Crystal Springs Resort, located in the beautiful mountains of Sussex County, is New Jersey’s premier culinary and leisure destination and less than 90 minutes from New York City. Grand Cascades Lodge at the resort offers an unmatched culinary and wine program at the award-winning Restaurant Latour and the Wine Cellar.
With its white-glove service, American cuisine using locally-sourced ingredients and 7,000-bottle wine list, Restaurant Latour has garnered the prestigious Wine Spectator Grand Award year after year and will delight the most discriminating oenophiles.
Restaurant Latour and the Wine Cellar were birthed as part of Gene Walter Mulvihill’s vision to bring a world-class cellar and restaurant to the area. Mr. Mulvihill was a pioneer, he was a visionary, he was humble and he was very well loved by his employees. He also really loved wine. Up until his death this past October, Mulvihill was the driving force behind Crystal Springs Resort in Sussex County and the curator of its award-winning wine cellar.
Mulvihill was a venture capitalist and financier with a distinguished career spanning many industries including cellular broadcast, cancer drugs, robotics, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), amusement park rides, ranching and real estate development. He was well-known for his long affiliation with Vernon Valley Great Gorge Ski Area and Action Park and, more recently, for his role at Mountain Creek and Crystal Springs Resort. In support of his resort and hotel interests, Mulvihill assembled a celebrated wine cellar, Latour, which has regularly received the designation of Grand Award by Wine Spectator.
I was fortunate enough to be invited recently to tour this 135,000 bottle cellar and to sample some of the glorious selections at a wine pairing dinner.
Chef John Benjamin, who has worked at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry in Napa, CA and Charlie Palmer’s Aureole in New York City, marries modern techniques with seasonal ingredients from local purveyors and the resort’s organic farm to create a true farm to table dining experience. Chef Benjamin prepared the following meal and Sommelière Susanne Lerescu did the fantastic pairings.
Red Mullet with White Asparagus, Fava Bean “Cake” and a Purée of Stinging Nettles. Wine pairing: 2012 Bukettraube Cederberg – South Africa.
Chesapeake Bay Soft Shell Crab with Heirloom Tomato Confit, Espelette Pepper and Sauce Grebiche. Wine pairing: 2005 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Champs Gains – Colin Morey.
Crystal Farm Organic Harvest Greens, Earliglow Strawberry Vinaigrette.
Loin of Young Rabbit Roulade with Belly Confit and Sweet White Onion Jus. Wine pairing: 2007 Sfursat Valtellina Nino Negri – Lombardia.
Filet Mignon of Milk Fed Veal with Cheek Rillette, Ris de Veau and Wild Mushroom Forest.
Latour Rifle Ranch Lamb Chop with Provencal Vegetable Pithivier, Kalamata Olive Emulsion and Natural Thyme Jus. Wine pairing: 1982 Vieux Château Certan – Pomerol.
Warm Cabot Clothbound Cheddar with Local Pickled Ramps abd New Crop Potato Vinaigrette. Wine pairing: 1920 Madeira Barbeito Malvasia Reserva Velha.
Restaurant Latour offers three menu options: a three-course prix fixe menu ($75), a five-course vegetarian Garden menu ($95) and an eight-course Tasting menu ($135). A wine pairing can be added to the Tasting menu for an additional $60. The menus change with the seasons but always feature Rifle Ranch lamb from the resort’s own ranch in Rifle, Colorado. The ranch raises free-range lambs on wild pasture land in the Rockies, yielding unbelievably delicious meat.
The Wine Cellar, one of the largest fine wine collections in the world with over 135,000 bottles, features 9,100 labels and vintages going back to 1795. Overseen by Wine Director Robby Younes, this unique collection is valued at over $30 million.
On the first Sunday of each month, sommelières Susanne Lerescu and Samantha Shaw lead wine classes and there is also a free daily tour at 3pm that allows guests to experience the cellar firsthand.
Crystal Springs’ Grand Cascades Lodge is located at 3 Wild Turkey Road in Hamburg, NJ. For reservations, classes and more information call 973-827-5996 ext. 3 or visit http://crystalgolfresort.com/DiningWine/CulinaryEvents.aspx
Cheers,
Veronique Deblois is a food and wine blogger based in Morris County, NJ. As the author of the popular blog, Food & Wine Chickie Insider, Veronique shares recipes, wine and restaurant reviews. Follow Veronique on Twitter or like her Facebook page.
September 6th – 8th: 
Amy Casey
But, back to the beer: roughly 170 different beers will be on tap (so to speak) on the show floor, and an additional 15 – 20 rare beers will be sampled to VIP ticket holders during a special preview hour. A general admission ticket gives you access to limitless samples and the chance to meet and chat with brewers and company reps who will be happy to help you find the brew of your dreams. Food vendors – including the popular “
Deanna Quinones
The immense and consistent adulation of Dunellen Hotel’s triple onion soup is not unwarranted. It’s gotten people (including me) into the door and heightened the standards of one of my lifelong favorite foods. Unsurpassed in its richness and flavor, it’s a must-try for first course. Deep, beefy broth is molten beneath a thick crust of swiss and provolone cheeses so plentiful that they drape the sides like tapestry waiting to be pried off with your spoon. The cheese is baked atop a raft of crusty bread that maintains its integrity against the broth. The only thing holding this soup back from perfection is the sometimes-undercooked onions that I end up straining for more broth in my final bites.
Jessica Perry is a lifelong New Jersey resident and Journalism and Media Studies graduate whose love of music, food, and writing about both have taken her far beyond the Garden State lines. She hasn’t heartwarming childhood memories of Sunday suppers, but she does have a lifelong commitment to eating across the map and fervently consuming food media. While she loves traveling and sampling from her nationwide restaurant document, little can compete with readily available pork roll and 24-hour diners. When she’s not eating, she’s at a punk show or researching where to eat en route to one. She’s always accepting recommendations for the best brunches, bagels, burritos, buffalo wings, barbecue…you get the idea. Not to mention she will happily dole out some of her own whether you’re in Long Beach, N.J. or Long Beach, Calif. – See more at: http://www.jerseybites.com/the-team/#sthash.cptivYzE.dpuf
If you are craving the more traditional glass of wine, have no fear they have those too. In Marie Nicole’s newly renovated bar don’t expect just an “ok” dining experience. This season the bar has gone through a facelift and expansion. The new interior is comfortable yet sophisticated. That’s hard to balance but Marie Nicole’s accomplishes it.
Winner this year for Best Crab Cake was Two Son’s version (formerly My Two Sons). Choosing this cake as the winner was a no brainer for me, I loved it from first bite. Deep-fried and filled with claw and lump crab meat, it was divine. Beyond the tasty meat and seasonings, the crispy panko crust was fried flawlessly. Limiting my bites to save room for other entries was definitely difficult as I found myself craving that cake hours later.
Winner in the Best of the Rest category went to The Empanada Guy and his Lobster Empanada. No argument from me on this vote, this pocket of perfection was exceptional. A fellow judge, Michele McBride of 90.5 The Night, likened it to a handheld Lobster Bisque. The Empanada Guy and his red truck had quite the line all afternoon and after eating this, I would have stood there for an hour too!
An Award of Excellence went to the Bacon on Wheels Truck for its Soft Shell Crab Taco. All the judges loved this and I was no different in paying up some praise. As a newbie soft shell eater, I realized how much I had been missing out on. I do believe it will be hard to find one as good as this version though, for the way in which it was designed and executed was outstanding. Sporting an ancho mayonnaise, a fresh tomatillo salsa verde, some cilantro and queso fresco cheese, it had us fighting for leftovers.
We ended our judging duties with a sugary surprise from Waffle De Lys- a warm Belgian waffle with fresh strawberries, chocolate drippings and fluffy whipped cream. What a sweet way to end our salty seafood duties!
A friend and I were seated in a cozy booth next the bar where we were able to admire old school candy jars filled with Bit-O-Honey candies and a skeet-ball nook that any arcade aficionado would appreciate. On a Wednesday night, every table around us was filled with smiling patrons and by the bar, groups of friends shared tid-bits from their day. We were pleasantly experiencing what felt like a Saturday evening with the vibrant crowd.
Our meal was just as memorable. Each dish was well-presented, some swoon worthy, and deeply flavorful. Chef Andino’s Classic Baked Clams, made with little neck clams from Cape May, were perfectly seasoned with garlic and herb butter and topped with just the right amount of breadcrumbs. The Belleville Beeps paid a fine homage to the classic New Jersey dish. The shrimp were succulent and well matched with the obviously fresh and tantalizingly spicy marinara sauce.
Finally what we had been waiting all evening for came to the table – Little Town NJ’s specialty Little Town Rice Balls. Our fingers were fighting to grab at each one, dipping them in a rich hollandaise sauce. Each bite was reminiscent of a deli made Taylor ham, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich and left our taste buds begging for more. We agreed that these rice balls were the sort of thing that one should have on hand in their kitchen for a rainy Saturday morning where there is no other option but to eat breakfast in bed. They were that delicious.
