Hello Moto - Part 3, The Wines

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Happy Friday! It's official; we made it to the weekend. Breathe a sigh of relief in 3...2...1...

Friday might actually be one of my favorite days of the week, even though Saturday involves the most free time. There's so much potential for Fridays.

Especially on a day like today, when I have no plans. After a long and busy week, I'm pretty thrilled to be able to relax, clean my apartment, and watch a movie with my honeyboo. Yes, I said that.

Now that it's been a week since our Moto Excursion (you can read part one, about the general experience, here... or read part two, the juicy details on the food, here), I'm finally ready to share the rest of the info. Writing about bridesmaids dress shopping, proposing to my bridesmaids, and working out apparently took precedence over wine.  What. A. Travesty.

Let me just start by saying... yum. Most of the wine selections were perfectly paired with the food, so we were thoroughly enjoying them.

EMANUELE SCAMMACCA DEL MURGO, SANTA VENERIA, ITALY, BRUT ROSE, 2009

We started with a yummy rose champagne. I typically am not into roses, but it was actually much less sweet than I expected. Thumbs up.

FORLORN HOPE, QUE SAUDADE, VERDELHO, CALIFORNIA, USA, 2011

The next wine was a white wine from California. My favorite thing about this wine was the story behind the name. Apparently, a forlorn hope is "a band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the leading part in a military operation, such as an assault on a defended position, where the risk of casualties is high." Apparently, this vineyard in California tends to go against the grain and grow grapes that most people think are not suited to the region. People told them they were crazy and that the risk for error was high. Hence the title "Forlorn Hope."

That said, the wine, itself, was... decent. Not mind blowing. I'm a sucker for marketing, though, so the story tugged at my heart strings a bit.

DOMAINE GUIBERTEAU, CLOS DE GUICHAUX, CHENIN BLANC, SAUMUR, FRANCE 2008

This was a drier wine that was pretty tasty. Other than that, I don't remember much. Except that I liked it a bit more than Forlorn Hope.

DOMENICO CLERICO, PAJANA, BAROLO, ITALY 2008

Justin and I tend to prefer red wines to whites, so we were excited when the pairings shifted into the darker realm. We kicked off the reds with this wine, which I continued to affectionately refer to as "The Pajamas." Justin really enjoyed it, and kept comparing the other reds to it, so I started asking, "Babe, do you like this one as much as your pajamas?"

This sh*t is PAJAMAS! P-A-J-A-M-A-S! Yeah, this just went from a classy wine post to a trashy parody of Gwen Stefani. I'll move on now.

For some reason, between the pajamas and the next wine (which was my favorite), I stopped taking pictures. Or maybe I took some but I lost them. Either way, my bad. Here's what we tried:

AVELEDA, FOLLIES, TOURINGA NACIONAL/CABERNET SAUVIGNON, BEIRAS, PORTUGAL, 2010

and
BEATRICE ET PASCAL LAMBERT, LES TERRASSES, CHINON, FRANCE 2011

SPRING VALLEY VINEYARD, URIAH, MERLOT/CABERNET FRANC/PETITE VERDOT/MALBEC, WALLA WALLA, USA, 2009

Now, how about this blurry wine picture? Starting to wonder if this was my favorite because it was delicious, or if we were just deep enough in wine that everything was amazing. Either way, I loved it. The bottle featured a picture of Uriah, who is the patriarch of the family that owns the vineyard.

BARRA OF MENDOCINO, BELLA DOLCE, PETITE SIRAH, MENDOCINO, CALIFORNIA, 2008

The final glass of wine was a perfect example of why sommeliers are geniuses. It was a petite sirah, and came in a tiny little glass. When we first sipped it, we both looked at each other with an odd look. It was so sweet. Like, thick and syrupy. Then, they brought our dessert - red velvet cake pieces that burst in your mouth into a sweet, drippy amazingness. And then, when we sipped our wine again, there was more eye contact. Oh. Now I get it. The wine was suddenly delicious and even extended the flavors of the dessert - a perfect pairing.

Hello Moto - Part 2, The Food

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Hello Moto Part 1, The Overall Experience
Hello Moto Part 2, The Food - You're reading it!
Hello Moto Part 3, The Wine

When we arrived at Moto, instead of being handed a menu of what we had to look forward to, we were handed a tasting. Literally, they told us, we were about to "Taste our Tasting Menu." It was just one very small bite that was somehow inspired by the dish it represented.

Included: 9 little bites, each foreshadowing meals to come. 



First Course
The first real course was called "LOVE PINCH." The dish consisted of some aerated butter, spices and micro greens, lobster claw and pincher. Lobster is typically a very rich, buttery flavored meat, so the aerated butter underneath it brought this flavor out even more. The lobster pieces were tender and perfectly chewy.



Second Course
The second course was called "ALLIUM 2.0." I was excited from the mention of the name, because the name Allium is special to me (I've been writing a Young Adult book for a year and Allium is a character's name, hint hint). The dish did not disappoint. It consisted of many onion flavors - including the Allium plant, an onion chip, and even onion ice cream - as well as some delicious meat in the center, which I believe was rabbit sausage, but I could be wrong.

I am a huge onion fan, so this dish really hit at my 'sweet' spot, as far as flavor profiles go. It also had an interesting mixture of not only textures but also temperatures, from the warm Allium root to the cold onion ice cream.



Third Course
The third course was called "RIVER," and it was a delicious and creative three-part course. They came to our table with a long, rectangular glass container that looked to be filled with smoke. Inside the container were bite size pieces of fish that were sitting on rocks (smoked sturgeon, salmon, and trout). The container was covered in some kind of plastic wrap, to keep the smoke in, and they left it like that on our table for a few minutes.

Finally, the server returned and removed the plastic wrap, explaining that they had smoked our fish pieces table-side.



They also brought some Iranian Caviar on ice. I was pretty excited about this, because I enjoy caviar as a way to compliment savory dishes.



They also brought us each a plate covered in a miniature "everything" bagel crisp with cream cheese, a miniature house-made saltine, and a chive and potato flavored macaroon. The idea was that you combine one bagel/crisp/macaroon with one piece of fish (there were 3 pieces for each of us) and top it off with a bit of caviar.

This one was my favorite - the bagel crip, a bit of cream cheese, the light colored fish that tasted the most smokey, and caviar. The macaroon was also sinfully delicious (and the texture was just perfectly moist), but I think I enjoyed the fish I paired with the bagel more than the fish I paired with my macaroon.




By the time we finished this course, we were pretty darn happy. Some good food in our bellies, and a wine pairing by Moto's Sommelier, to boot - more on that tomorrow, though, because it deserves its own post.



Fourth Course
The fourth course was called "DUCK A L'ORANGE." It featured an aromatic element, which I loved. We were each given what looked like a large jar (it reminded me of a terrarium), with a wooden top.



First, here's a peek at what's inside the jar. The minute our server took the top off, I was greeted with warm, spicy aromas that combined citrus smells with garlic and sage. But, it wasn't just for smelling - the clementine was hollowed out, and the Duck a l'Orange sauce was inside. We picked it up and poured it over the food that was on the wooden plank that had been used to top off the jar.





Here's the top of the jar, before I poured the sauce on top. It features small, very tender bites of duck, some delicious white sauce (I think it's a puree of some kind of vegetable, but I can't remember), a small, soft carrot, and a potato and thyme cylinder.



Fifth Course
The fifth course was called "OAK TREE," and it was also a course that had an aromatic feature. The server brought out a very large piece of Oak wood, topped with pine cones and large cinnamon sticks.



Using a torch, he fired the wood, cinnamon, and pine cones for about 60 seconds. This became an aromatic experience, I kid you not. I was suddenly having flashbacks to sitting in the sauna my Uncle Brian built for my Grandma and Grandpa in Wisconsin. The hot, warm smell was perfect.



This was accompanied by a few delicious meat bites. I can't for the life of me remember exactly what it was... but I believe the very dark meat was Wild Boar, and it was so tender and juicy and delicious. To its left is Pork Belly, and to the left of that is some kind of pig topped with a house made onion ring.



Sixth Course
The sixth course was called "BEEF AND CAULIFLOWER." It contained three very tender bits of meat with a savory sauce, broccoli and cauliflower puree, and a cauliflower chip in the center. The chip was delicious, though very salty. The meat was also very good, and I enjoyed dipping it in the broccoli puree.

Seventh Course
The seventh course was called "MENAGE A FOIE." It was a three part tour of Foie Gras, hence its name. It included a foie gras mousse, which was stuffed with some delicious dark berry jam, and sat atop a house made ritz cracker. This was, by far, my favorite part of this dish (it's the piece on the right). It was like eating a rich ham, cheese, and berry sandwich - I know that doesn't do it justice, but that's how it tasted. The combination of textures, between mousse, jam, and cracker - was incredible. The rest of this dish, however, I could take or leave. Foie Gras has to be delicious for me to stomach it, because the concept of it is just so darn gross, so only that first piece was really worth it for me.



Eighth Course
The eighth course was called "GREMOLATA." There was a house made lemon crisp on top. On bottom was some kind of lemon cream with an herb affect to it. Toasted pine nuts... delish.



Ninth Course
That said, the ninth course was my favorite when it comes to desserts. It was called "RED VELVET," but I think they should have called it "Explosion of Goodness." It was a chocolate heart with dried, crispy Passion Fruit, some cream, and some delicious red velvet balls. When you cut into those red balls with your fork, they popped, and delicious red velvet flavors slowly trickled out. It was utterly delicious.



And I should mention that my fiance also loved it. He inhaled his plate within what seemed like 30 seconds. Seriously, it was like he was done before I was even finished taking pictures.



All in all, it was an absolutely delicious meal. My favorites, if I was forced to choose, were LOVE PINCH, RIVER, and RED VELVET.

I can't wait to share the wine with you!

P.S. Looking for my Yelp review? Find it here (and then follow me!).

Hello Moto... Part 1

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Hello Moto Part 1, The Overall Experience
Hello Moto Part 2, The Food - You're reading it!
Hello Moto Part 3, The Wine 

I've been intrigued by Moto for about a year and a half now, and when my fiance sneakily (and far in advance, what a good man) booked us there for Valentine's Day, I was happy ecstatic.

After last night, I've got so many things to say about this place... so, to spare you a total brain (and photo) dump, I'll break it up.

First... the overall experience.




I worked from home yesterday, so public transportation time didn't get its normal chance to cut into my day (I'm really needlessly complaining -- it usually takes me 15 to 20 minutes). That meant I could hop in the shower earlier and let my hair air dry before curling it a bit.

By 6:30 or 7:00, I was prepped and ready. I'm wearing a cowl neck dress that I don't particularly love, but it was my fiance's favorite, and after all, it was Valentine's Day, so I wore the darn thing. I'm also wearing the shoes I wore for my Engagement Pics and toting my new Sam Edelman bag (Oh my gosh, you can fit so many things in there!).




Before we left, we snapped this pic in our huge, 7+foot tall Uber Mirror. Actually, we took 3, but this was the only decent one in which my fiance's eyes aren't closed.



When we arrived, we thought we were early. Our reservation was for 7:30 and it was about 7:10 (my fiance thought it would take longer to catch a cab, I guess). To our delight, Moto had us down for 7:00, so we were seated immediately.

Our table was in view of these chefs, who were hard at work plating our "tasting menu." They were using piping bags, scientific looking tweezers, etc. Seriously, it looked like they were doing food surgery over there.
  
A few minutes after we sat, after we'd had just the right amount of time to look around, the server arrived with the "tasting menu." Instead of giving you a real menu, they give you a small bite that is meant to tease you for the taste to come. These aren't just a smaller version of the larger plates - they're actually a bit different than what we would later taste. It was very exciting to get a taste of what was to come.

I absolutely loved what tasted like a carmelized onion jam. Onion is one of my favorite flavors, and this bite really brought it out. There was also a Cauliflower Panna Cotta, which my fiance thought tasted like sea food, but I thought was pretty delish.



After we tasted the tasting menu (ha), the wine director brought out our wine tasting menu. The sommelier at Moto put together this list of wines to accompany the courses.



I'm not going to go into all the details yet -- because the wines, themselves, deserve a post of their own. Which they will get. Trust me.

Buttt, I will tell you that we started out with some yummy pink champagne, and it was the perfect toast to start the night.



The restaurant really does go with their "sciencey" food theme. Check out the wall to my left - complete with tiles that are science inspired, test tubes and various items that look as though they belong in a laboratory.

Let's just say that food was had, drinks were ... drank? drunk?

And the night closed with a perfect, heart-shaped dessert (trust me, there were 3 desserts, this one was the best... more to come on that).



SOMEBODY devoured it :)

Don't worry, a real, picture-laden run-down of the food and wine is on its way to you soon!

Happy Valentine's Day & Gentle Bath Company Giveaway Winner!

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Happy Valentines Day to one and all! I am a sucker for any excuse to celebrate anything (seriously, I threw a Speakeasy Party just because I wanted to liven up this year's Chicago winter), so Valentine's Day is, as usual, an exciting day for Carly.

First, it's exciting because I have amazing plans for the night. A few months ago, my fiance made a prime time reservation at Moto. Let's just say that I can't wait to add my Yelp review to that list, because I'm convinced it's going to be a night to remember. I'm even planning to bring my camera. Yep, I'll be that dork with a DLSR at dinner. But really, dinner at Moto practically begs to be photographed.

Image Credit

An edible menu?! Image Credit

Food that looks like a cigar?! Image Credit

There are a bunch of more interesting images here, but you get the idea. It's pretty much a food blogger's dream, so... consider yourself warned that I will be hyped and posting all about it.


Second, today is exciting because we have our Save The Dates and Engagement Party invites back from the printer! I'm extremely picky when it comes to design and announcements, etc, so I designed both the Save The Date we'll be sending out as well as the invite for the Engagement Party my parents are throwing next month for the bridal party, family, and some local guests. I used some of the engagement shots taken by Daniel Peter and then went from there. Some pictures of those announcements/invites coming soon! Can't wait to share my custom monogram. Don't roll your eyes.


Third, today is exciting because it's a big sale day. Companies always go out of their way to roll out the Valentine's carpet and offer good deals. Perhaps it's because people are either in a wonderful mood (buy stuff) or a horrible mood (buy even more stuff). Here are a few sales I'm keeping my eye on:

• GNC is offering 25% off their entire online shop if you use the code IHEARTGNC
• Juicy Couture is offering 30% off track and handbags (View the items on sale here)
• World Market is offering 25% off bubbly and vino for members (if you're not a member, it's easy to join, you can do it in the store)
• J Crew is offering 30% off all final sale items with the coupon code STYLE30 (I don't think this discount is exclusive to today's holiday by the way)

Fourth, today is exciting because I'm announcing the winner of the Gentle Bath Company Giveaway! I'm very thrilled to announce that the winner is...

TIFFANY A.

I used random number generator to choose a winner based on the comments that were left. Tiffany, because you did not use a google or blogger account to leave your comment, I do not have an email address for you to shoot you a note letting you know you've won -- so I'll give you until Monday to email me at carly@createliveblog.com and claim your prize! On Monday, if I've not heard from you, I'll have to re-draw! Don't make me...