YOU ARE INVITED to join us for an exciting evening to kick off Restaurant Week 2018 with our special guest Jason Dodge, Robert Mondavi Private Selection’s Winemaker was what the invitation read for the PRIVATE SELECTION BUS.
The immediate response was a resounding yes and I RSVP’d right away after receiving the message from Selection Brand’s Manager of Wine, Jaime Bicknell. Private Selection Bus is a unique concept and the brain-child of Stephanie Scott, conceptualizer of Restaurant Week Jamaica.
THE CONCEPT
A group of people drive around in a bus and stop at Restaurants across Kingston sampling some of the specially prepared items on the menu ahead of Restaurant Week 2018. This year there were 4 Restaurants selected and 5 wines which were by Robert Mondavi’s Privation Selection brand (hence the name) and he was also the special guest.
On the bus were some of Kingston’s top Food Enthusiasts, including Food +Travel Bloggers and the Select Brands Team. We met at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel for cocktails before we made our way to the first stop.
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The first Restaurant on our stop was East Japanese Restaurant at the Market Place location where we had cooked and uncooked Sushi including Shrimp Tempura, Negi Hama Roll and Fried Salmon Roll which was paired with Sauvignon Blanc. Sushi is one of those foods where the flavors really come together in your mouth when you mix all the ingredients – the ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce brought everything together really well and it was gone as soon as it was placed on the table.
STOP #2
Not too far from East Japanese was Fromage Brasserie which was just a few steps away — here we had the White Pizza, Pepperoni Pizza, and the Shrimp Pasta which were all so scrumptious! The way the cheese melted when you lifted the pizza to take a bit and how the ingredients came together was a + the customer service was a real experience. This was paired with Chardonnay which really made the taste of the pizza 100 times better. It was here we witnessed a young man getting engaged to the love of his life.
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| Congrats to the happy couple #feyonce |
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We then made our way back on the bus where we en route to Steakhouse on the Verandah at Devon House. This stop was truly #lit as the energy of the servers is what really sold me on this location, you could tell they really enjoyed their jobs. We started with bread which was dubbed “the best bread in the world“, which was meh, but gave us a taste for what was to come. Here we had the Scotch Bonnet Flamed Fillet Mignon on a bed of Callaloo flavored Coconut Milk which was prepared medium-rare. I must admit this was my first time eating meat not fully cooked and I definitely had to talk myself through it but it was so well-seasoned that after a few bites I didn’t realize. The real kick here was the Scotch Bonnet on the side that really took the taste up a notch which made it flavorful and well balanced. This was paired with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Our final stop of the night was back at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel for a selection of Assorted Desserts which was paired with the Heritage Red Blend which was my favorite wine of the night. It was almost like the wine had character and you can taste the richness of the grapes and the process they went through to create that unique blend. I actually did not make it to the Desserts as I had to leave for another hectic day ahead.
We here at The Haute Lifestyle is definitely proud to have been selected to be on the bus and it was an amazing experience! Cheers to Restaurant Week 2018 and all the amazing Restaurant who will be participating. Be sure to pair your meals with Robert Mondavi’s Privation Selection Wines and ask your servers the best ones to pair with your meals.
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Photo Credits
Maurice Tucker of Image Jamaica | All rights reserved | (876) 297-0002
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