Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca Hosts Fall Game Dinner with Distinctive Wines

Ashok Bajaj’s authentic Penn Quarter Italian gem, Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca, located at 1100 New York Avenue, NW, is pleased to host a “Fall Game Dinner” on Thursday, October 25th, at 7 PM. Priced at $135 per person (tax and gratuity not included), Executive Chef Nicholas Stefanelli has crafted a mouthwatering menu featuring four courses of premier game, ending with a fall dessert, created by Pastry Chef Jemil Gadea. To top off this experience, each course of the meal is paired with a specially chosen Italian wine selected by Bibiana’s Wine Director, Michael King, and dessert is complemented by a seasonal handcrafted cocktail. This special dinner has limited seating for 40 guests and will be served in the private dining room. Chef Stefanelli’s game menu includes the followings pairings:

Alzavola

Smoked Wild Green Winged Teal Breast, Savoy Cabbage, Pear ‘Dolce Forte’

Quattro Mani, Franciacorta Brut, Lombardia NV

Cinghiale

Maccheroni alla Mulinara Domus, Tennessee Wild Boar Ragu, Parmigiano

Collemattoni, Rosso Di Montalcino, Toscana ‘09

Fasano

Roasted Wild Pheasant, Slow Roasted Polenta Integrale, Wild Mushrooms ‘Triafolati’

Gaja, Sito Moresco, Langhe, ‘09

Cervo Rossini

Roasted Saddle of Shaffer Venison, Foie Gras, Cottaganta, Potato Mousseline, Black Truffle

Gaso, San Rustico, Veneto

Mele

Golden Grimes Apple Gratian, Brown Butter Gelato, Cider Reduction

Spiced Sidecar

Chef Stefanelli has a special appreciation for hunting and cooking game meats. Hunting has always been a favorite pastime for him as he learned to shoot in the Blue Ridge Mountains at the age of ten. Chef Stefanalli now hunts with several local Virginian farmers who provide Bibiana’s proteins from their farms in Virginia and Pennsylvania. He also hunts with Javier Arez, co-owner of Huntsman Specialty Game & More, a purveyor of some of the freshest and most unique game meats and live shellfish to the Washington metropolitan area.  Chef Stefanelli primarily hunts game birds in the fall, such as partridge, pheasant and quail.

                        Wine Director Michael King has carefully selected wines to complement each course. To begin the meal, King will be serving Quatro Mani, a bubbly Franciacorta with notes of yellow apple and ripe pear that will awaken the palate and set the mood for the forthcoming meal.

                        King’s personal experience with wild boar takes him to the region of Tuscany, where the small production Collemattoni transports the meal to the rolling hills of the countryside, with its excellent balance of tannins and fruit.

                        Gaja, Sito Moresco is a particular favorite, sourced from the twenty-five acre Barbaresco vineyard next to a forest in Piedmont where pheasants are plentiful. Gaja emits an elegant balance with integrated tannins to harmonize with the roasted pheasant and wild mushrooms.

                        With subtle spice and hints of plum and cherry, Gaso San Rustico Valpolicella Classico is soft enough to complement the roasted saddle of venison yet has enough acidity to cut the unctuousness of the foie gras.

                        Rather than pairing a dessert wine with dessert, King prefers to serve a well-made cocktail. In collaboration with Bibiana’s Pastry Chef Jemil Gadea, the two have concocted a drink with a base that is aged in an oak barrel.