First Annual Lamb Jam in Seattle - ROCKED!

All you folks that attended the Lamb Jam in Seattle today - was that the most awesome event, or what? Another incredible Fare Start event. The 17 restaurants that were there were all cooking lamb in various ways and every one was soooo delicious. And there were 17 different Washington wineries pouring wine to complement each dish.

My favorite dish was created by Steelhead Diner. The dish was braised lamb shanks with balasamic-mission fig conserva and truffled hominy polenta. This was a dish that was so good I went back for seconds just to make sure it was my favorite. It was. The unfortunate thing was they chose a dry red wine, a 2004 Syrah from McCrea Cellars, Yakima Valley, to pair with this dish. The wine was really good but it DID NOT go with the dish. The dish was sweet so it really needed a sweet wine like a sweet Riesling. I asked one of the chefs serving the dish who picked the wine and he said he did. I told him that the wine he picked didn't go with the dish. How hard is it to pair wine with food? It's not that difficult. Come on! If you don't know what wine goes with your dish then ask someone who does know. Or take a class! Sheesh!

All of the lamb dishes were wonderful. The Barking Frog came through with a concoction that had everyone talking. It was Lamb Loin with coffee and cocoa nib risotto, fall squash crepinette with balsamic glazed onions. The wine that was paired with this dish was the DeLille Cellars Syrah, Yakima Valley. The wine was really nice and I had to go back for a second taste.

My favorite wine of the day was the 2006 Northstar Merlot, Columbia Valley. It was a blend of mostly Merlot and other Bordeaux grapes so it was nicely balanced with lots of fruit flavors.

Some of my other favorite dishes and the paired wines were from these restaurants:

Ponti Seafood Grill - they did a lamb - waterchestnut potsticker with black vinegar - ginger dipping sauce. The wine that was paired with this dish was the 2003 Kiona Vineyards Winery Syrah, Red Mountain.

Andaluca - they served a leg of lamb, Osso Bucco style on a crostini and the wine was the 2007 Camaraderie Cellars Tempranillo, Yakima Valley.

Lola - they did a lamb shoulder with sweetbreads, quince, and suma tagine that was delicious. The wine paired with this dish was the 2006 Spring Valley Vineyard Merlot blend, Walla Walla.

Barolo Ristorante - they did a braised lamb shank with sicilian wine, rosemary, and vegetables. The J. Bookwalter Winery 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from Columbia Valley was a nice match.

We all got to vote for our favorite dish and wine combo. Although I adored the Steelhead Diner dish, and voted for that one, I wish they would've paired a wine that complemented the dish because that dish didn't deserve to be paired with the wrong wine. I even dragged David LeClaire (wine guru in Seattle) over to the Steelhead Diner table and told him to taste the wine with the dish. I told him to tell them that their food and wine pairing sucked.

I can't wait until the second annual Lamb Jam. What a great event!!