A delicious and delightful night of food, music and good wine awaits those attending Feast of the Arts’ third dinner of the year.
These dinners, hosted every football weekend, pair wines made by local wineries with different foods that complement the flavors and tastes of both.
This week’s dinner will feature wines from the Barnard Griffin Winery located in Richland, Wash.
Elise Barnard-Griffin, daughter of owners Rob Griffin and Deborah Barnard and marketing assistant for the winery, said winemaking has always been a passion for her father.
Barnard-Griffin said that her father grew up in Nappa Valley, surrounded by the lush wine country, though those in his family were not winemakers.
“But he was always interested in the science of it,” she said.
After graduating from University of California, Davis, in 1975, the most prestigious vinting school in the country, Griffin was offered a job as head winemaker at a winery in Washington, she said. Despite the advice against the move, he took the job.
In 1983, he opened Bernard Griffin Winery with his wife, Deborah Barnard.
“He fell in love with the area, fell in love with the fruit and fell in love with the people,” Barnard-Griffin said.
Barnard-Griffin said that the winery sources their grapes from all around the Columbia Valley, focusing on local vineyards to make the 19 different kinds of wine that they carry.
Barnard-Griffin and her sister are both WSU alumni, so they’re officially a Cougar winery. Their wine is also featured in the Wine by Cougars Wine Club.
“We’re really excited to come back,” Barnard-Griffin said.
Her family’s wine will be paired with mouth-watering dishes that will tantalize patron’s taste buds.
In the first course, patrons will have a choice between drinking a 2009 Viognier and a 2008 Grenache. Should you choose the Viognier, the dinner will consist of grilled wild Alaskan salmon, cilantro sweet corn cake and lemon chive beurre blanc.
If their choice is instead the Granche, they will have a meal of maple-wood smoked duck breast, spaghetti squash, glazed organic beets and fried Walla Walla onions, all in a carrot broth.
The second course will be served with a 2007 Cabernet Reserve. Paired with this is roasted Angus Beef tenderloin, grilled organic tomatoes topped with Danish blue cheese, whipped potatoes with fresh chives served in a pastry tower and caramelized shallot thyme jus.
There is a vegetarian option available, which combines the Cabernet with a wild mushroom risotto, roasted fall vegetables and black truffle oil.
To top off an already much satisfied pallet, an almond praline basket with huckleberry ice cream from Ferdinand’s, a French macaroon cookie will be served for dessert. Guests can also choose a green tea chocolate truffle to be washed down with the dual pairing of a Syrah Port and a Moscat.
Much of the food is from local and WSU-associated farms.
The food isn’t everything, of course. The event actually starts at 6 p.m. in the Museum of Art on campus, where attendees will be able to enjoy the music of professor Brian Ward. Ward is an expert in all things jazz and will be performing from this base on piano while attendees peruse the inspirations for the works of architect Jim Olson.
The collection of Jim Olson’s work, who received the 2007 Seattle American Institute of Architects Medal of Honor, ranging from photos to drawings to models, spans more than 45 years. His buildings include homes for worldwide art collectors but also more locally the Lightcatcher Building as part of the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham and the Pike and Virginia Building in Seattle.
The exhibit will be on display until Dec. 10.
An ensemble of members from the Cougar Marching Band will accompany the group as they move from the exhibit to the dinner in the Marriott Foundation Hospitality Dining Room in Todd Hall.
The night will be a treat for all those attending. Tickets are $100 each, reservations to be made online on the Feast of the Arts website.