Beaujolais Food Feast at Salty's on the Columbia

My latest photo endeavor took me to Salty’s on the Columbia to shoot a private wine tasting event for Beaujolais wines. The attendees included wine distributors, local food bloggers and lovers of fine food and drink, as they were offered a seven-course meal. Each dish was paired thoughtfully with its respective wine, and Beaujolais set up a very nice spread with extensive gift packs for each guest and more than enough wine to go around.

I spent some time in the kitchen of Salty’s with Chef Josh Gibler and crew hard at work prepping, before joining the guests upstairs. In proper Portland fashion we were offered just enough rain free time to gather on the patio overlooking the Columbia River.

Nice looking group! Before each course the sommelier gave us some insight into the various pairings and what to expect with the flavor profiles of each dish.

Our first course was a variety of Northwest seafood paired with the Beaujolais 2012 Rosé that made for a very attractive combination.

Second course was a lobster trio served with a Domaine Lucien Lardy 2012 Blanc. We were fortunate to have a couple of Beaujolais distributors present some of the more intricate details of wine production.

A very flamboyantly plated dish was course three, a bronzed Ahi tuna followed by a sorbet palate cleanser.

Played around at the tables a bit before course four came out, a fricassee of Alaskan halibut with morels, paired with a 2011 Chiroubles.

A nice little spread of all the red wines offered this evening, including some soil pieces that make up the terroir of each respective bottle. Below is course five, Columbia River Springer’s, with spring peas and morel.

Just barely got everyone in for a group shot before the final main course was served, a fantastic selection of Oregon cheeses.

Chef Josh Gilber was a strong presence throughout the night, coming up to explain each course and finally bringing his kitchen staff up as well. I spent a fair amount of time in the small Salty’s kitchen and these guys were doing some great work!

A final course of dessert, espresso and chocolate, and below a closing song broke out that is a little too complex to be accurately caught here. Perfect ending to a very nice evening of fantastic food, wine and company.

Until next time, cheers!