Une fête Italienne: Italian Wine Dinner
By Sue Geary, Vice Chargee’ de Presse, FWS, IWS, SWS
Photos by: Cole Johnson, Vice Charge’ des Medias Sociaux
On the evening of July 11, we held our first live event after a year-long detour into virtual gatherings. This marked the first anniversary for the current Board of Directors. Even under the capable direction of Bailli Sheral Schowe, we confess to experiencing a few jitters as we prepared for this dinner. Seeing the delight of our members and guests as they arrived for this reunion event put us all at ease for an enjoyable evening.
We could not have picked a more perfect place for our re-entry than Fratelli Ristorante.Fratelli translates to “brothers” and Chef Pete Cannella and Manager Dave Cannel grew up working in their family restaurant in downtown Salt Lake City serving dishes born of their grandmother’s cooking secrets. Now in its 15th year and having recently moved to its newly-built restaurant, Fratelli remains one of few locally-owned restaurants in the Sandy area. Chef Pete and his capable staff made this a night to remember.
Guests were greeted upon arrival with a sparkling glass of Barone Pizzini Rose’ Extra Brut Franciacorta DOCG Edizione 2014 to enjoy with trays of antipasti and lively conversation. We moved from the reception area to be seated for a delicious Citrus Seafood Salad paired with I Pentri Flora Falanghina Beneventano IGT 2018. Our knowledgeable Vice Echanson Kasey Dubler had prepared wine notes to accompany the menu of carefully-selected Italian wines. He was also on hand to introduce the wines and answer questions throughout the evening.
The second course of House-made Butternut Squash Ravioli was perfectly matched with the Gianni Gagliardo Fallegro Favorita Langhe DOC 2019. The third course of Braciole, a stuffed braised flank steak, was the ideal centerpiece to the two red wines of the same vintage served side-by-side: Lungarotti Rubesco Vigna Monticchio Torgiano Riserva DOCG 2008 and Tenuta di Arceno Il Fauno Di Arcanum Toscana IGT 2008. Diners at each table enjoyed discussing the differences in these two wines and declaring their preferred pairing. The Pistachio Almond Gelato Sandwich alongside Marenco Scrapona Moscato d’Asti DOCG 2019 was a sweet finale to a beautiful evening.
Many of our guests lingered for conversation well after the end of the event as the smiling Fratelli staff looked wistfully toward the door. This long-awaited live event affirmed how much we had missed the camaraderie of our bailliage and how good it was to be together again.
