This wine and foodie event hosted by the Tulalip Resort Casino takes a quantum leap forward for the fourth year in a row
November 23, 2012 – The crew at the Tulalip Resort Casino has once again woven their visionary magic into the annual Taste of Tulalip, a celebration of wine, food and tradition held on November 9 and 10, 2012. For the fourth consecutive year organizers amazed ticket holders with an incredible selection of wines from around the region and globe, as well as new and unexpected twists, ultimately putting forward a spellbinding performance that pushed the boundaries on all five senses of smell, sight, sound, touch and taste.
CELEBRATION DINNER
On Friday, November 9th, the Celebration Dinner kicked off with a Champagne reception and wine tasting of premium wines from around the world, and around water. The liquid setting was the resort’s Oasis Pool room, where gurgling sounds from a cascading waterfall greeted wine tasters who strolled over the arched bridge that spans the resort’s grand swimming pool.
After the reception, dinner followed with a heartfelt welcome from the event’s key orchestrator, Lisa Severn, Tulalip’s Director of Food & Beverage. “We raise our hands to you,” she announced to the gathering, a phrase which is a traditional Tulalip greeting and a warm expression of friendship, harmony and hospitality. Chris Sparkman of Sparkman Cellars was introduced as the 2012 honorary winemaker of the event.
Every year the Tulalip Resort Casino donates part of the proceeds from this event to a local charity. Severn explained that “part of this weekend is about giving back and this year we chose Food Lifeline.” She presented a $5,000 check to the charity’s president, Linda Nageotte, who gratefully acknowledged that the funds will provide 15,000 meals for hungry, low income people in Western Washington.
THE POWER OF AROMAS
The surprise theme of the seven-course celebration dinner was aromas. The congenial executive chef Perry Mascitti explained how the nose can recognize over 700 individual smells and spoke passionately about “the healing senses of tasting and smell.”
He illustrated his point using show-and-tell: dinner guests received three glass vials at their table place setting and were encouraged to sniff the contents. As they opened them, Mascitti walked them through each vial, explaining how the various aromas connected with memories from the past. The first vial contain freshly-picked basil leaves, which “brings backyard memories of fresh herbs in the summer,” he told the audience. Inside the second vial was a concoction of cinnamon and warm spices, which conjured “the aroma of pumpkin pie and the holidays.” The third vial oozed of “the smells of Italian pizza pie” and was filled with a mixture of sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, fennel seed and bread crumbs.
“I challenged all the chefs to add an aroma scent to each course of tonight’s dinner,“ said Perry, “and my hope is that everyone leaves here with good memories.”
Every course was paired with a different wine, and the combinations complemented both the dish flavors and aromas as well as nuances in the wines. “Our challenge was to pair wines individually with each course,” Thompson said. Not an easy feat, but Sommelier Tommy Thompson hit another home run with his selections that he chose from wineries in Washington, Oregon, California, and as far away as France and Italy.
SEVEN COURSES: A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES
The dinner course opened with a Holiday Lobster Wedding Terrine, paired with Vignalta Pinot Bianco from Italy; then an Asian Soup Duet paired with Famille Perrin Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape “Vieilles Vin” Blanc from France. The next course was a micro-green salad with duck prepared two different ways and paired with a Penner-Ash Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Next up was Salmon Two Ways, an orange-tarragon cured Sockeye and “naked” King salmon with pesto. The duel salmon dishes were paired with Woodinville Wine Cellars Cabernet Franc from Washington State.
Suddenly an intermezzo palate cleanser appeared; a hot and cold item called fire and ice—grilled fresh pineapple with a hint of chili power, cayenne pepper and sugar, served next to a green apple mint swirl sorbet.
The main course highlight was Chef Perry’s creation, featuring Snake River Farms Wagu Filet Mignon paired with a huckleberry demi, gremolata gele’e and chive-red peppercorn aroma drop. This was served on a sizzling hot plate with the warm scent of fresh rosemary permeating the air and married perfectly to a ZD Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa.
The dessert finale was a dressed up S’more, a flourless chocolate cake with honey-vanilla marshmallow, liquid chocolate and graham cracker sticks paired with Eroica Riesling Ice Wine. For the aroma component, the distinct scent of cedar wood smoke suddenly wafted through the room, bringing back childhood memories of roasting old-fashioned s’mores around an outdoor campfire.
With appetites satiated and hearts warmed from an evening of conversation spurred by scintillating aromas, memories and wine, guests floated off into the night as memories of sugar plum fairies danced in their heads.
FOOD & WINE SEMINARS
For VIP ticket holders, Saturday commenced with two visually lively seminars. “He Said, She Said” was hosted by “Thirsty Girl” Leslie Sbrocco, a regular contributor on the Today Show, and wine specialist and Sommelier Tommy Thompson. Attendees were treated to a tasting of five different wines presented by a guest panel of distinguished winemakers who were on hand to field questions. The hosts encouraged conversation about each wine from the panel and questions were taken from the crowd. Sbrocco kept it light with her signature “go girl” quips and teasing overtures.
One standout for the crowd was Italian winemaker Lucio Gomiero’s 2007 Vignalta Alpianae. This late harvest dessert wine is an Orange Muscat aged for over two years with lovely aromas and flavors of apricot jam, tropical fruit, mango and papaya. Sbrocco recalled that in her travels someone had referred to a sumptuous varietal like this as a belly button zipper: one needs only to sip a belly-button size amount to be purely satisfied.
Sean Boyd of Woodinville Wine Cellars was part of the panel, presenting his 2008 Indomitable, a big rich Bordeaux style Washington wine. When someone asked what differentiates Washington wines from others, Boyd drew a laugh from the crowd when he answered with total deadpan, “Because we’re better.”
The second seminar of the afternoon featured the Ethiopian-born and Swedish-raised celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, named Best Chef by James Beard House Foundation. His cooking combines international influences with traditional cuisines from Sweden to Japan and Africa. Samuelsson kept the crowd engaged with a cooking demonstration of his coconut fried chicken with collards and gravy. Hearty smells wafted through the room and samples were served to the audience.
VIP MAGNUM PARTY
The chic mpulse lounge at the Tulalip Resort Casino was transformed into a stupendous tasting room with magnificent and hard-to-find wines from around the world at the VIP Magnum Party, hosted by Christopher Chan (the brainchild behind the annual Seattle Wine Awards). Guests wandered from table to table sampling premium wines from specially selected magnum bottlings. They were treated to an exciting display as a sommelier armed with a long sword deftly sliced off the tops of Louis Roederer 2002 Cristal Champagne before pouring glassfuls of the vintage bubbly to eager tasters.
Another favorite was the Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin from France. Stephan Mitchell of Noble Wines was on hand to pour this wine and educate tasters about the family’s rich wine history. Sourced from the famed Chateauneuf du Pape appellation, this special cuvee is made only in certain years when conditions are perfect, in honor of the Perrin family’s father and made mostly from very old vine Mourvèdre. The wine exuded compelling aromas of black cherry, cassis, spice leather and game followed by a firm, tight and extremely concentrated finish.
Bob Betz, the talented winemaker and tireless ambassador of Washington State wines, chatted pleasantly with thirsty patrons who were treated to his Pere de Famille Cabernet. Numerous illustrious wineries were represented, including Amy Figgins of the Figgins Family Wine Estates who was pouring Leonetti Cellars Reserve Cabernet.
GRAND TASTE EVENT
The weekend culminated with The Grand Taste, a wine and culinary wonder that brought more surprises. What appeared to be 15-foot tall green grapevine decor were actually lithe acrobatic ladies on stilts who performed graceful poses for the crowd. Gourmet food stations were set up throughout the Grand Ballroom that housed nearly 70 Washington wineries, with quadruple that many wines to choose from. Delectable bites included beautifully prepared shellfish, sushi, Jamón Serrano and bountiful trays of charcuteries, cheeses, artisan breads and olives.
Over in the Washington wine section, guests were treated to an “A to Z list of Who’s Who in the state’s wine world.” A-B-C-D: Abeja, Andrew Will, Baer, Barrage, Betz, Charles Smith, Chinook, Col Solare, Corvus, Darby, Doubleback, Dunham Cellars and so on.
A second room featured 35 wineries from California and Oregon; and those who wanted to get a taste of European wines could wander through the foyer hall and visit over 20 more wineries from France and Italy. The Oasis Pool became a liquid pub, with 19 Northwest Breweries and Cideries pouring samples of their wares. Thoughtful gastronome pub grub of spicy and mild bratwurst and sauerkraut paired spot-on with the craft microbrews and ciders.
A lively Rock-n-Roll Challenge was taking place simultaneously under a large outdoor tent. Music played as two chefs competed in an Iron Chef competition. Members of the audience acted as judges, whose duties included seeking out wine in the Grand Taste that paired with the dishes.
For those who wanted to take home a special bottle or two of wine, the Taste of Tulalip Wine Shop was open all afternoon. Marcus Samuelsson chatted with guests and signed and sold his recent book, New York Times Bestseller, Yes, Chef: A Memoir.
Whether one was lucky enough to spend the weekend at the resort and attend both days of this extraordinary celebration or attend Saturday’s Grand Taste, all in attendance got a taste of the Tulalip team’s gracious hospitality and passion that tantalized all the senses and generated a warm spirit of camaraderie for wine lovers and foodies to savor—until next year’s 5th Anniversary on November 8 and 9, 2013. Mark your calendar and stay tuned.
Activities and Things To Do Near Tulalip
TULALIP AMPHITHEATRE
This 3,000-person venue is part of the Quil Ceda Village and hosts national touring acts, such as Trisha Yearwood and B.B. King, among other top musicians. The Tulalip Amphitheatre can be rented at an affordable cost for weddings, birthdays and other special events. It is conveniently located just off of Interstate-5 and offers free parking, four on-site food vendors and a beer garden for guests during each concert night.
SEATTLE PREMIUM OUTLETS
Located next to the casino, Seattle Premium Outlets boasts 110 brand name stores and manufacturer outlets, including Banana Republic, Coach, Juicy Couture and GAP.
GOLF COURSES
Golfers can hit the links at two challenging area golf courses. The 175-acre Battle Creek Golf Course offers a full length 18-hole possibility and a nine-hole par three course as well as a driving range and practice facility. The Cedarcrest Golf Club plays shorter than Battle Creek, but offers golfers a more challenging experience. Both are within 20 minutes of the casino.
FUTURE OF FLIGHT
The family-friendly ‘Future of Flight’ Aviation Center and Boeing Tour is a 20-minute drive from Tulalip. The museum has educational flight-related exhibits, videos and interactive stations for guests to enjoy.
SEASONAL FUN
Those looking to experience the outdoors will find numerous options nearby. During the summer, Lake Stevens is an ideal location for water skiing, wakeboarding or any other water activity. When the temperature drops, a day up on the slopes at Stevens Pass is well worth the hour drive for skiers and snowboarders.
By John and Adean Vitale