It was my stomach that brought me to Silverlake Wine. Last week, I went to a training catered by Heirloom LA and have since been OBSESSED with this catering company, known for their use of farm fresh ingredients and just as much for their infamous lasagna cupcakes. At my training, they served some of the most decadent cookies I’ve ever tasted (desserts first), along with a sweet potato salad (I slung half a dozen giant spoonfuls into a ziploc bag and took some home on the Metro with me to keep me full over the weekend) and an unforgettable pressed halibut sandwich. From that lunch on, I became rabid with the need to indulge with them again. But they are a caterer. Which means that I’ll need to figure out some excuse to throw myself a big party so I can hire them. With the reality that I likely won’t have a vowel renewal reception (those things lead to divorce) or a fancy baby shower (snip-snip) or a book launch party (:( – I know, I have to think positive; but I’m pretty sure I won’t have one in the next few weeks while Heirloom is heavy on my mind), I clicked my way to another solution.
Turns out that Heirloom LA teams up with Silverlake Wine on Sundays. For twenty bucks, Silverlake Wine gives you five flights while Heirloom LA provides the food, complimenting four of the selections with a suitable dish.
So for $20, I got my food and wine!? I almost peed my pants right there in the training (yes, I spent the afternoon on my I-Pad in the back, researching my new-found obsession; it made the rest of the training speedy and almost painless). Of course, I called right away to make a reservation.
I made it into a date night, taking the husband although I KNEW that he would not appreciate the evening the same way I would.
And I was right. He was unhappy about the chair situation (there were none – it’s a wine store, not a restaurant I had to keep telling him) and the food (it was a tasting – it’s a wine store, not a restaurant I had to keep telling him).
But soon enough, he was tipsy and so was I so what was there to complain about? It was Fancy California Pinot Noir day (which meant, I assumed, they’d be serving hearty meat dishes to go with the selections, and we’re poultry-fish people, but again – wine – no complaints) – we began with a sparkling white to cleanse our palates [Gran Sarao Cava Brut NV Spain – $10], which was followed by four Pinots ranging in price from $22.50 to $115.
Each pour came with a history lesson about the wine maker – my favorite part of the tasting (aside from the wine and the food, of course) as I love a good story. My favorite pour was the Anthill Farms Campbell Ranch 2011, moderately (?!) priced at $46.75.
By the end of the night, my husband was a believer – even though he only tried half of the dishes (I still tried the sweet potatoes under the pork and the couscous mixed in with the lamb – okay, I may have had a bite of two of lamb – my first… I was curious – people are always cooking it on television; but once I tasted it, I kept hearing a faint “baaaaa, baaaaa” calling from somewhere in my head – I will have guilt for days), he still left pleasant and smiling – and with two bottles of purchased wine (not any Pinot, though – we got a Rose and a Syrah). And he also headed across the street to a Vietnamese restaurant that looked pretty good.
I ended the evening with the tiniest disappointment that my food experience was not as robust as I’d imagined (though the final food tasting was a bundle of warm, crumbly awesomeness – a succulent pumpkin empanada). However, they did have a freezer near the cash register stocked with all things Heirloom LA. As curious as I’ve been about one of their lasagna cupcakes, I opted instead for ravioli.
I’ll just have to go back another Sunday for a lasagna cupcake. And another tasting, this time with the girlfriends (wussup, LWW?). And a driver.
Silver Lake WinesSundays at 3:00 Wine Tastings (reservations required)
2395 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90039