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The Adolphus and DallasChocolate.org
PRESENT
Romancing The Adolphus Wine & Chocolate Dinner
February 14, 2012, at the Adolphus in Dallas, TX
featuring
Alan McClure (Patric Chocolate) & Stuart Henry (Ravenswood Winery)
The Adolphus Hotel, Constellation Wines, and DallasChocolate.org have joined together to present the most innovative and educational Valentine’s Day dining event in Dallas. Featuring the products of two young and up-and-coming artisans along with the Adolphus’ award winning chefs and set in the historic splendor of Dallas’ most cherished hotel, the event promises to make a romantic evening even more special.
Chocolate maker Alan McClure (founder of Patric Chocolate) and winemaker Stuart Henry (Director of Winemaking at Ravenswood Winery) have worked with the Adolphus chefs to make sure their products pair well with the eclectic Valentine’s Day menu. Each course of the meal is complemented with a wine paring including Ravenswood Icon (2008) and 2010 Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend Chardonnay. Chocolate from Patric Chocolate will be used in both savory (venison with a chocolate demi) and sweet (Cocoa Nib Chocolate Decadence) dishes. In addition, both Henry and McClure will be on hand to discuss their crafts and explain the efforts they’ve taken to become so well-respected in their fields.
Alan McClure developed an all-consuming passion for chocolate in his mid-twenties after spending a year in France. After tasting the best foods the country had to offer, he returned to Missouri determined to make his own world-class chocolate bars. The process wasn’t easy since at the time American Craft Chocolate was just beginning to be something that could be done by a company smaller than Hershey. But after several years of daily test batches, tastings, study, and mentorship Patric was born!
Since then, McClure has labored to create the finest single-origin, blended, and flavored chocolate bars imaginable. This commitment to excellence garnered Patric Chocolate Good Food Awards in 2011 and 2012 and recognition as a “Best New American Chocolate” by Food & Wine Magazine. One of Patric Chocolate’s newest bars, PBJ OMG, pairs peanut butter along with the naturally occurring citrus notes that come from Madagascar cacao beans.
Since August, 2011, Stuart Henry has led the charge at Ravenswood as Director of Winemaking, working alongside Founding Winemaker Joel Peterson. In this capacity he oversees all aspects of winemaking across Ravenswood’s three-tiered portfolio of (predominantly Zinfandel) wines – including the popular Vintners Blend, County Series and Single Vineyard Designates collections.
Of his Ravenswood Zinfandel immersion, Henry feels that he has finally found his true calling as a winemaker: “Our tremendous vineyard resources – from Sonoma’s cooler coastal regions, to the warmer valleys of Sonoma, Dry Creek and Napa, to Lodi and more – allow us to coax a wide range of terroir-specific aromas and flavors from the grape.”
The Romancing The Adolphus Wine & Chocolate Dinner is priced at $125 per person and includes tax, gratuity, and parking. Seating is limited.
The Adolphus Hotel (www.hoteladolphus.com) is the host of the Valentine’s Day event. In 1912 fortune, flamboyance, and fame came together to produce the “grande dame of grand hotels.” Beer baron Adolphus Busch, founder of The Adolphus, chose to honor his adopted city of Dallas with twenty-one stories of baroque splendor. Critics have called this Texas landmark, “the most beautiful building west of Venice.” Its fine-dining restaurant – The French Room – is the only restaurant in Texas to receive the AAA Five Diamond Award in 2012. Follow The Adolphus on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/theadolphus). Become a Fan of The Adolphus on Facebook (http://facebook.com/TheAdolphusHotel).
DallasChocolate.org is an educational organization devoted to exciting Dallas about the accessibility and appreciation of fine chocolate. It’s Chocolate Conference 2011 drew hundreds of chocolate fans for a day full of classes about chocolate making and tasting. Over a dozen local and national chocolatiers participated in the well-received event. The next annual DallasChocolate.org Chocolate Conference will take place in late summer 2012.
