[Food + Wine] Wins - Scarlet Oak

Food and wine are a big part of this blog (and my life), but not every dish or sip fits into a post all its own. In this weekly series, I highlight some of my favorite food and wine wins of the week. Feel free to share your wins below!
Things have been a bit slow in the food and wine department lately, but there was one win that made up for the lack of delicious pairings.
It all started with this bottle of 2013 Adelsheim Pinot Noir at Scarlet Oak.

While Pinot noir is not my favorite varietal, I’ve long been a fan of this wine, which is silkier and slightly fuller in body than most Oregon Pinots. It was also the perfect wine to pair with the menu items we were coveting.
We started with the meatballs, a great bargain on the nibbles list for $5. (We’ve tried the crispy kalettes from the nibbles as well, also very good, though maybe not quite as healthy as the name would suggest.)

The meatballs were juicy and cooked to perfection with a rich and delicious red sauce. Although not the ideal pairing for such a rich dish, the wine did a surprisingly good job of standing up to the meatballs with a bolder, rounder finish that your typical pinot noir.
For my entrée, I ordered the pan seared scallops with crème grits and sautéed kale.

Richer seafood dishes, like this one with decadent creamy grits, are great when paired with Pinot noir. The scallops were delicious, maybe cooked a few seconds too long but still very tender and sweet. The grits and the kale were both very flavorful and made for a very comforting bowl of goodness. I’m glad I live close by so I can order this again soon.
Tom chose the pappardelle pasta with pork ragu, English peas and Parmesan. This dish was heavier than my scallops, but still went well with the wine, which finishes in a bold way. The homemade pasta was toothsome but sturdy enough to support the meaty sauce while the English peas provided just a touch of crunch and sweetness – another great dish.

Scarlet Oak is fast becoming our go-to spot when we don’t have anything to cook for dinner, or want a laid back drink, meal or snack close to home.
We may have taken a slice of mascarpone cheesecake with blueberry sauce home with us for later consumption. It may have been the best cheesecake I’ve had in recent memory. The crust may have been perfect. But I’m trying to forget all of this so I don’t end up eating it every night of the week…
So the moral of the story is that Scarlet Oak is great, and if you’re looking for a good wine diverse enough to pair with both seafood and pork, look no further than a bottle of Adelsheim Pinot noir.