- white chocolate bread pudding with strawberries. The wine was “Quady Electra” California Orange Muscat 2009. The Muscat had high sugar and high acid with a med heavy body. There were notes of ripe pear, raw honey, golden raisins and oranges. The high sugar made the Muscat a very appropriate dessert wine and the high acid complemented the strawberries and the sweetness of the whipped cream. The bread pudding was good, but the white chocolate just got lost in it. There was too much egg flavor and it contrasted the sweetness of the Muscat, maybe more vanilla and sugar would have helped the bread pudding. In the end I had enjoyed my opportunity to taste and take notes on a nice evening at Canvas. I was happy to listen to Chef Megan tell us her story and hear her perspective about Chefs, restaurants, and families. I liked the space that we were in I felt comfortable there with my friends. I think Canvas has the right idea and I hope they are successful in finding other people to entertain. This meal has reminded me why I am in the business of hospitality and food. I would wish this opportunity on any of my own guests.
I’m sure there were many people in the class that enjoyed the dinner for our last day of class on Tuesday night. I myself enjoyed the evening talking with fellow classmates and discussing the trip and things to look forward to while in California. The meal in itself was mediocre in my opinion. I may be a little more critical than the average person but it’s by no way a show of arrogance.
ReplyDeleteThe physical plant itself was a fairly attractive place and as the chef said still under renovations and construction, although the rather minimalist appearance kind of appealed to me. The most interesting part of the restaurant was what was most likely to become the wine bar, which looked to be made of salt stones. This was rather interesting. The large pieces of art on the walls were also a nice touch that added some appeal to the place also.
The service at the Artist’s Palate was fairly good, but there were times at the table I was sitting at where it seemed as if they were in a rush to get us out of there. When one of the servers uttered “We’re trying to get out here” just reinforced the fact that possibly we were not getting the best possible service from the wait staff. There was perhaps only one staff member there that seemed to have enjoyed being there.
The wines we were served with the food for the most part were decent. The Honig Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc didn’t really seem to go with the salad but it actually had more flavor than the salad itself. The only component of the salad that really packed a flavor was the disc of goat cheese. The greens seems to have been tossed with just oil, and looked to have been beat up a little with bruising on the leaves clearly visible. The short rib had to be the highlight of the meal. It was well braised making it easy to shred apart with the fork. The house-made kimchee had a strong and almost overwhelming amount of ginger. The Foppiano Vineyards Pinot Noir by itself had very little substance and seemed to lack flavor in general. The surprising twist was when paired with the short rib, the flavor and tannins jumped out on the palate making it seem more alive. They paired well together. The Quady Electra Muscat was for me entirely way to sweet. It reminded me of orange flavored simple syrup with notes of vanilla and slight caramel. The extreme sweetness of this wine did help the desert a lot. The bread pudding was very bland and barely sweet. Not sure how it was prepared but there was a feeling of fat that coated my tongue upon the first bite of the desert. The wine somewhat helped to cut through it but not much. The desert also seemed to be slightly underbaked.
Overall dining out for me is about more than just the food. Food may play the major role in any experience but service, ambiance, and conversation is just as important creating a well rounded dining experience. Again the food was mediocre at best, the wines decent, but the entire evening in itself was very enjoyable.
Denny M.
The Artist’s Palate and Canvas are located in the center of Poughkeepsie. Walking up to the doors I wasn’t sure what to expect because of the scenery outside. Once I walked in I was greeted with smiles and waiters to take my coat for me. Also, the inside looked very nice, it was open with artwork and a bar and interesting lighting fixtures. To start the meal off we had an Iron Horse Brut Rose 2003, which I liked very much. Our first course was a salad with poached pear and pistachio crusted goat cheese. I enjoyed the salad a lot especially the poached pear slices. With this course we had a Honig Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2009. I liked this wine by itself when I tried it alone. However, I did not like it very much with the salad course, while my fellow class mates that sat around me enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteThe waiters seemed to be very well trained and very friendly to everyone. For our entrée we got a choice of short ribs, duck or a fish dish. I chose the duck with polenta and glazed beets, which was very delicious. We had a Foppiano Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2006. I am not a fan of red wine because it is to bitter for me. The taste is too much for me most of the time. I did not think that this wine went well with the duck dish, but like I said I don’t like to drink red wines very much. Finally for dessert we had a raspberry bread pudding cake with strawberries and whip cream, which was amazing. The dessert wine that we had with this was a Quady Electra California Orange Muscat 2009. I really enjoy sweet dessert wines so I liked this one very much. I thought it went very well with the dessert and it was a good way to end the meal.
The owner of the restaurants was very inviting and loved having us there. She does a very nice job with all of her food and both of her establishments. She has trained her servers very well, they kept up with us while being friendly and polite. The meal was very well done and I had a lot of fun. The wines, for the most part, were very good pairings with the dishes. It was very nice of them to let us stay there and talk as long as we did, once we had finished eating.
- Brittany M.
I started off the evening by arriving to Canvas, a division of Artist Palate. When I first arrived at the building I wasn’t sure of what to expect because I was under the impression that we would be eating in Artist Palate. After realizing that we weren’t eating in Artist Palate, I stepped into Canvas and my thought of what the restaurant would look like was completely wrong. The interior still wasn’t finished, so it caught me off guard of what to expect. When we sat down, we were instantly served the first wine to start off the dinner. An Iron Horse Brut Rose, with a vintage of 2003. I started off by seeing what the color is, and it looked to be a grapefruit color (light pinkish and red). On the nose I smelled citrus, and hints of floral. When I first tasted the wine I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would, but after the second taste of it, I started to like it a lot more. I tasted the same things that I smelled, but with some acidic taste to those flavors.
ReplyDeleteThe second wine that we had was Hanig Napa Valley, Sauvignon Blanc. The vintage of the wine was 2009. The color of the wine was light straw and even clear in some spots. When I smelled the wine I got apples and other citrus flavors. After tasting the wine I got the same flavors that I smelled but with one extra taste, pears. After eating the food and drinking the wine, I thought that the wine went very well with the food. The crispness of the salad was balanced out by the butter of the wine. The second wine that we had was Fappiano Vineyards, Russian River Valley, Pinot Noir. The vintage of the wine was a 2006. When I looked at the wine I got a color of maroon with a pinkish rim. After smelling the wine I got blackberries, stone fruit, and cherries out of it. The taste was the same that I got on the nose. I don’t think that the wine went very well with the cocoa crusted duck.
The fourth and final wine we had was Quady Electra, California, Orange Muscat. The vintage of the wine is 2009. When I first looked at the wine I got a straw color with a gold rim. On the nose I got sweet apple, pears, and orange. When I tasted the wine I got orange, pears, and other white fruit. When I tasted the food and wine together it went very well together. The smoothness of the wine cut back on the butter of the white chocolate.
Arriving at Artist Palate I noticed the restaurant was in the beginning stages of reservation because the space was more or less empty. What was chosen for the lighting and décor created a relaxed atmosphere for the class to let loose and enjoy the night. I especially like the paper lantern lights hanging down from the ceiling.
ReplyDeleteThe night started with a toast to our class with a glass of Iron Horse Brut Rose 2003. This wine resembled a light amber color with a faint berry taste and dry on the palate. If I were to pare this wine with a dish I would chose seafood such as steamed lobster. The first course consisted of baby field greens, poached pear, pistachio crusted Coach Farm’s goat cheese with a beet vinaigrette. It was paired with a Honig Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2009 The appearance of the wine very pale and clear. The nose on this white wine had hints of melon and pineapple. I believe this wine paired well with the appetizer. The acidity was not strong enough to overbear the baby greens, but was strong enough to cut through the creaminess of the pistachio crusted goat cheese. The wine had a crisp lingering finish. My second course consisted of Cocoa dusted pan seared Hudson Valley duck breast, Zinfandel reduction and a mascarpone polenta. It was paired with a tasting of Foppiano Vineyards Russian River Pinot Noir 2006. The color of the wine was a beautiful berry red with a floral nose with hints of cherry and raspberry. Alone this full bodied red wine had tastes of spices and cherries with a long finish. In my opinion the entrée and the Pinot Noir did not pair well. The Pinot Noir was overbearing with the duck and made the Zinfandel reduction bitter. This particular wine would be a better match for grilled item such as lamb or beef with a compound butter. In the third course a Raspberry white chocolate bread pudding was served along with a Quady Electra California Orange Muscat 2009. Alone this straw colored wine with a sweet melon and floral aroma had a very sweet and smooth taste. The warm sweet taste of the bread pudding brought out the vibrant taste of the Muscat. Because the dessert wine was sweeter than the dessert in my opinion they paired well together.
In conclusion with everything I have learned in this course about agriculture, food and wine I look forward to the wonderful experience that awaits in California.
Yolanda B
During our wine dinner at The Artists Palate we started with Iron Horse Brut Rose 2003. This wine was a light rose color that had a crisp scent of green fruits and citrus. The taste of this wine was similar to the scent; it tasted like grapefruits and was a nice opener to the dinner. Next was the honig Napa Valley Sauvignon blanc 2009. It was paired with baby greens, poached pears Pistachio crusted goat cheese and beet vinaigrette. I did not think the food and wine paired well in this course. The wine was a very pale yellow that had the nose of plastic and green fruits. But the taste was extremely acidic with a long finish that overpowered the salad. This pairing didn’t have a conflict with the dressing as the salad was poorly dressed. Next was the Foppiano Vineyards Russian River Pinot Noir 2006. This wine had a deep cranberry color with a spicy blackberry and earthy nose. It had a smooth feel with a short finish. For the entree I choose the hoisin ginger braised short ribs with scallion stick rice and house made kimchee. This was also a poor pairing. I found the short ribs to be tender but extremely sweet and overpowering. The excessive amount of sauce killed the plate and didn’t blend with the spicy notes of the red wine. The dessert was a raspberry white chocolate bread pudding that was paired with the Quady Electra California Orange Muscat 2009. The dessert wine had a pale golden color with a nose of peaches and orange jam. It was very sweet and fruity that was a decent pairing because of its sweetness. The dessert however was lacking a bit. The portions were very different and the bread pudding wasn’t set up as much as it should have been and was eggy. The whip cream was also not sweetened, leaving it just cream. I wasn’t satisfied with the meal and found it extremely lacking for a CIA grad. I probably wouldn’t go back to either Canvas or The Artist's Palate.
ReplyDeleteMolly O.
Since I have yet to be in Canvas, because it has yet to open, but it was a very nice atmosphere the space is a lot larger and very wide open. It seems like they want people to move around and converse with others. I was really interested by the décor, it had a modern feel to it and I think it fit the space nicely. As for the dinner it was very enjoyable. We started our tasting with the Iron Horse Brut Rose 2003. I really enjoyed it, was a nice wine to open up with. It had grapefruit, citrus flavor also with floral hints within the smell. For the taste it was citrus, and had a nice acidity to it. The Second course we had a salad that was paired with Hoing Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2009. The wine went very well with the salad it had a matching acidity to each other, the acidity of the wine also broke up the creaminess of the goat cheese. I like the wine, but when first tasting the wine I got a soap detergent scent and taste from the wine once I got past that though there was a nice green apple and citrus aroma to it. The second wine, the Foppiano Vineyards Russian River Pinot Noir 2006 went very well with the Duck entrée. The Zinfandel sauce that was with the duck complemented the wine we had to go with the dish. The wine tasted and smelled like red berries, and was a fairly low tannic wine. The wine had a medium body. I think it was a good combination with the duck it did not over power the duck but I think that it could have been a little stronger to match to the duck’s strong flavor. For the dessert we had a strawberry bread pudding, it was paired with Quady Electra California Orange Muscat 2009. It was properly paired because the wine sweetness was greater than the dessert. It was a good wine I enjoyed it with the dessert. Overall I had a very nice experience at Canvas and I’m looking forward to it being complete. It’s a very nice space and I commend the both of them for bringing fine dining to main street Poughkeepsie and I hope they have success in their new venture.
ReplyDeleteZach K.
Our dinner on Tuesday was my first experience at The Artist’s Palate and I was pleasantly surprised. When we arrived at the Artist’s Palate I was expecting to receive low quality banquet food because I knew it as a fairly small restaurant that was not really set up to do large banquets, but I found out that we were eating at their new banquet center and bar Canvas. The food was not great but it was all fairly well executed, unfortunately the wine pairings which did not seem to be planned ahead of time did not seem to work for any of the courses.
ReplyDeleteThe first course was a light salad with pistachio coated goat cheese. The dressing on the salad was not nearly acidic enough and seemed unseasoned so I t would be hard to pair any wine with it. The only positive part of this wine pairing was that the salad was so bland that it helped the wine take a leading role in this course. The wine was fairly pleasant, but I would have rather enjoyed it on a hot California summer day by itself in my back yard. The wine was fruity with melon notes and was slightly off-dry. The wine was too sweet to pair with such a light salad. The goat cheese was nice and b itself the saltiness contrasted the sweetness of the wine.
For the entrée we had a choice of three dishes. I chose the short ribs which were very juicy and tender, but the flavors were pretty predictable. The wine did not pair well at all with my dish. Pinot noir is far too light to pair with such a heavy dish and does not bring enough tannin to the palate to cut through such a fatty dish, I might have been better off choosing the duck to pair with my wine. I thought this wine was also slightly off-dry which I do not usually enjoy with my dinner. Fortunately the short ribs were fairly sweet themselves so the wine pairing was not a complete failure.
Dessert was a disaster. The bread pudding tasted like an egg white frittata. It’s texture was terrible, when I asked the bakers at dinner what they thought they seemed to think it was nearly inedible. As for the wine pairing, Electra is hard to really even consider a wine. I would have enjoyed some Electra poured on top of a little vanilla ice cream because it tastes like a wine flavored syrup. Overall the food was not bad, but it really could have used better wines, although I may not have been able to really appreciate the wine because the pours were too small to get the full nose and flavor. At least the company at dinner was great and that made me look forward to California a little more.
Matt H
I felt very welcomed as I walked in to the location where Canvas is going to be opened soon. The perfectly dimmed lights along with the paintings leanings against the wall waiting to be hung, gave the restaurant a very relaxed work-in-progress atmosphere. I noticed how spacious Canvas was, and I remember thinking to myself that it would be a great space for catered parties; later that night the chef told us that is exactly what they are using it for at the moment. The servers were very attentive and courteous. I really enjoyed the grilled bread, which was still warm, along with the tomato compote. However, I wished that they would have replenished the basket, or at least removed the compote from the table when they removed the baskets; the half empty (or full) ramekins of tomato compote weren’t very pleasing to stare at. I liked the fact that we had choices within the set menu. I also noticed that dietary restrictions and allergies were accommodated without hesitation. The servers did an amazing job at taking people’s orders and keeping everyone happy without being disruptive.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the salad; the tanginess of pistachio-crusted goat cheese paired with the poach pear was simply delicious. The greens weren’t very exciting, I was hoping for bolder flavors, but as a whole it was a very nice appetizers. The wine, a 2003 Honig Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, I enjoyed by itself, however, I do not believe that it paired very well with the salad. The wine was very fruit and acidic; it completely overpowered the greens in the salad.
For the main course, I chose the duck. In my opinion, everything on the plate went very well with the wine. The acid from the wine, a 2006 Foppiano Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, served two purposes: it cut through the fat of the duck, and it complemented the rich reduction sauce.
I must admit that after reading the menu I had high expectations for the dessert. Unfortunately the actual dessert didn’t meet what I had envisioned. The white chocolate was nowhere to be found, and the whipped cream in the corner of the plate was completely insipid. I thought that the served its purpose: it was sweet and fruity. Despite minor flaws in each course, I enjoyed the meal at Artist’s Palate. It was great to get a sneak peek at what our dinners are going to be like in California.
Claudia H.
Artist’s Palate was a nice restaurant which I’d like to see again once it is opened. The artwork sitting around the edges of the building was all conducive of a warm contemporary atmosphere. Both the small, airy bar and the area to sit and relax in the front of the space create an ease of movement which will be helpful when there are large parties utilizing the space. Even though the Artist’s Palate is one long room it has been divided into multiple spaces simply by placing the bar and sitting area forward towards the street and the “dining room” in the back separated from the rest of the restaurant by a curtain. The separation of different spaces in the restaurant will help when servers are trying to make last minute preparation to either space. When we arrived at the restaurant we were greeted and our coats taken, not having a formal maitre d’ stand gives the impression of a casual, inviting atmosphere. Once our entire group was gathered in the restaurant introductions were made to Professor Morris and we headed back to the dining room.
ReplyDeleteThe Rose Brut sparkling was a good wine in my opinion although I have only ever had one other rose sparkling wine which was at the wines dinner in the associates program. I always like things that are a little out of the ordinary so I like rose sparkling wines. Sauvignon Blanc is one of my favorite varietals of wine because it is fruity, fresh, and acidic. But these qualities can easily be deadened by food which does not have an equal level of flavor. In my opinion this is what happened with the salad and the Sauvignon Blanc pairing, the fresh fruit and acid in the wine was lost when it came up against the bland salad greens. I could barley taste the vinaigrette on the salad and the wine was not beefy enough to push through the greens, not that Sauvignon Blanc should be beefy. Both the poached pear and the pistachio crusted goat cheese were much better accompaniments to the wine I felt. The poached pear in the salad complemented the fruit of the wine while the goat cheese worked with the grassy, chives flavors typical of Sauvignon Blanc. For my entre I had the ginger and hoisin braised short ribs with sticky rice and kimchi. The short ribs were wonderfully braised to the point to where I didn’t need a knife and they had great flavor but I couldn’t taste any hoisin or ginger, they just tasted like regular braised beef. But regular braised beef is great so I’m not complaining. The rice was fully cooked but I didn’t feel that it really fit with the braised meat; I think the polenta from the duck would have been a better accompaniment. I realize they were trying to fuse a classic braise with Asian flavors of ginger, hoisin, kinchi, and rice but I felt the only part that worked was the kimchi. I really liked the kimchi with the short ribs and its something I’ll remember for later in my career. I also do not think the Pinot Noir was a good match for the braised short ribs because it lacked the body and tannins to stand its ground against the fat and mouth filling flavor of the braise. I tried the Pinot Noir with a bite of the duck and I thought that was a much better pairing because the duck was sautéed while the beef was braised. The bread pudding for dessert I felt was more of a custard but I was very moist and flavorful especially with the raspberry filling. The fist rule in pairing desserts with wine is that the wine has to be as sweet as or sweeter than the food. This was defiantly achieved in the pairing of the Muscat and the bread pudding especially because the whipped cream was not overly sweet. I felt the wine and food worked well together and when eaten together the wine brought out the raspberry flavors in the food exceptionally.
Over all I had a very nice evening at the Artist’s Palate and I would go back once they open if I had any money. But it sure was annoying having the thing last until 10:30.
Philip R.
On February 22, our Food, Wine and Agriculture: Northern California class meet for a dinner to celebrate the ending of the first section of the class before the trip. We also received an Itinerary of the places we would be going to and the things we would be doing. Upon arriving at Artist Palette’s counterpart Canvas, I noticed the classy and artsy ambience if the restaurant. The dim lighting in the restaurant and the candles on the tables made the dining atmosphere calm and intimate. I was excited to taste what the restaurant had in store for the menu; even though I heard their food wasn’t all that great.
ReplyDeleteWe started the night with a toast to the class with sparkling wine Iron Horse Brut Rose 2003, which was very good. The wine had a light cranberry color that was on the dark pink side. The nose of the wine was very fruity with the smell of raspberries and strawberries. The wine to me had medium acidity, medium to high dryness, light body, and short finish. The Rose pared well with the sun-dried tomato pesto spread and the freshly grilled breads that was left out for consumption. The bubbles in the Rose cleansed the pallet from the fat in the sun-dried tomato pesto spread which was good. For the first course we only had one option, a salad of Baby field greens, poached pear, pistachio Coach Farm’s goat cheese, with beet vinaigrette. The salad was pared with a Honig Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2009 that was very good. The salad was not so good because the greens hardly had any vinaigrette on them, the poached pear slices were alright but they didn’t go fully with the salad I thought. The pistachio goat cheese ball was interesting, it wasn’t nasty but it wasn’t good either. The Sauvignon Blanc had a very pale almost clear H20 look to it. The nose of the wine had smells of Pear and Apple, and I think it had a high acidity, medium dryness, and medium body. The salad pared with the wine had similarities like the sliced pear in the dish pared with the pear favor in the wine. Also the acid in the wine cuts the fat in the goat cheese.
During the entrée, we had three choices to choose from. I selected the Cocoa dusted pan seared Hudson Valley duck breast, with zinfandel reduction, mascarpone polenta and roasted beets paired with Foppiano Vineyards Russian River Pinot Noir 2006. When I received the duck, it and the sauce was cold, the polenta was not the consistency and texture it should be with no presents of mascarpone that I could taste. The Pinot Noir had a dark cherry color. It had a very oaky nose to it and had a high acidity, high tannins, and was very dry. All in all I wasn’t very impressed with the entrée. For dessert we had only one selection which was Raspberry-white chocolate bread pudding and it was paired with Quady Electra California Orange Muscat 2009. This was my favorite paring of the night. The bread pudding was warm and had a good texture and mouth fell. It was also not too sweet which I really liked. The dessert wine had a light straw-light golden color and a very floral semi peppery nose with some honey mixed in. The favor of the wine was a slight bitter apple taste that I actually liked. The dessert and dessert wine paired well because the sweetness in the bread pudding pairs with the sweetness in the wine. Even though it ran a little long for my taste, I thought it was a very nice evening.
-Brandon G.
Our dinner at Artist’s Palate was very generous and as our class is going to California, it really helped us get to know each other. First, we started off with a toast with an Iron Horse Brut Rose sparkling wine that was made of pinot noir. The that smelled like rasins and tasted dry and a little tangy like grapefruit, which was pretty surprising. Next we were served a Napa Valley sauvignon blanc that smelled like a fruit salad and a small lemon scent to it. This wine was served with the pear and goat cheese salad, the salad was kind of bland, the pear gave a great balance to the tanginess of the goat cheese, but it made the wine tasteless… I would consider the wine more of a patio pounder and it would have gone better with a white-fleshed fish rather than a goat cheese.
ReplyDeleteFor the entrée I had a great piece of duck cooked rare. On the menu it was described as a cocoa dusted pan seared duck breast, but I had a difficult time pin pointing the chocolate on the duck. The duck was well executed on the other hand. The polenta was rather bland though because it was not well seasoned or didn’t have many flavors in it, other than cheese and polenta. The sauce was good, but it was completely overwhelmed with a shallot, garlic, or onion flavor. This was okay though because I love all garlic, onions, and shallots. With the entrée we were served a Russian River pinot noir from 2006 that smelled like cherries. I would have thought that ideally this pair would have gone well together, but all I could taste in this pairing was the alcohol and I didn’t know whether or not to blame if it was the sauces fault because the zinfandel would have matched some of the flavors in the pinot noir helping it lose some of the flavors of the pinot noir.
As for dessert, we were served a raspberry-white chocolate bread pudding with a dessert wine that blew my socks off. The dessert was a little eggy for my tastes, but the jam in the center was excellently executed with the right balance of sugar and fruit. The pairing was great as well and really brightened up the dessert because of the orange in it, which I thought went great. Also, it was a good pair because it was sweeter than the dessert. Overall I had a good experience and enjoyed the welcoming of the staff, the passion of the chef, and the company of my classmates. CAN’T WAIT TO GO TO CALIFORNIA!
Robbie
The Artist Palate is at the center of Poughkeepsie, giving people an upscale dining experience without having to drive very far away. Once I stepped in the restaurant I saw an inviting seating area to wait at as well as the soapstone bar. With the place still under construction I could tell that it was not finished but that was all right, still was very nice to eat at.
ReplyDeleteOnce we sat down the wait staff poured us an “Iron Horse, Brut Rose, 2003”. I got hints of strawberry and raspberry in the nose. I liked how refreshing it was to start off the night. I always have enjoyed Iron horse and was surprised to see that it was the first wine we were having at the dinner.
For the first course with was a baby field greens, poached pear, pistachio crusted Coach Farm’s goat cheese, beet vinaigrette salad that was paired with an “Honig Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, 2009”. Personally I only thought the wine went with the pears that’s it. Nothing about the salad went with the wine. To me the beet vinaigrette that was on the salad was very high in acidity, therefore was completely overpowering with the wine with a much softer lower.
The third course was a very delightful dish of ginger braised short ribs, scallion sticky rice, and house-made kimchi. Now this paring went horrible for me. The wine we had with this dish was a Foppiano Vineyards Russian Pinot Noir, 2006”. The sauce was excellent but when I had it with the wine, the two were like night and day didn’t go at all. I didn’t like this paring at all maybe a syrah or just something with more body would have been better. For the last course we had poured for us a “Quady Electra California Orange Muscat, 2009”. It went with the “Raspberry-white chocolate bread pudding”. To me this was the only paring I liked. The strawberries were really sweet and went with the sweetness in the wine. I got a slight tartness with the dessert, which worked very well with the wine. All in all I really did enjoy the dessert portion of the evening.
Finally, I had a good time I just wish that the wines at least for me, I had hoped the wines pared better with the food.
-Bryan S.