Last month Fortune Bay food and beverage manager Carrie Matthias invited Sean Barrett from Grgich Hills Estate of Napa Valley to host a special wine dinner at the Sunset Steakhouse. Chef Dan Schimka created a wonderful six course menu – five of which came with wine. He was really excited about the night, inviting me into the kitchen beforehand for a multi-spoon sampling of the various sauces and a sneak peak of the courses.

Mr. Barrett was a great speaker, talking about the history of Grgich Hills and each specific wine. He also had extra bottles for sale at cost to those who wanted to take some home, with prices ranging from $29 to $62 a bottle. He commented at the end of the night that the evening was a bargain at $59 per person, stating that he does these all over the country and something similar in Chicago or San Francisco would easily cost $150-$200.

You can read the full menu and wine list in the photos after the jump, but my favorite item was the petite char-grilled salmon (above) with braised fennel, caramelized carrots, parsnips and blood orange butter sauce (oh that sauce!). All the courses were great – well prepared and presented, high quality ingredients and large portion sizes. Chef asked me later what I would change and I can’t think of a single thing. Simply a superb evening – bravo team!