The holiday edition of the Supper Club convened Friday, December 9, at the elegant Venetian Room. The restaurant was ours for the evening, and the staff showed us why Venetian Room has earned its Four Diamond Award from AAA and why it is one of the few (one of two?) remaining fine dining restaurants in the area.
We started with sparkling wine and appetizers in the downstairs lobby of the Caribe Royale hotel, just outside the restaurant, then we went inside and took our seats for the multi-course extravaganza.
The staff had a fun surprise for us: the menu was printed on a slab of chocolate for us to take with us and enjoy later. At least one guest nibbled off a bit of chocolate after each course.
The first course was fire-roasted fennel and acorn squash silky bisque with a hint of saffron on a portrait of squab breast and pumpkin seeds. It was paired with a 2005 Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc. By the end of the evening there would still be some guests saying that this was their favorite course.
Mine, however, was the star anise and cinnamon-scented prosciutto de Parma-wrapped monkfish filet with black truffles parsnip purée and porcini cream sauce. The monkfish had a wonderful firm texture and the prosciutto gave it a delightful salty note. The 2007 Etude Pinot Noir Carneros was perfect with it.
The main course was pomegranate glazed muscovy duck breast, fall baby vegetables, smoked gouda cheese and yukon gold potato gratin, bing cherries and a port wine reduction sauce. The duck was more tender than you would have expected it to be, and the potatoes were yummy enough to have been a course all by themselves. A 2000 Bancroft Ranch Howell Mountain Reserve Merlot Napa Valley — the restaurant’s last bottles! — was the paired wine.
For dessert, each guest was served a whole chestnut cream filled yule log with toasted meringue and cinnamon infused anglaise. One would have served an entire table! The wine was a deliciously sweet 2007 Hugel Riesling from Alsace, France.
I love the camaraderie of the Supper Clubs. We have couples and groups and singles, and everyone feels part of the group. We all have something in common, of course: we all love good food and wine.
There was plenty to love at the Venetian Room. Many thanks to chef Khalid Benghallem , dining room manager Todd Skanks and their staffs for making this one of the best Supper Clubs ever.
The next Supper Club will take us in a bit of a different direction. We’ll be at Taps in Winter Park Village for a food, wine and beer pairing dinner. We’re still working out some of the details, but jot down January 19 on your 2012 calendar. As always, the Supper Club official announcement of ticket sales will be in the newsletter and recipients will get first dibs. If you’re not on the receiving end, you can sign up here.
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