Death by Lobster

Four Seasons Hotel, Atlanta
Tasted Saturday, February 21, 2015 by MikeATL with 643 views

Introduction

The Atlanta Vieille Vignes held its fourth annual Death by Lobster event Saturday night at the Four Seasons in Atlanta, though it was the first I've made it to. Robert Gerstenecker, the extremely talented chef at the hotel's Park 75 restaurant, delivered a fantastic menu up to his usual standards. I didn't take detailed notes, but did jot down my impressions of a number of the wines we enjoyed that night. Most of the wines are from my table, but a few of the notes are for bottles generously shared by some of the other tables. It was a terrific evening at which the people, food, and wine were all top-notch, and I'm looking forward to next year's installment.

Flight 1 - Hors d'oeuvres and First Course - Langoustine Crudo, Yuzu Compressed Watermelon Relish, Caviar, Mache, Avocado Cream (3 Notes)

While hors d'oeuvres of Lobster Corn Dog with Spicy Mustard, Lobster Cappuccino, Lobster Salad in push pop, and Lobster Aranchini were passed, we started with a couple of Champagnes that I didn't take notes on. We then moved on to the first course. I thought the Alzinger was the better pairing with the crudo, though others at the table preferred the Chablis.

Flight 2 - Second Course - Lobster Flan with Sea Urchin and White Wine Chive Cream sauce (4 Notes)

Chef Robert served the dish in sea urchin shells that had been cut in half, which made for an attractive presentation for this incredibly rich dish that was balanced by the salinity of the lobster and uni. The Cowan from the previous flight, which I ended up trying with almost all of the flights, probably showed its best with this dish. The Rhys was shared by someone from another table, which made me very happy.

Flight 3 - Third Course - Squid Ink Risotto with Lobster Claw and Parmesan Cheese Foam (4 Notes)

Probably my favorite dish of the night, complex, hearty, and the risotto was cooked perfectly.

Flight 4 - Fourth Course - Lobster and Foie Gras Duo with Crushed Sun Choke, Chinese XO Sauce, Preserved Black Bean, Braised Leek (5 Notes)

Another winning dish, with a thick slice of well-seared foie gras on top of half of a lobster tail. The foie gras added both crunch and richness to the lobster, while the XO sauce united the flavors of the lobster and liver. The Schlumberger's sweetness made for a great pairing, and I mainly drank that with the food and paid more attention to the other wines afterward. The Schlumberger was the only wine from my table listed for this flight, while the others were all shared by other tables. Thanks in particular to Don Cornutt for sharing the Maison Ilan.

Flight 5 - Fifth Course - Strawberry Creameux Lobster, with Mint Caviar "Roe", and Vanilla Bean-Sweet Butter Sauce (3 Notes)

No actual lobster here, but instead the dessert was laid out in a stylized lobster shape.

Closing

There were a number of other wines that I tasted and enjoyed, but for which I didn't take notes and thus don't recall them clearly enough to memorialize my impressions. While there were a number of highly-regarded wines that I didn't find particularly impressive, I'm thankful for the generosity of those who are willing to share them and appreciate the opportunity to experience them first-hand.

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