Recently we attended a library dinner crawl event at the Arizona Strongholds tasting room in Cottonwood.
Her View
The library dinner started at Little Moos café. We had Crostini with pastrami and provolone with a drop of mustard and one with soppressata salami, provolone and mustard and they paired it with the 2014 Buhl Memorial Petite Syrah. When we first got there it was not very crowded but folks really started to roll in about five minutes after we got there. We did not know this about Little Moo’s but they have a nice coffee bar and a gourmet deli in the very back. Everyone began to gather in the deli area and it was getting very cozy so we moved around a bit. Thankfully we ended up at the front of the serving area and were able to get wine and our appetizer very quickly. We were able to move out of the way and allow others to filter in. We wandered around the little store, wine and appetizer in hand, and found some very cute items, a lot of wine related stuff. This is a true foodie’s dream store. They have lots of options you would not normally find anywhere else. Derek was able to find a really nice bitters for his Manhattans and it was reasonably priced at just under $10. A cheap bitters is around seven or eight depending on where you purchase it. Side note, they were doing a chocolate walk as well at the same time and as we were wondering, hoards of folks came in. It got real warm and I decided to step outside until we were ready to move onto the next phase of food. As we were standing outside we struck up conversation with another nice couple from Buckeye and we chatted about this being their first time as well. We finished up our wine just as they were stepping out to move onto R.I.O.T. Good thing because apparently that had just announced that you cannot walk with your wine.
We had a bit of jaunt to RIOT, not too far, but it was up a little hill. Most of the older folks slowed down or had to take a seat. Our wonderful Sedona had on these gorgeous heels that were pretty and sparkly…and I thought they would slow her down. NOPE! She can move in those puppies. As we get to RIOT, we take a seat and see that they are offering LEEK Soup. In the past I have not been a huge fan of leek soup and I was instantly, ehhh, I will try it, but I will also need a glass of the next wine. They were offering 2015 Buhl Memorial Vineyard Mourvedre this time and it was nice too, a little lighter but delicious. We had a glass of wine, they brought the soup and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. I ate most of mine. Small serving which is perfect so that you do not fill up too much. The warmth of the soup was nice as well since it was a chilly walk over. Warmed up our bellies, we did a group toast with the owner/manager of RIOT and shortly after that we were on the move again. Derek had to finish my wine because I had too much to finish off before our walk. We kept making a joke that we were wine compliant since our glasses were empty upon departure.
We head over to the Red Rooster for our main course and more wine. Derek and I have been to the Red Rooster on several occasions for breakfast and have always enjoyed our experience. As a matter of fact, we took my mom one time when she came up to Cottonwood with us and more recently we took my brother and sister in law for breakfast. So this was going to be a little bit different of an experience. We walk into the back room which we knew was back there but since they usually have room in the front area we have never ventured that far back. The room had a darker ambiance which is nice for dinner and we sat a table for two off to the side. We had been chatting all night with the same few couples and as nice as that was, I like to keep it mixed up with my mingling. So we settle in and start chatting with the couple at the table next to us, very nice couple closer to our age who were also on their first dinner crawl with AZ Stronghold. Then dinner rolls in, I am already feeling a little full from the soup, but still want to at least taste everything. We had black cherry glazed pork loin with honey glazed baby carrots, roasted potatoes with rosemary & brussel sprouts with balsamic and pine nuts I sampled the food and then passed it on to Derek knowing that the smaller amounts really would not be enough to fill him up and I was already fairly full. The flavors were really good and they offered a 2013 Bayshan to go with it They announce soon after that we will be moving to our final stop at AZ Stronghold for Desert. Once again, Derek has to finish off my wine, since there is too much to finish before we head out.
As we walk into the tasting room, we see everyone headed to the outdoor back area but it is cold and frankly I really did not want to go out, it just seemed like a lot at that point. So we stop at the tasting bar and remind them that we are with the library crawl so they grab some of the 2016 Bruzzi Vineyard that we were to taste with our dessert and we sample it from them. At this point I don’t recall the taste as I was officially on my 4th glass of wine and was getting a bit wasted, ok, I was pretty wasted. We hung out a bit longer chatted and then grabbed boche to go, because we were suddenly exhausted. We ate none of it and went straight to bed.
All in all, the wine was great and the food was well paired. I don’t know that I would do it again, not being a local and having to plan an entire trip to do it. It was an enjoyable time and we love the folks from AZ Stronghold and the other folks we met, but it is hard not being a local to do these types of events. I think we decided we are holding out for the train ride as our next adventure with AZ Stronghold.
I want to think the entire staff for all of the efforts that go into these events and the planning that had to be done. Derek and I always enjoy our time and we want you to know that we always appreciate the work you put into making sure the tasting room is successful along with the events you put on.
— Taunya
His View
Arizona Strongholds Winery holds a special place in my heart. It was the first wine club we joined in Arizona. Their tasting room is in Cottonwood, AZ, which is a little over an hour a way in good traffic, so we don’t get up there as often as we would like. Recently, they hosted a Library Dinner Crawl. Given the name of our blog, I’m sure if you are reading this you probably know what a pub crawl is. 🙂 This particular event was a dinner crawl, that is similar in that you walk between each establishment, and at each you get a course of the dinner, and a wine pairing from their Library (if you are not sure what that is, there is a good article on the subject). For this dinner, they were serving four courses at different Old Town Cottonwood locations and tickets were limited to around 40 people.
Our first stop was at Little Moo’s. We have stopped into Moo’s once or twice, however we had no idea they actually have a little sandwich shop at the back of the market. Here they served us two varieties of crostinis. The first was pastrami and provolone with mustard. The second was sopressata and provolone. They came with a dollop of chocolate cabernet jelly, and a raspberry smoked jelly respectively. Now both appetizers were good, however I must say I preferred the sopressata and the raspberry jelly was phenomenal. Of course, I absolutely love sopressata so I may be a bit biased. The wine pairing was their 2014 Buhl Memorial Petite Sirah. Now, I can’t say I remember this wine when it was on the menu, however I have to say it was a really, really good wine and it paired well with the food. In fact, when I talked to to Sedona (the wine club manager) after finishing the course she had mentioned that they were down to less than a dozen bottles and people were already inquiring. It was that good! The market was pretty crowded, especially since Cottonwood was doing it’s chocolate walk the same night and the store was also a stop. There was also no place to sit, so conversation with other club members was a bit difficult. We eventually stepped outside to wait until we were ready to move to the next stop and ended up chatting with a couple for a few minutes before we left for the next stop.
From there we walked up the street to R.I.O.T. in Old Town. The bar is on the opposite end of Main street from the market, so it was a pretty good walk. It was fairly cold that night, so I was glad to have my beanie since I have no hair. I have only been to R.I.O.T. once before I think, for a late night snack on the way back to our AirBnb. For this stop the chef prepared a potato leek soup with poblano peppers, paired with the 2015 Buhl Memorial Vineyard Mourvèdre. Mourvèdre is normally a blending grape, however more and more Arizona wineries are making varietal wines with it. Personally, I love a well done mourvèdre and the Strongholds one is pretty good. Personally, I think I like the Carlson Creek version a little bit better, but honestly it’s pretty close. As far as the soup, i am not a huge fan of leeks, I kind of find them to be like an onion’s weird cousin that you tolerate, but don’t go out of your way to hang out with. To be fair, the soup was actually pretty good, and I didn’t find the leeks too overpowering. I did find them a bit crisp for my taste, as I would have preferred them to be a bit softer in a soup, but the favors were pretty good overall so it was a thumbs up. At this stop there was plenty of seating, so we were able to have some conversations with the same couple as the first stop, and some members we had not met before.
The next stop was the Old Town Red Rooster Cafe. For the main course, we had a black cherry glazed pork loin, with honey glaze baby carrots, roasted potatoes with Rosemary, brussels sprouts and pine nuts. The pairing was the AZ Strongholds 2013 Bayshan. This wine was both fruity and bold, and was a good pairing choice to the flavorful pork. The cherry glaze was done well, and retained just a hint of sweetness. I’m not a fan of brussels sprouts, so I tried a bite but ultimately avoided them thereafter. I’ll eat the ones Taunya makes, although she does sauté them in button till slightly crispy. The Red Rooster is a breakfast and lunch place, so it was kind of fun to be eating there after dark. Our group completely filled their back room. We sat at a two top, but we were close enough to strike up conversations with the couples to either side of us. We had some nice conversation with one couple, but other seemed less interested it keeping it going. Overall it was a great meal. Side note, we have had breakfast there a few times, and we really like it so please give them a try.
Our last top was the Arizona Stronghold tasting room itself. The final pairing was a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream with goat cheese stuffed pears, topped with honey and hazelnuts, paired with their 2016 Bruzzi Vineyards Vidal Blanc. Since we were at the tasting room, we however chose to pair it with the Lozen…did I mention we don’t drink whites? Actually, I will drink a white on rare occasions, usually if it’s a viognier or similar varietal. We decided to hang out at the tasting room bar instead of joining the rest of the group out in the courtyard. We had a great time talking with a few members and other visitors. After a bit we met a very personable gentleman who’s name was Trick, but the T was silent. Personally I thought that was a hilarious way to introduce yourself. LOL
We finally headed out to the courtyard to join Rick and his companions. Everyone ended up buying a bottle for the table, and we had a great time. Well, almost everyone, one couple did not.
I ended up buying a Lozen and pouring a round for everyone, and they did not have an issue finishing the bottle. He seemed nice enough, she was a bit odd, but overall they didn’t leave me with a good impression. We met some really great people though, and everyone was having a great time; so great in fact we ended up staying until closing time. On the way out, our group of new friends talked about heading to Bocce. We are always down for that, so we headed over there but after a while no one else showed. They must have changed their minds and gone elsewhere (maybe to Nick’s, which is also excellent, but usually has a wait). So we had a Meat Pie, talked some people at the pizza bar, and headed back to the hotel.
— Derek
Conclusion
Stay tuned for our final installment...
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