Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/599676
4 6 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t Block and Rich Vellante, Executive Vice Presi- dent of Culinary at the restaurant chain, frequently taste together, matching various wines to the styles of oysters and their preparations. With some 30 restaurants in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states, the menu leans heavily towards East Coast oysters—sourced from Canada to New Jersey, with the bulk of them coming from Cape Cod and Maine. The restaurants serve 8,000-10,000 oysters a day. "East Coast oysters have a salinity to them and a stronger ocean flavor, and much like wine, really do pick up the area where they're being grown," Vellante says. But, he adds, flavor profiles also can include a sweet finish or vegetal undertones like a light scallion or garlic. Others—such as those from Canada or Maine—will have strong minerality. Just as not all oysters are the same, neither are all Chablis matches. "With some of the [oyster] preparations we cook, we go for wines that have a little more flesh, intensity of body and a little bit rounder in texture," says Block, calling out wines from the Chablis Vil- lages level. Naked (raw) oysters have two Chablis matches depending on flavor: Block likes Chablis Premier Cru or Chablis Grand Cru offerings with richer textured, creamier oysters, and the rounder Village-level or Petit Chablis wines with oysters expressing a briny personality or vegetal aspect. Either way, Block says, people are turning to Cha- blis with oysters "when they want to have the full gourmet experience over a casual pairing." At the John Dory Oyster Bar in New York City, Chef de Cuisine Charlene Santiago chooses mollusks on availability, geography, and interest to a discern- ing clientele whose taste range from classics such as Prince Edward Island to the French Belons, a rare and wild oyster brought stateside. "The first thing we want is a variety of East and West Coast oysters," Santiago said, noting the East offers salinity and fresh, clean flavors while the West will express melon and cucumber aspects. The restaurant goes though about 1,000 oysters daily and, starting out with six varieties, will rotate the selection throughout the day as they move through inventory. Here, small is beautiful. Santiago relies on sources such as Blue Island Farm or the farmer in Connecticut whose one oyster species is available only two days a week, and Wine Director Jessica Brown selects smaller producers who are "focusing on quality are doing something new or maybe just breaking out. "The Chablis [producer] that we're pouring by the glass isn't really well known or makes a tremendous amount of wine, but is focused on growing, terroir and classic winemaking," she said. But, she says, strategy also underlies her choices. "The food here is high acid, so the acids balance themselves out," she said, referring to the pairings she and Santiago work out. Brown said she likes playing around with similarly styled pairings ("what grows together goes together") and opposites. Either way, she says, "I think Chablis is one of the most diverse white wines for pouring. "I talk about Chablis as a gateway Chardonnay. The entry levels are clean and bright, and when you get into Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru, you can handle the smokiness and intensity." Santiago says the dining experience isn't com- At the John Dory. PHOTO: DOUG YOUNG From left, Chef de Cuisine Charlene Santiago and Wine Director Jessica Brown play with the diversity of Chablis when pairing with a wide range of oysters at John Dory Oyster Bar in New York City.