The Tasting Panel magazine

January 2013

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J oy Cushing, Restaurant and Wine Education Manager of Carthay Circle Restaurant at Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, CA, invited me to meet her there to share a glass of wine and discuss her work. Carthay is without doubt one of the most beautiful new restaurants I've ever seen. Fred Dame: Joy, this restaurant is beautiful. It looks just like I walked into Chasen's, Romanov's or one of the other legendary establishments of Hollywood's Golden Era. Let's try these two wines from the 2009 vintage, Inglenook Rubicon and DeLille D2. I just love big Cabernet-based wines in the morning! Joy Cushing: I'm good with tasting wines of this quality anytime. The tannins are so silky and integrated already. I thought they would be overpowering but they are very balanced. I think that wines with a great story like the Inglenook Rubicon with its original label are stories our customers love to hear. They like the historical value, especially here. The DeLille D2 has great structure. It doesn't sit in the back, it comes right up front. It has the silky, chalk-like tannins I like. It's one of those wines you can have with food or just enjoy it by itself. I think the Inglenook I would enjoy more at dinner or with a meal. A very rich wine. Fred: So tell me about Carthay. The wine program is the first one that is all Joy Cushing. What did you want to achieve here that creates your trademark wine list? Joy: We started with the service staff. We put them all through MS Level One and I'm proud to say that we had 92 passes. One of the unique elements of Carthay is the wine-by-the-glass program. We feature 30 wines by the glass, and they are served out of a custom-built silver salver that is the centerpiece of this dining. We need to make our customers feel like they're just not in a theme park. I've worked with Chef Andy Sutton to make sure that all the wines on the list match the cuisine. We're different from Napa Rose, which has a California lair. We celebrate the traditional cuisine of Los Angeles and the Golden Era. Fred and Joy tasted the 2009 vintage of Inglenook Rubicon. Fred: You've only been open five months. Are you surprised by anything? Joy: Chef Sutton's takes on the classic cuisine have been a real hit. We can see that things are working by the wine sales. White dominates in the summer, but as fall has come red wines are leading sales. Also, our Custom Cocktail Bar and menu have been a huge success. We have the freshest ingredients and a team of mixologists that continue to create unique recipes and improve old ones. Fred: What are the customers like? Are you drawing from the park or are there outside reservations? Joy: We have a huge walk-in business in the daytime but have a strong reservation base at night. I love them to stroll through the door wearing their liplops and t shirts and as they come in and see the room they begin to change. The décor, waitstaff, the cuisine—it's as if we have already become our own attraction. january 2013 / the tasting panel / 121

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