Velvet Chocolate

http://have/ you ever had one of those perfect days?  You relax, hang out with friends, have a nice meal, and spend time with the love of your life.  No, I'm not talking about me - I worked this weekend.  However, the wife had a perfect 21+9 birthday, and I was happy to contribute a great meal and wine that can only be described as "Velvet Chocolate."

We booked a 9 pm reservation at Fond Restaurant a few weeks ago and had been drooling over the menu and reviews ever since.  Fond is a BYOB in South Philly in the burgeoning East Passyunk neighborhood.  It is quite small, a bit loud, and a bit warm, but the service and food is amazing (the team is made up of Le Bec Fin and LaCroix alums - they know what they're doing). 

We chose the five course tasting menu, which couldn't have worked out better because it offered a taste of all the items we had been drooling over.  The arctic char was a perfect starter as we let the wine breathe.  If you know me, you'll know my thoughts on the next dish, wild boar pate.  I live for charcuterie, and it definitely didn't suck as we like to say at work.  My favorite dish was the skate wing with risotto.  I dread to think how much butter went into the sauce, but I hope to see if I can replicate it this summer.  Next, the pork belly skin was the crispest and most flavorful I've ever had on such a dish, but it was extremely difficult to get that perfect bite the wife loves.  A close second for dish of the night was the chocolate peanut butter ice cream with fudge and peanut brittle.  Did the chef think it was my birthday?  Definitely seemed like it.  I literally cleaned the bowl. 

Oh wait, this is a wine blog, not a food blog.  You may be asking "What wine did you have James?"  Well, it definitely didn't suck.  "Velvet Chocolate" had blueberry, blackberry, and dark, dark cherry aromas and flavors with a hint of properly stored cigar aroma and a chocolately finish.  The fruit came through over and over again.  What a bottle!  The wife and I may have a new entry to our top three wines of all-time.  The bottle?  2004 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Stag's Leap Hillside Select.

Stay tuned for a live report from Napa Valley and Sonoma County in a few weeks.  We booked our flights a few days ago and are setting up tastings all over the place.  In the meantime, happy sipping!