Wellington Wednesday Reviewed....

Last night was the weekly presentation of Beef Wellington by Johnny's Italian Steakhouse in Moline, a Heart of America property. I've been saying I want to make this classic myself sometime, so I thought I should have it first so at the last minute I was off to Johnny's.

As I was solo I decided to sit at the bar which worked out just fine. Aaron, the solo yet deft bartender, was able to keep my fellow diners and I fully watered and wined through out the night. Speaking of wine, let's get to it...

I had Aaron pour tastes of three chardonnays to start things off, along with their signature hot foccacia bread, some of the best in town. The unoaked Toad Hollow chard, the well-known Kendall Jackson Vintner's Reserve chard and my favorite, the Coppola Diamond Series chard. Incidentally all are from 2009. The KJ having fully undergone malolactic fermentation (fancy wine world term known also as secondary fermentation), which converts tart, crisp malic acid (creates a green appleish taste) to lactic acid made it taste creamy and actually on the nose reminded me of buttered popcorn, a first for me. There's also a hint of vanilla which many times comes from the charred oak in which chards like this one have been aged. Overall it's very nice if you like creamy, non-acidic chards.
The Coppola is interesting in that 1/2 is aged in stainless steel, fostering that crisp, clean flavor and 1/2 aged in oak after undergoing secondary fermentation. This way they don't really choose which approach, they do them both! And the flavor result shows it - light, citrusy, almost pearesque (yes I invent words at will, get used to it) aromas on the nose with that oaky, creamy and subtle butteryness on the finish. Overall I really enjoy the Diamond Series wines and this is no exception. The Toad Hollow unoaked chard fell between the other two and frankly didn't impress me, as has been typical with their wines in general.

At this point let me add a note about Johnny's wine list in general. For a steakhouse (after all the word's in the title), I found the choices of reds available pretty lacking. I decided to try one I hadn't had before but without wanting to spend $70+ on a bottle I had a difficult time finding one. There is only one "full bodied" cab available by the glass and frankly most of the moderately-priced reds are too passe and mainstream for inclusion on the list of a nice steakhouse. The robust (and expensive) reds available are nice but unless you're willing to spend $75 - $130ish/bottle there really aren't any gems to match perfectly with a richly sauced filet. I also think in general that restaurants such as Johnny's need robust choices from Bordeaux and Napa along with several pinot noirs or reds from Burgundy. Johnny's list is very lacking in this regard.

So what wine DID I choose you ask?? And if you're not asking, you should be. I decided after having Aaron bring out three finalists on the kitchy-yet-cleverly labeled Sketchbook Mendocino County cab, 2008. 2008 Sketchbook Mendocino Collection Cabernet Sauvignon

It was consistent with the butter theme of the night, as after it opened up it was reminiscient of buttered corn on the cob, with chocolate and vanilla tones coming through the palate. Dark fruit also balanced nicely and there was a "meatiness" that complimented the Wellington nicely. Speaking of which I should get to that post haste...

The specialty du jour, served with baby roasted red potatoes and sauteed spinach in a subtle cream sauce, is comprised of a six oz filet seared, wrapped in puff pastry and finished in the oven to order. Johnny's take is a bit different than I expected however. In place of the traditional spice or dijon dry rub they use a thin layer of boursin cheese to adhere the puff pastry to the prosciutto-wrapped filet, also a variation I didn't expect. The mushroom duxelles (aka reduction) on the bottom of the filet was a tasty touch as was the texture and color of the pastry; the boursin cheese, not so much. Then again I'm not a fan of cheese crusts on steak, I always prefer an herb/spice/mustard rub and this is no exception.

A few comments: Firstly, while I ordered a regular medium rare preparation, it was rare at best and the result was chewy, almost cold meat that just didn't come off well. (no pun intended). Secondly, to my server friends out there: Aaron's sole kryptonite of the night was that he neither knew if they were offering the Wellington at all let alone how it is prepared. Had I not known it was Wellington Wednesday I would not have known it was available and wouldn't have ordered it. To his credit he normally doesn't work Wednesdays; nonetheless if you ARE working a certain day you need to know the specials and how they're made...it's a must.
On a positive note, the wine's creamy, buttery essence again complimented the flavors...and ironically the tangy boursin cheese component especially, the presence of which I was unaware when I ordered the wine. As I only had about half the bottle I was able to take the rest home in a to-go wine bag (awesome idea that all restaurants should implement btw). I look forward to finishing it tonight to see if the same flavor and aroma profiles present themselves.

Overall I would say that while I had a nice time the dish itself was disappointing, mostly due to the meat being rare and not very hot and the boursin vs spice/mustard rub which I was expecting. While the wine list is lacking and frankly needs updating/overhauling, the selections I decided on were pleasing and enjoyable.


Next up: my pet peeve about auto gratuity policies...or lack thereof in local restaurants.