AT THE BAR
head is removed, and the octopus is cleaned
and divided into serving-size quarters. After
marinating in herbs, it is chargrilled to heat
it through, and served with a cucumber/
tomato/kalamata olive salad on a bed
of tzatziki with three triangles of grilled
Halloumi cheese. The octopus is drizzled
with an olive/red wine aïoli.
Lamb tenderloin wrapped in phyllo, a signature dish at Marcel’s from chef de cuisine Paul Stearman, is accompanied by either a Gigondas or a Vacqueyras chosen by sommelier Moez Ben Achour. Ben Achour
Marcel’s
Scott Clime’s wine list numbers about 140,
including sake, with 29 offerings by the glass.
“The charred octopus is meaty enough
for a red wine, and the Andrew Rich is
excellent with it. It’s made in the Old World
style—lean and earthy like a true Pinot,”
Scott Clime says. “Also, the sharp acidity
in the dish blends well with the wine and
brings out its bright red fruit.”
“The list is a mix of fruity New World wines
and the more earthy Old World bottles,”
he says. “The Andrew Rich Pinot is quite
popular. We go through a case and a half
to two cases a week.”
mushroom, garlic and chives,” Stearman
says. “We sear them again to brown the
pastry, then bake them in the oven to serve
to guests’ preferences. When sliced, the
dish is like a mosaic. It’s served with potato
purée, baby carrots with beurre blanc and a
cumin/Madeira au jus.
PassionFish is a casual fine-dining venue
featuring a sushi bar, a raw bar and a fresh-catch list of five to eight fish each day.
Chris Clime
GIGONDAS OR VACQUEYRAS
AND LAMB
With a wine list numbering 650-700
labels from France and around the world,
including about 17 offered by the glass,
Moez Ben Achour, sommelier at Marcel’s, a
formal dining room in Washington, D.C., had
myriad choices when selecting a wine to
accompany chef de cuisine Paul Stearman’s
lamb tenderloin wrapped in phyllo. He
chose two—the 2005 Vacqueyras Vieilles
Vignes Patrick Lesec ($75) and the 2005
Gigondas Domaine Santa Duc ($85)—to
accompany the signature dish, one of
28 offerings on the restaurant’s prix fixe
menu. Guests pick and choose from the
selections to create their own meals.
chose two—the 2005 Vacqueyras Vieilles
Gigondas Domaine Santa Duc ($85)—to
accompany the signature dish, one of
“The result is a dish with a very mild lamb
flavor. The sauce adds a touch of gaminess
and has a nice spicy edge from the cumin.”
Scott Clime
Ben Achour is well-acquainted with that
sauce, and all the sauces coming out of
Stearman’s kitchen. “Before service each
night, I taste any new sauce,” he says.
“Sauces are as important when selecting a
wine as the main element of the dish. The
Vacqueyras is earthy, with a long, smooth
finish. It has a nice mineral touch and a nose
of wet lavender. It’s a good fit with the sauce
for the lamb. The Gigondas is more on the
dry side, but goes equally well with the dish.”
“Lamb tenderloins are small pieces of
meat. We season, sear and marinate them
in Dijon mustard, then wrap a couple in
phyllo with sautéed spinach, duxelle of wild
Grilled baby octopus, Greek salad, warm
Halloumi cheese and tzatziki is offered as
a starter by Chris Clime, chef de cuisine at
PassionFish, and comes with a Pinot Noir
chosen by Scott Clime, beverage/wine
director at Passion Food Hospitality.
GRUNER VELTLINER AND SHRIMP
AND GRITS
Scott Harper, one of only 170 professionals
worldwide to hold the title “master sommelier,”
is wine director/partner at Bristol Bar & Grille,
a restaurant group with five locations in the
greater Louisville, Ky., area, including a unit
in Jeffersonville, Ind., where Richard Doering
is executive chef. One of Doering’s signature
dishes is shrimp and grits ($9.99, lunch,
$14.99, dinner), which he created to further
use the cheese grits already on the brunch
