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El Meson Restaurant 2425 University Blvd. Houston, Texas 77005 Tel. (713) 522-9306 El Meson Wine Dinner Menu Download Here! Cava Reception 7:00 PM, Seating 7:30 PM Call for Reservations 713-522-9306 $50 per person, Sales Tax & Tip Included Major credit cards accepted ON LINE RESERVATIONS JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST DINNER MENU LUNCH MENU TAPAS LIST DESSERT MENU WINES BY THE GLASS WINE LIST HOURS DIRECTIONS CATERING PRIVATE DINING CONTACT US Updated 12/1/11

EL MESON CHRISTMAS WINE DINNER Designed and Prepared by Pastry Chef Jessica Chapa with Special Guest Sommelier Cathey Nguyen Wednesday, December 7, at 7:00 PM We were going to call it the "Dessert's First Wine Dinner for Dessert Lovers," but after thinking it through I became concerned that few people would understand the concept. El Meson's Pastry Chef, Jessica Chapa, envisioned a five course wine dinner that mixes the savory with the sweetness so that you can't feel guilty. It would be dinner and dessert all at the same time! People might think this some kind of sugar overdose, I thought. Fortunately, this is not the case. The menu is of food in the technical sense, and if the items are desserts at all, they are not the sort that would wreak havoc on your waistline. Why, it's almost vegetarian. It seemed natural enough to invite Cathy Nguyen back to pair up the wines, not only because she and Jessica are good friends and former co-workers, but because they both think in that funky, esoteric, and outside-of-the-box way. I encouraged Jessica to be bold and adventurous and let Cathy have the run of the cellars. Here's what they conjured up. Let's break it down. 1st Course Sweet Potato Soup with a touch of Basil infused Olive Oil paired with Furst Muller Thurgau, Franken 2004 A warm Sweet Potato soup cut by the brisk Muller Thurgau which will cleanse the palate is a wonderful way to start a flavor festival on your taste buds. It's simple but at the same time a complex fusion. There's the sweet potato ala Americana with and Italian Basil flourish paired with a highly strict and acidic German wine. I'm beginning to like this already. 2nd Course Salad of Micro Greens with Goat Cheese Mousse with Roasted Beet with a Balsamic Glaze and Pistachio paired with Edi Simcic Chardonnay, Slovenia 2004 Cathy pairs an estate bottled Chardonnay from Slovenia with this delicate goat cheese mousse. The vineyard sits less than 500 yards from the Italian border, (it used to be inside the Italian borders before World War II,) a Friuli by some accounts. We should be able to see that the acidity has carried the wine over the years. Furthermore, the wine is barrel fermented and as such has rested on its lees, so this flavor complexity will go along well with the roasted, nutty, and glazed attributes this provocative dish has to offer. By the way, this mature Chardonnay with present exciting flavors most consumers never experience only because they think that white wine must be fresh. Bah! An older white wine is wiser, I say! 3rd Course Polenta with Dried Cherries and Cabrales Blue Cheese with Port Reduction paired with Faustino V Rioja Reserva 2004 The fine, soft tannins of the 04 Rioja Reserva produced by the traditional house of Faustino is perfect for this Polenta, (aka People's Bread,) with spicy blue cheese. I am worried that the port reduction will over power the wine, but the cheese can mitigate that effect. However, the dried cherries will resonate perfectly with the red fruit flavors for which that Rioja is so known. 4th Course Bacon Crusted Salmon Mousse Cake attended with Salmon Roe Caviar, Fennel Puree, and Blackberry Lemon Butter Sauce paired with Desc. de J. Palacios, Las Lamas Corullon, Bierzo 2005 The wine from Bierzo, located in the north western mountains of Spain where salmon runs in the rivers, is a perfect pairing, especially when accompanied by a hint of the "Savory," aka bacon. Just lovely for a bold red wine with firm tannins such as is the Mencia. The fennel will dance with the rose petal aromas this wine typically brings out, but the briny roe will be interesting in this ensemble, and I suspect it may help bring out the fruit flavors in the wine and salt does so well. 5th Course Chocolate Devil's Food Cake with Layers of Creme Brulee topped with Chocolate Ganache and Cranberry paired with Barros Vintage Port 2003 The 2003 vintage port comes from a particularly hot year, so expect a big and plush texture, but the cranberry will zing it up a bit. Chocolate and Port can do no wrong! This is a classic pairing. It is so much fun to examine the menu and pairings. While I am duty bound to help Jessica bring about her vision in the kitchen, I am tempted to join you all at the table, sit back, eat, talk, and drink the night away! Enjoy! - Chef Pedro

NEW YEAR'S EVE with Angelucho and the CopaCabana at the Westchase Hilton Saturday, December 31, 2011 "Angelucho" will be performing his Cuban musical show at the Westchase Hilton on New Year's Eve. This is an incomparable experience! If you enjoy dancing this is the event for you! The entire Cuban Community comes out for the party each year and there's always a "Conga Line." Doors open for cocktails at 7:00 PM. The Gourmet Buffet is served from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM and there's music and dancing till 2:00 AM with Angelucho's CopaCabana and DJ Yuca Frita! Tickets are $125.00 per person. It's a cash bar, but you get one complimentary cocktail, a Bubbly Toast with Party favors, and the gourmet buffet. The party takes place at the Westchase Hilton, 9999 Westheimer, just inside the Beltway. Special Room rates are available for $79.00 by just mentioning "Angel." For reservations call 713-974-1000. For Tickets Call 281-799-1922. Hotel Restaurant "Rio Ranch" will be open for brunch on Sunday, January 1st. Aramé and the Golden Apple A Novel Written Chef Pedro Now Available at El Meson or Online Chef Pedro will debut his new book titled Aramé and the Golden Apple, a work of fiction exploring the topics of virtue and honor in a world where myths, legends, and folktales come alive. When a cankerous old man on a park bench tells the story of an old venerable tree and how Aramé the lonely goatherd once saved it from ruin many years ago in antiquity, the reader is transported to the world of the forgotten ancient civilizations that once ruled Eurasia. The story weaves together the mysterious legend of Aratta, the folktale of the Golden Apple Tree, the myth of Osiris, and other timeless tales providing a window to another time where symbols of our past come alive. "Aramé and the Golden Apple" is now available on line at Amazon.