Gabriele and I got back recently from a week in western North Carolina. We rented a cabin about halfway between Boone and Blowing Rock. It was a refreshing break that included a little snow, sightseeing and a lot of good food and wine. An old favorite of ours, Joy Bistro, had closed but we found some excellent new choices.
Our first fancy dinner was at the Restaurant at Gideon Ridge Inn. It’s not the easiest place to find but once there everything was fantastic. The food was amazing. Gabriele started with an excellent charcuterie and then a duck breast entree. I had the halibut entree (shown above in the menu image) and it might have been the best I’ve ever eaten. For the wine we got out of our comfort zone a bit and went with a French Burgundy.
That’s usually a tough call since we both like a good bit of fruit in our Pinot Noir, and Gabriele generally dislikes earthiness in a wine. I noticed the wine list had multiple choices from Domaine Tollot-Beaut, which usually indicates the restaurant is impressed by the wine maker. Our server told us there was good fruit in the Chorey Les Beaune from Tollot so we ordered it.
It was an excellent wine. It was light but very flavorful with cherry and a bit of strawberry in the lead. It has a nice texture, easy tannins, good acidity and a clean finish.
Our next dinner was at the Best Cellar, right off the main drag in Blowing Rock. Despite the name it did not have an extensive wine list. It did have a nice atmosphere, good food and enormous portions for a fine dining place. We liked our entrees more than our appetizers. Gabriele had the house specialty roasted duck and I had a filet.
We weren’t wild about the wine I chose, the Migration Pinot 2021. There weren’t a lot of options for Pinot Noir on the list and Migration is a second label of Duckhorn. It was a bit thin and tart with cranberry in the lead. It was all right but far from special.
The last stop on our gastronomy tour was The Gamekeeper. It’s a unique setting with the restaurant at the top of a hill off a winding road in Boone. They only take reservations two weeks in advance and we still only could get a table in the small bar. We could see why – we had a fantastic experience.
As the name suggests the stars of the menu are game. I had emu tartare to start with, hopefully not related to Limu the emu from the insurance ads on television. It was delicious, as was my venison osso bucco entree. It was very tender and had far less fat than the usual veal preparation. Gabriele proved the Gamekeeper can do other things too, going with a poached pear salad and a yellowfin tuna hot pot entree.
Michael the maitre d really came through for us as well. The wine list was long and expensive. He clearly knew his stuff and highly recommended a Cabernet from South Africa. He said if we didn’t like it he would take it back. And he came through when we found it too tight and tannic. The winning wine was the 2017 Smoking Gun Cabernet from Napa.
This wine was big and delicious with a smooth texture. Lots of black fruit/cassis well balanced with tannins, vanilla, some oakiness and leather as well. It was the epitome of a quality California Cabernet, extroverted but also balanced. I’ve never seen it in a local store but I’m looking now.
Two other wines worth mentioning are the 2020 Post and Beam Cabernet and the 2019 Gundlach Bundschu Pinot Noir. The Post and Beam is a second label of Far Niente and was an excellent Cabernet at a far more accessible price than their Estate wine. The 2019 “Gunny Bunny” was an old favorite returning to form in our opinions.
Any of the wines (minus the Migration) or restaurants above would be good choices for your next special event. Get out to western NC when you can and see for yourself.