Little Silver resident Chef Martin Bradley has been creating Michelin-star quality food at Hollywood Golf Club for the past 12 years.
By Bob Sacks
Sometimes, wine dinners can be hit or miss; the wines outshine the food, or the food eclipses the wines. It’s truly a special event when all the elements are in harmony – a perfect marriage. And that’s exactly what I experienced recently.
The wine theme was to explore multiple vintages of the same wine: Chateau Pichon Lalande, a “super second” growth from the left bank of the Bordeaux region of France. The guests each contributed various vintages, enabling us to acquire and taste 10 different years; the oldest from 1959, and the “youngest” from 2005. Thus, we were able to explore six decades of the same wine to compare its evolution and yearly variations.
Pre-dinner optimism ran high, since it’s a unique experience to be able to taste multiple rare wines like this at one sitting. The dinner, prepared by Chef Martin Bradley, was held at Hollywood Golf Club in Deal. Chef Bradley was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and studied culinary arts at Dublin Institute of Technology, Cathal Brugha St., before migrating to the United States in 1987. He previously owned restaurants in Montauk and Bayside, New York and most recently in Little Silver (Table), where he, his wife and two children currently live. He ultimately became executive chef at Hollywood Golf Club 12 years ago and has been there since then.
Bradley’s passion is to learn new culinary techniques and preparations, so he travels to various parts of the world every year for four to six weeks to achieve this goal. He researches to find the top chef(s) in a country, and then pays them to allow him to be in the kitchen with them, side-by-side. Bradley has visited Dubai, Lebanon and many other countries to satisfy his hunger for knowledge, and has also established close, enduring relationships with a number of these superstar chefs after spending time with them. He created a unique tasting menu to accompany our wines, the food rivaling some of the finest restaurants in New York and Europe. The plating of each dish was truly a work of art, which is no surprise, since Bradley is also a self-taught artist.
The evening began with Kibbe Naya, a hummus-vegetarian-based variation of this traditional Lebanese dish. Creamy and savory, it made for a perfect amuse bouche.
An appetizer of Sushi Grade Tuna Tartare with Shiso Leaf and Ponzu Gelee was paired with two French whites: 2018 Drouhin Chablis Valmur and 2014 Sauzet Bienvenues Batard Montrachet. The lush tuna with the richer, still youthful, Sauzet, was the preferred pairing.
Due to its rarity and age, 1959 Pichon Lalande was served without food, sharing the table with a red Burgundy: 2007 Bouchard Vosne Romanee Les Suchots, which was pleasant, but a bit past its prime. The 1959 had faded some, and had a funky nose, but still had enough fruit to make it enjoyable and interesting.
A course of savory Wild Mushroom Ravioli with sliced black truffles, in a mushroom consommé, was accompanied by 1979 and 1982 Pichon Lalande. The 1979, from a less highly-rated vintage, had fading fruit and a short finish. Not unexpectedly, the 1982, from an extraordinary vintage, was the Wine of the Night, with lots of black fruits, perfect balance and no signs of age.
1975, 1986 and 2000 Pichon Lalandes shared the table with Halibut Cilantro Tapioca Pistou, served with fava beans and lemon croquettes. The 1975, from a slow maturing vintage, drank well, but was no match for the luscious 1986, which was loaded with fruit. The 2000 was disappointing: still very tannic with a bitter finish.
Perfectly rare Magret de Canard (duck breast), shared the plate with a variety of elegant rhubarb preparations.
Beautifully rare Magret de Canard (duck breast) accompanied by different iterations of rhubarb, was paired with 2001 and 2002 Pichon Lalande. The aroma and nose of the 2002 was off; the 2001 was marginally better, but nothing special. Not as expected. Storage issue?
The final flight of Pichons, 2003 and 2005, was served with a cheese course: Mitica Sardo, aged goat and Crucola. These two Pichons did not seem ready. They were still rather closed, without much nose or finish developed yet. The elements were there, but muted. Try again in five years.
Of course, we saved room for dessert: a flourless Callebaut Chocolate cake (Bête Noire), with Crème Anglaise and raspberries, which was enjoyed with 2005 Chateau Climens, a sweet white Bordeaux wine. The decadent dessert was a great match for the honey and orange peel palate of the not-too-sweet, rich wine.
Chef Bradley rose to the challenge we gave him, and was intent on making the food a worthy companion to these special wines. And indeed, he exceeded our expectations. Did some of the wines taste better because of his complex, elegant food? Very likely! Was some of the food elevated even more so due to some of the very special wines? For sure!
The wine of the night, 1982 Pichon Lalande, was loaded with ripe fruit and perfectly balanced.
Wine can be viewed as “sauce” for food. It can either compliment or contrast what is on the plate and this night it really did. In this case, all the components were in harmony, making for a memorable experience. Was there an element of what I call “wretched excess,” in the best possible sense? Absolutely. But after a year of isolation and deprivation, the evening was truly appreciated by one and all!
Bob Sacks, longtime food and wine buff, writes about food, wine and restaurants in this column. Follow him on Instagram @dinnerwithbob.
This article originally appeared in the May 27, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
