Piripi Wine Dinner with Truchard Vineyards

Piripi is a high end Spanish restaurant located in the Village of Merrick Park, which is becoming a destination for new restaurants and shoppers in the heart of Coral Gables. On Tuesday, July 28^th, Piripi partnered with Truchard Vineyards, a family owned winery located in the Caneros region of Napa Valley to host a onetime exclusive Piripi wine dinner. The Piripi wine dinner featured fare from Piripi’s new Executive Chef Aneglina Bastidas. Bastidas was born in New York but raised in Miami where she attended Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. Bastidas has worked in a number of Miami’s top restaurants including Wish, Area 21, Bazaar, Palm D’Or, Taperia Raca, and Tongue & Cheek. Bastidas is becoming a household name as evidenced by her inclusion as one of Zagat Miami’s 30 under 30 Miami Rock Stars Redefining the Industry. The Piripi wine dinner was composed of five courses each paired with a Truchard wine.

Hors d’oeuvres

Calamari in sushi cones with an avocado filling and croquetas.

The calamari was cooked perfectly and the presentation was spot on. The croquetas were thick and dense filled with shredded meat. Unlike traditional croquetas these were round and had a tough crust developed.

First Course

Beet Salad: Compressed Melon, Drunken Goat and Sherry. The Beet Salad was paired with a 2013 Truchard Chardonnay

Red and golden beets made up the core of the salad, which complemented well with the candied almonds and creamy, thick drunken goat cheese. The compressed melons added a nice sweetness to the dish and another layer of flavor. Personally, I felt that the strong flavors and textures from the goat cheese brought this salad together.

Second Course

Poached Cod: Eggplant Puree, Confit of Wild Mushrooms and Red Wine Reduction. The Poached Cod was paired with a 2012 Truchard Pinot Noir.

The Cod was poached perfectly with the skin on. It has a very delicate flaky texture while still moist and light. Eggplant puree is not something you see on many menus, delivered a unique taste to my palate that I couldn’t recognize. The puree and mushroom confit complemented each other well and delivered an earthy element to pair with the light and relatively reserved Cod.

 

Third Course

Sous Vide Lamb: Olive Tapenade, Parsley Puree and Potato Confit. The Sours Vide Lamb was paired with a 2012 Truchard Cabernet Franc.

This was one of the strongest dishes of the night. The lamb was moist, tender, and extremely flavorful. The dry rub on the seared outside of the lamb created an excellent crust full of flavor! The potato confit was also standout. The olive tapenade and the parsley puree both brought strong flavors to the dish that oddly complemented each other surprisingly well; this was a very strong component of the dish.

Dessert

Dark Chocolate Mousse: with poached cherries, mascarpone and cocoa. The Dark Chocolate Mousse was paired with 2012 Truchard Cabernet Sauvignon.

Not many restaurants can deliver a good mousse, and let me tell you this has got to be the best chocolate mousse I’ve tried. The flavors of the mousse were so pure and delicate, the pairing with the mascarpone and the sweetness of the cherries took this dish to another level. The addition of these ingredients to the dish made for an eclectic chocolate mousse.

The Piripi wine dinner was an excellent event that allowed the new Executive Chef Aneglina Bastidas to shine and officially introduce herself as the chef of the restaurant. The restaurant will also be rolling out new lunch and brunch menus, as well as a Happy Hour bar menu.  Piripi is located at the Village of Merrick Park, 320 San Lorenzo Avenue in Coral Gables.  The restaurant’s hours of operations are Sunday 11:30AM – 9PM, Monday-Wednesday 11:30AM – 10PM, Thursday 11:30AM to 11:00PM and Friday and Saturday 11:30AM – midnight.

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