Wine Dinner – Palisades (Pinot Noir)

The Palisades Restaurant, Eggleston, VA

The Palisades Restaurant is nestled in a cute cozy—and hilly—corner of Southwest Virginia. The drive from Blacksburg took about 20 minutes and was relatively uneventful…until we got to Eggleston Road. In my heart, I knew that this winding road of death would lead to a delicious meal, but the shoulder-less, rail-less, frankly borderless roller coaster led me to fear for my life. I wasn’t sure we’d make it. We were driving on this road, paying attention to no more than 10 feet ahead of our car, and missed the turn to the restaurant. 

Eventually we got there, with no scratches or bumps. We were greeted by the brick façade of the restaurant.

The brick and gravel of this po-dunk area gave me little hope of a quality meal, but the minute I stepped across the threshold, I was instantly charmed by the little-small-town-café feel of the interiors. The wooden harvest tables with high backed ladder chairs made this restaurant one of my favorites, and I hadn’t even tasted the food yet.

Appetizer: Scallop Panna Cotta with Microgreens

We (my sister and I) asked for the wine and beer pairing menu for the Geography of Wine class at Virginia Tech and everyone who was in the vicinity instantly seemed excited to serve the menu. That day, they’d decided to focus on Pinot Noirs from different regions.

Before we started the wine and beer pairing, we were served a delicious scallop panna cotta with microgreens and olive oil. The herbs were a serious highlight and the scallop was perfectly cooked. The microgreens gave a nutty bite to the appetizer.

Wine/Beer and Dinner Pairing: All Pinot Noirs
and different beer styles

The first pairing we tried was an Enoki Mushroom Consommé with a 2010 JK Carriere Wines Vespidae Pinot Noir from Oregon and Leffe Blonde beer from Belgium. On its own, the food soup was salty and mushroom-y (duh). It was delicious. The wine, on its own had this beautiful dark cherry color. There were serious hits of dark cherries, black currant and gummy bears on the nose. On the palate, this wine was sweet and silky—sort-of like a fruit juice. This wine had a clean finish. The beer was also delicious. The beautiful golden color was accented by a slightly cloudy aesthetic.  There was a slight hoppy flavor and some banana and citrus notes. With the Consommé, the wine didn’t change much in flavor. The wine tasted more like WINE and was a bit more savory. The beer was sweeter and the consommé brought out a vanilla flavor in the wine. Each beverage complemented the soup.

My twin sister Amanda. Waiting for food to
come out!

The second pairing was a seared yellow fin tuna with a strawberry and citrus salad with a Tabali Vineyards Pinot Noir from Chile and a Sweetwater 420 West Coast-style Pale Ale. The salad with the fish was incredible. The microgreens of the salad were nutty with a bit of a bite from the dressing. The tuna was perfectly seared on the outside and beautifully raw inside.  The wine was smooth with a salty-cherry, strawberry and plum aspect. The beer gave off banana, clove and coriander aromas. It was crisp, medium bodied and refreshing. With the salad, the wine took on a dirty-farmhouse profile and gave off more heat and palate-assaulting qualities. The beer was better with the salad. The beer became more spicy and savory. I like the beer with the salad, however, I’d probably pass on the wine. I’d rather drink the wine on its own.

The last pairing was a milk chocolate panna cotta over black currant syrup with a 2010 Lechthaler Trentino Pinot Noir from Italy and a stout by Bourbon Barrel. The panna cotta was beautiful and it was chocolate. YOU CAN NEVER GO WRONG WITH CHOCOLATE. The panna cotta had a wonderful texture: smooth and thick. The wine was drier than the other wines. This wine had a more pronounced tannic structure but it also didn’t taste, or smell, like anything. I got serious mouthfeel, but I didn’t really taste anything. The stout was amazing. At first glance, the stout looks lighter than a stout, I thought it was going to be a really dark lager. This beer gave off a mocha nose; a perfect mix of chocolate and coffee. Even some vanilla came through in the taste. With the panna cotta, the wine became smoother and sweeter.  I actually tasted very slight notes of berries. The panna cotta brought out the chocolate in the stout even a little bit of citrus. I really liked both of these beverages with the dessert.

You can never go wrong with pizza!

We even ordered the Palisades Featured Pizza of the Day: a wonderful herbed cheese pizza topped with a lamb kielbasa, green scallions and toasted pineapple. We thought we’d be hungry after the tasting, but we were so wrong. The wine and beer with dinner pairing was SO FILLING. The moment the pizza came out to our table, my mouth started to water. I wasn’t even hungry, but my mouth really started to water. I ate a slice then we brought the rest of the pizza home.

I really loved my experience at the Palisades Restaurant. I really enjoyed trying one variety and seeing how it may translate to separate dinner courses. I’d love to bring my friends and family there once. GRADUATION DINNER (eh Mom and Dad?).  I would definitely go back and try more food off their normal menu.

You can check out Amanda's blog here!