25 February 2015 Plumpjack Wine Dinner at Restaurant Latour at Crystal Springs

Plumpjack Wine Dinner at Restaurant Latour at Crystal Springs

February 25, 2015 By
Photo by Plumpjack

Photo by Plumpjack

On 3/10 at 6:30PM, new Restaurant Latour Executive Chef, Anthony Bucco, is going all out for the first wine dinner he’s offering at gorgeous Crystal Springs Resort! The four-course tasting dinner, plus canapes, will feature the boutique wines of Plumpjack, including sister properties CADE and the new Odette Estate.  

As if this dinner and fab wines weren’t stellar enough, guest Scot Gaffney from Plumpjack will be on hand to discuss the wines.

Dinner Menu and Wines:

Canapes: Uni, polenta, grapes; Quail egg, caviar; Avocado, pistachio, chili; Wagyu beef tartare paired with 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, CADE, Napa

First Course: Turbot, Apple & Vanilla paired with 2013 Chardonnay, Plumpjack Reserve, Napa

Second Course: Porcelet, Wild Cherry & Celery paired with 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, CADE, Howell Mountain

Third Course: Short Rib of Beef, Cocoa & Endive paired with 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Odette Estate, Stag’s Leap District

Dessert: Apple, Toffee & Yogurt paired with 2012 Merlot, Plumpjack, Napa

About Plumpjack

Established in 1995, PlumpJack Winery sits in the heart of Napa Valley’s renowned Oakville region, surrounded by a 42-acre estate vineyard highly regarded for the quality of its Cabernet Sauvignon. Northeast of St. Helena, CADE was founded with a commitment to environmental responsibility and organic winemaking. The group’s newest winery, Odette Estate, from the legendary Stag’s Leap district, will serve its first release at the dinner.

Tickets are $129 per person (tax and service additional) and can be reserved by calling 855-420-9098.

Cheers,

Veronique

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2015 NJ Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort

January 28, 2015 By
Grand Tasting - Photo by Crystal Springs

Grand Tasting – Photo by Crystal Springs

Tickets are on sale for the seventh annual New Jersey Wine & Food Festival taking place March 20–22. This year, the Guest of Honor is David Kinch of Michelin 2-star Manresa in Los Gatos, California. 

Chef David Kinch will bring a taste of his acclaimed Manresa to New Jersey to kick-off the Festival with a dinner in Restaurant Latour on Friday, March 20. The dinner will pair Kinch and the Restaurant Latour team with cult California wine producer The Prisoner. The same evening, the resort’s renowned Wine Cellar will welcome Larry Stone, Master Sommelier and Estates Director of Quintessa, for a dinner featuring back vintages of this storied California winery paired with a menu by Crystal Springs Resort Executive Chef John Greeley.

On Saturday March 21, Kinch will sign copies of his bestselling cookbook Manresa: An Edible Reflection and also participate in the VIP section of The Grand Tasting, which will dazzle this year with Michelin-starred chefs, including Carlo Mirachi of Blanca and Roberta’s, Bryce Shuman of Betony, and Brooks Headley of Del Posto in New York, as well as Restaurant Latour.

See full events agenda here.

Proceeds benefit the James Beard Foundation. Tickets and hotel reservations can be made at www.njwinefoodfest.com  or by calling 855-391-7454.

Cheers,

Veronique

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11 December 2014 New Year’s Eve at Crystal Springs Resort

New Year’s Eve at Crystal Springs Resort

December 11, 2014 By

callout_nyeWe’re still undecided as to what we’ll be doing to ring in the new year but this is quite the party!

Crystal Springs Resort (1 Wild Turkey Way, Hamburg, NJ) rings in 2015 with New Year’s Eve celebrations and prix fixe dinners featuring an extravagant Biosphere Party.

At the Biosphere Party, guests can dance the night away to the sounds of a live DJ in the spectacular tropical Biosphere (9pm – 1am, $125). Tickets include two hours of passed hors d’oeuvres, open bar and an ice bar serving specialty cocktails. Watch the ball drop on the giant screen and toast the New Year with champagne at midnight.

Crystal Tavern offers a five-course tasting menu from Crystal Spring Executive Chef John Greeley for $190 plus tax and gratuity including a slow-cooked Short Rib and a luxurious surf and turf “Land and Sea” entrée with char-grilled filet mignon and butter-poached Maine lobster with truffle potato gratin. Seatings available at 5pm and 5:30pm. Dinner at Crystal Tavern includes admission to the Biosphere Party. The full menu is below.

Restaurant Latour will serve a nine-course early dinner with seatings from 5pm-6pm. $195, $290 with wine pairing (tax & gratuity additional).

On New Year’s Day, brunch will be served in the Emerald Ballroom from 10:30am – 3pm. $34.95, ages 4 – 11 $18, 3 & under free.

More details in Crystal Springs’ New Year’s Eve celebrations:  http://www.crystalgolfresort.com/dine/holidays/new-years-eve/

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: Food & Wine Events Tagged With: ,
23 May 2014 New Executive Chef John Greeley at Crystal Springs Resort‏

New Executive Chef John Greeley at Crystal Springs Resort‏

May 23, 2014 By

 

Chef John Greeley Photo credits: CSR

Chef John Greeley
Photo credits: CSR

Crystal Springs Resort welcomes John Greeley as its new Executive Chef. Greeley joins Crystal Springs from the famed ‘21’ in New York City, where he ran all the restaurant’s dining operations. In his new position, Greeley oversees all the resort’s restaurants, including Crystal Tavern, Springs Bistro and the seasonal outdoor Chef’s Garden restaurant (which opens for the season on Memorial Day).

Greeley grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey in a large extended family with a strong food culture. Trained as an artist with a BFA in Painting and Sculpture, he brings an artistic touch to his local, seasonal cooking. While studying for his art degree in Savannah, Georgia, he became versed in Southern cooking and low-country cuisine in the kitchen of Gerry Klaskala’s 45 South. After graduating, he returned to New York and began working at New York’s legendary ‘21’ under chef Michael Lomonaco. In his 12 years at ’21,’ John rose through the ranks and, in 2007, was named Executive Chef. During his tenure there, he revitalized the menu to much acclaim.

For the seasonal re-opening of the outdoor Chef’s Garden this Memorial Day weekend, Greeley is creating an all new, Southern-inflected menu that highlights the wood-fired grills and smokers in the restaurant. (There is no gas in the outdoor kitchen – only open flame cooking on grills, spits, smokers and in a wood-fired oven.)  The Chef’s Garden operates seasonally from Memorial Day until late September.

Crystal Springs Resort – One Wild Turkey Way, Hamburg NJ.

Cheers,

Veronique

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3 May 2014 Restaurant Latour Launches Sunday Brunch

Restaurant Latour Launches Sunday Brunch

May 3, 2014 By
Photo Credit Geoff Mottram

Photo Credit Geoff Mottram

For the first time in the restaurant’s history, Restaurant Latour at Crystal Springs Resort (One Wild Turkey Way, Hamburg NJ) is offering Sunday brunch (11am – 3pm). 

Jean Paul Lourdes, the new Chef de Latour, has created a lavish multi-course brunch featuring a abundance of baked goods, brunch and savory dishes, organic coffee brewed to order and fresh juices.

The meal begins with a parade of freshly-baked pastries like pistachio madeleines and aged cheddar scones that are served in a progression during the meal for the table. The pastries are served alongside various breads and housemade preserves and spreads. Non-alcoholic beverages are included in the price of the brunch.

The menu is composed of small and large dishes and guests can choose between the Petite Tasting ($55 for any two plates from a selection of small and large dishes) or the Grand Tasting ($75 for any three dishes). The small dishes feature grains and fruits like the Sicilian blood oranges with saffron and the quinoa with victorian pineapple and poppy seeds. The large dishes feature organic scrambled eggs with Scottish smoked salmon, a dungeness crab omelet with peas and brie, a Swedish sandwich with slices of roast pork with fennel and harissa and a 45-day dry-aged New York Strip Steak with creamed spinach.

Chef Jean Paul Lourdes

Chef Jean Paul Lourdes

Chef Lourdes offers freshly-made juices, squeezed to order, and housemade sodas with flavors like bing cherry and yuzu or wild ginger and Meyer lemon. There is also a special selection of champagne by the glass, including Krug Grand Cuvee and Ruinart Brut Rose, as well as brunch cocktails such as a Bloody Mary or Mojito, can be enjoyed as well (alcoholic beverages are additional).

Reservations for brunch can be made by calling 973-827-5996 ext. 3.

I had an opportunity to sample the menu a few weeks back as it was being created and pampered is how guests will feel with the whole experience.

Cheers,

Veronique

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18 March 2014 Restaurant Latour’s New Chef – Jean Paul Lourdes

Restaurant Latour’s New Chef – Jean Paul Lourdes

March 18, 2014 By
Chef Jean Paul Lourdes

Chef Jean Paul Lourdes

Crystal Springs Resort’s Restaurant Latour has a new chef – Jean Paul Lourdes. Chef Lourdes has broad kitchen experience having cooked in some of the world’s finest kitchens. A New Zealand native, Lourdes was carefully recruited to create a menu featuring food that will complement the wines of Latour’s award-winning cellar.

Having worked at Pierre Gagnaire’s Michelin 3-star restaurant in Paris, Maison Pic in Paris, Joël Robuchon in Tokyo, Tetsuya in Sydney, several Shangri-La Hotels, Nihonryori-Ryugin in Tokyo and having done recipe development at Buddakan and Morimoto, Lourdes’ global experience changes the vibe at Restaurant Latour.

Chef Lourdes has created two tasting menus, a protein-focused “Grazing” and a vegetarian “Farmer’s Feast”, both available as five and seven course options, with or without wine pairings.

Chef Lourdes inspects every ingredient that is sourced daily and creates the day’s menu based on the freshest finds. 

Here is the March Restaurant Latour menu:

alliums / argan oil / barrel aged maple

borage / bonito / black garlic / celeriac

chanterelle / cinnamon / chrysanthemum

cultured cream / dandelion / duck

egyptian chamomile / emerald

earl grey tea / finger lime / fuchsia grapefruit / green-onion / horseradish honey comb / kinome / lavender

licorice / local milk / meyer lemon mushrooms / mexican tarragon

nasturtiums / olive / olive oil

organic hay / penny royal / pepper

pok pok vinegar / radish /root beer

rose apple / russian banana / salsify

succulents / sough dough / scallop

sea bream / salted butter / sheep’s milk

truffle / walnut / whey / yuzu

Restaurant Latour is located at 3 Wild Turkey Road in Hamburg, NJ.  For reservations, classes and more information call 973-827-5996 ext. 3 or visit http://crystalgolfresort.com

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: Culinary Travel Tales, Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: , ,
5 February 2014 New Jersey Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort

New Jersey Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort

February 5, 2014 By
Photo Credit - Crystal Springs Resort

Photo Credit – Crystal Springs Resort

Tickets are now available for the New Jersey Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort being held from March 28th through March 30th. New York acclaimed and James Beard Award winning chef David Bouley is this year’s Guest of Honor.

The three-day event is a celebration of the world’s best wines and renowned local and national chefs, benefiting the James Beard Foundation. The weekend’s events (see full list below) are designed to allow food and wine lovers to meet and mingle with chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and fellow wine aficionados.

Tickets are now available at http://www.njwinefoodfest.com

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10 November 2013 Champagne Weekend at Crystal Springs Resort 12/7 – 12/8‏

Champagne Weekend at Crystal Springs Resort 12/7 – 12/8‏

November 10, 2013 By

Champagne CorksCrystal Springs Resort always features amazing wine events and I just have to share what’s coming up in a couple weeks – a Champagne weekend! Here’s what’s going on:

Home to the largest and deepest champagne collection in New Jersey, Crystal Springs Resort (1 Wild Turkey Way, Hamburg, NJ) will celebrate the holiday season with a Champagne Weekend December 7-8, offering a Champagne Tasting Seminar just in time for the festive year-end celebrations and a lavish Vintage Champagne Dinner.

Vintage Champagne Dinner will take place at Crystal Springs’ award-winning Wine Cellar on Saturday Dec. 7 at 6:30pm with Guest Sommelier Laura Maniec, Master Sommelier (the youngest in the world to earn the title) and co-founder of New York’s Corkbuzz Wine Studio, who will be on hand to talk about Champagne as well as her experience working a harvest in the region.

Vintage Champagnes are only made in the best years and guests will enjoy six different back Vintage Champagnes, showcasing some of the top vintages of the past three decades, including the coveted 1996, from some of the world best known champagne houses: Dom Perignon, Pol Roger, Perrier-Jouet, Billecart Salmon, Ruinart and more.

At 6:30pm, guests will enjoy a tour of the Wine Cellar, hors d’oeuvres and a glass of 2004 Henri Goutorbe Special Club Champagne. Dinner will follow with a six-course tasting menu designed by Executive Chef Timothy Fischer to pair with the outstanding Champagnes being served – 2002 Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, 2004 Billecart Salmon Reserve Brut, 1997 Perrier-Jouet Fleur de Champagne, 1996 Dom Perignon and 1995 Pol Roger Cuvee Winston Churchill. Dinner is $325 (tax and gratuity additional.

On Sunday Dec. 8, a Champagne Tasting Seminar will take place 2:30-4:30pm. Crystal Springs Sommeliers Susanne Lerescu and Jon Hartlage will guide guests through a tasting of six champagnes representing various styles and types of the wine, from Brut and Extra Brut to Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs to Rose and Demi-Sec, providing a comprehensive overview from the driest to less so, from aperitif to dinner to dessert-friendly. Tickets are $40.

Here are the food and wine pairings for the Vintage Champagne Dinner:

Reception – 2004 Henri Goutorbe Special Club

Oysters

Shooting Point Oysters, Champagne Glazed, Trio of Caviar

2002 Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, Brut

Fish

Beet Cured Arctic Char, Pickled Fennel, Micro Radish Salad, Prosecco Vinaigrette

2004 Billecart Salmon Reserve, Brut

Rabbit

Golden Nugget Wrapped Rabbit Loin, Parsnip Purée, Brussels Sprout Leaves, Cranberry Gastrique

1997 Perrier-Jouёt Fleur de Champagne, Rosé

Intermezzo

Kir Royal Sorbet, Chardonnay Pearls

Veal

Veal Tenderloin, Fall Squash Raviolo, Braised Cheeks, Crones, Red Dragon Carrot Essence

1996 Moёt & Chandon Dom Perignon

Sweet

Trio of Pear, Financier, Terrine, Semifredo

1995 Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill

Reservations can be made by calling 877-292-9045 extension 3.

Crystal Springs Resort – 1 Wild Turkey Way, Hamburg, NJ.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: Culinary Travel Tales Tagged With: ,

5-Course Highlands Menu at Restaurant Latour in Northern NJ

May 14, 2010 By

Wanted to share this amazing value from Wine Spectator Grand Award Winner, Restaurant Latour at Crystal Springs:

New! 5-Course Highlands Menu Paired With Wine

Local Farmed John Dory Vermicelli
Nature Valley Swiss Chard, Root Vegetable Saffron Sauce
Union Home Chardonnay, Unionville, New Jersey, 2008

Vernon Valley Suckled Grass Fed Veal
Appaloosa Bean And Black Dirt Onion Cassoulet

Plaid Piper Farm Smoked Chicken Dumplings
Crystal Springs Tomato Fondue, Parmesan Broth, Basil Oil
Cam Jam #1, Pinot Noir & Chambercin, Unionville, New Jersey, 2008

Bobolink Farm Aged Cheddar
Rosemary Poached Winter Fruits
Port, Vat #15, Unionville, New Jersey, NV

Pan Fried Tomkins Apples
Nutmeg Ice Cream, Cinnamon Tuile
Vat #15 Port Wine Sabayon

$85 Per Person*
Reservations Required ~ 973.827.5996, Ext. 3

Chef de Cuisine ~ John Benjamin
Sommelier ~ Susanne Lerescu

*Prices Do Not Include Applicable Tax & Gratuity. Member discounts do not apply.
Restaurant Latour ~ One Wild Turkey Way, Hardyston, NJ 07419 ~ 973.827.5996, Ext. 3

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26 April 2010 New Jersey Food & Wine Festival at Crystal Springs Resort

New Jersey Food & Wine Festival at Crystal Springs Resort

April 26, 2010 By
Crystal Springs Wine

Crystal Springs Wine

Gorgeous Crystal Springs Resort is hosting the New jersey Food and Wine Festival this coming weekend and I wanted to share some information about the event in case you’ve yet to purchase you tickets.  Beyond the info below highlighting the amazing events taking place at the resort, here are details about a really cool raffle for 10 prizes valued at more than $30,000 including luxury box seats to a New Jersey Devils game for 16-20 ppl, trip to Dana Estates Winery in California, Wine Dinners, and very rare collections of wine (1 case is valued at $14,000!!) The Tickets are $35 and 100% of the proceeds will be benefiting Share Our Strength.   Anyone can buy a ticket at the Crystal Springs Clubhouse at Grand Cascades Lodge regardless of if they are attending the event and they don’t need to be present to win.

New Jersey Food & Wine Festival at Crystal Springs Resort

April 30 – May 2, 2010

Hardyston, NJ – The second annual New Jersey Food & Wine Festival at Crystal Springs Resort April 30 – May 2, 2010 is a celebration of the world’s best wines and top local chefs from New Jersey and New York.  Held at New Jersey’s only year-round resort, Crystal Springs, the weekend’s events are designed to allow connoisseurs to meet and mingle with chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and fellow wine aficionados.  The events will include a grand tasting, guest chef wine dinner in Restaurant Latour, exclusive wine cellar dinners with vertical wine pairings, seminars with winemakers and chefs, top chef golf tournament, and charity raffle for ten prizes valued at $30,000+.  A portion of festival proceeds will be donated to Share Our Strength, the leading national nonprofit organization working to end childhood hunger in the United States.

The festival begins on Friday April 30 with the Grand Dinner and Wine Auction, featuring a five course dinner served by five top chefs from New Jersey and New York (7:30pm, $125).  Courses will be created by Craig Hopson (Le Cirque), James Laird (Serenade), David Felton (Ninety Acres), Michael Weisshaupt (Restaurant Latour) and Nancy Olson (Gramercy Tavern).  In the wine cellar, an intimate dinner will be held featuring six oenotheque and library vintages of Dom Perignon champagne paired with a six-course dinner by Chef Paul Liebrandt of New York City’s acclaimed Corton.  Wines including rare vintages such as 1975 and a preview of as-yet-not-released Oenotheque Rose 1990, the first mature vintage rose released by Dom Perignon – not available in the US until May. Also poured: Dom Pérignon Oenothèque 1993, Rose 1998, 2000 and the sold-out stellar 1996 vintage (7:30pm, $350, limited to 26 guests).

On Saturday May 1, the Celebrity Chef and Winemaker Golf Tournament will take place on Crystal Springs’ award-winning Wild Turkey Golf Course.  Featuring celebrity chefs and winemakers, the tournament will be played over 18 holes from 8:30am to 1:30pm.  Breakfast will be served at 8am and then players tee off at 8:30am.  Participants will also enjoy a different local craft beer on every hole..  Awards ceremony and lunch will follow in the Rotunda ($200, inclusive of all of the above, as well as VIP admission to the Grand Tasting event same day at 6pm).

Also on Saturday, additional events such as wine tasting seminars and a chef demo will take place.  Wines of Australia (11am, $40) will be hosted by Matthew Lane of Penfolds and Lail Vineyards founder Robin Lail will lead a guided tasting of her wines (3pm, $35).  Other events include a Chocolate and Wine Pairing Seminar (2pm, $35) with Brad Addis of MUST Chocolate pairing with Newton Vineyards, Fonseca Port Tasting (4:30pm, $40), as well as the truly unique Top Bordeaux vs. Cult California Wines Sommelier Taste Off (3pm, $135, limited to 20 guests) featuring a sommelier-led blind tasting of French and California wines, some of which have scored 100 points from Wine Spectator and many of which are rare and otherwise impossible to taste.  More than $60,000 worth of wines from the Resort’s cellar will be tasted during this event. Participating sommeliers include Belinda Chang of The Modern, Josh Nadel of Locanda Verde, Brooke Sabel of Ninety Acres and Christopher Cree M.W. of 56 Degree Wine.

The festival’s largest event, The Grand Tasting ($125) on Saturday May 1 from 7pm to 10pm (6pm early VIP preview), features more than thirty wineries and top chefs from New Jersey and New York.  The tasting showcases all the wineries and champagne houses participating in the festival, including Dom Perignon, Cakebread, Chateau Cheval Blanc, Hess, Chateau Montelena, Livio Felluga, Krug, Showket Vineyards, Chateau d’Yquem, Antinori, Chateau de Sancerre, Sassicaia and Veuve Clicquot, among others.  Participating restaurants include Lorena’s, Copeland, Pluckemin Inn, Zylo, Boulevard Five 72, A Toute Heure, The Orange Squirrel, Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern, Tocqueville and Restaurant Latour.  The thirty-two piece David Aaron Orchestra will play live during the tasting and renowned author and culinary historian Arthur Schwartz will be signing copies of his new book. The winners will of the high-end charity raffle will be drawn at this event, although winners do not need to be present to win.

The same evening Saturday May 1, New York City’s Maialino Chef Nick Anderer will pair a five-course menu with rare library vintages from Sassicaia going back to 1980s. Sassicaia winemaker Sebastiano Rossa will co-host this extraordinary dinner (6pm Grand Tasting Preview, 7pm dinner, $400, limited to 26 guests).

On Sunday May 2, guests can enjoy a Champagne Brunch at the four-star Restaurant Latour (11am-2pm, $50), with top champagne houses such asDom Perignon and Moet & Chandon pouring four different kinds of bubbly.  In the afternoon, wine seminars will be held featuring the wines of Hess andChateau Montelena ($35 each, $60 for both).

More information, a full schedule of events, tickets and packages are available on the website at www.njfoodandwinefestival.com.  Resort reservations can be made by calling 973-827-5996 ext 3.

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About Crystal Springs Resort

Crystal Springs Resort, located in Vernon and Hardyston, New Jersey, is an upscale four-season leisure and residential resort, including the newly opened Grand Cascades Lodge and sister property Minerals Hotel. Crystal Springs Resort combines luxury accommodations, natural mountain beauty, and a wide array amenities including: seven renowned golf courses; four-star Restaurant Latour; Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine cellar (more than 78,000 bottles to date); two full-service spas ranked in the top 30 spas in America; the state-of-the-art Minerals Sports Club; multiple indoor and outdoor pools, including the distinctive Biosphere Pool Complex with an underground aquarium, tropical foliage and free form nature pools; and a plethora of sophisticated venues for meetings, weddings and catered events. More information: www.crystalgolfresort.com.

About Share Our Strength

Share Our Strength® is the leading national organization working to end childhood hunger in America. We weave together a net of community groups, activists and food programs to catch every at-risk child and make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. Visit www.strength.org and learn more about our goal of ending childhood hunger in America by 2015.

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