The perfect match: chefs turn the tables on traditional rules regarding food, wine pairings

Nation's Restaurant News, Oct 6, 2003 by Alan J. Liddle

Ostini's parents, Frank and Natalie, opened the original Hitching Post restaurant in Casmilia, Calif., in 1952 and became renowned for their execution of so-called "Santa Maria style" barbecue. That form of open, wood-fired grilling has been native to the region since the days of Spanish rancheros.

Frank Ostini opened his 100-seat Hitching Post in Buellton in 1986 and his siblings operate the original branch to this day.

The Coast Live Oak wood used for grilling Angus beef and other foods at the Hitching Post provides much of the distinctive flavor imparted by the dishes served there, Ostini says. Also critical for flavor, he maintains, is "Magic Dust," the restaurant's proprietary rub of salt, garlic, onion and three kinds of pepper.

Most meats are basted during cooking with a combination of red wine vinegar and garlic-infused vegetable oil, while poultry, seafood and veggies are bathed on the grill with a mixture of butter, white wine and lemon juice, Ostini says.

"One of the great aspects of grilling is that it gives food a caramelized coating that makes it work well with tannic wines," Ostini adds. "We take artichokes and asparagus--not typically wine-friendly foods--and after putting them on the grill to get caramelized and sweet, they go just fine with wine."

Though the star ingredient of most Hitching Post plates is prepared in a simple manner, Ostini and his kitchen team show a flashier side with accompaniments. For example, the grilled artichoke arrives with smoked tomato-ancho chile mayonnaise; a stuffed pasilla pepper is presented with grilled-corn salsa; and a barbecued quail nests near its distant avian cousin--Wild Turkey bourbon-spiked sweet potatoes.

Other tips that are offered up by winery restaurant chefs include keeping foods compatible with a wide range of wines. "Be careful of tomatoes," warns Red Newt's Whiting. She says some chefs unnecessarily limit the wine range of their foods by putting too much tomato of tomato paste on beef bones roasted for demi-glace.

Lastly, don't make desserts sweeter than the dessert wines they are paired with, says Jones of Wente Vineyards Restaurant. He uses just enough sugar and cinnamon to balance the acidity of the apples in his dessert tart. Still, he manages to placate sweet-toothed guests by adding ice cream laced with the same late-harvest Riesling they can sip on the side.