Dinner - Palisades (South Africa)

Front View of the Palisades Restaurant

This week, my roommate and I decided to go to the Palisades Restaurant in Eggleston, Virginia. I had previously been to this restaurant before when I was underaged. Every week they do a "Wines Around the World". This week the theme was South Africa.

Driving here was very scary because the roads were very small and it was slightly snowing. We also had no idea how far away it was, so we completely missed our reservation. Luckily, since it was a Wednesday, not a lot of people were there at 7:00 pm. 

The inside of this restaurant is beautiful. It has a vintage-y, rustic feeling. Here are some pictures of the interior design of the restaurant. The atmosphere was very romantic. The lights were slightly dimmed and a lot of couples were there.

The dishes were bobotie with yellow rice, chakalaka (curry), and koeksisters (doughnut). They also gave us pita bread with a mousse and pickled onion on it. The food was delicious and I would recommend eating here.

My roommate in the background

The wines on the menu were Chenin Blanc, Pinotage, and Brut. I decided to try the wine before and after my food to see if the food would affect the taste of the wine. For the most part, I felt like the food did affect the taste of the wine, but I am not sure it made a significant difference. This may be because I do not have a very good palette for wine. 

 The first wine I tasted was the Backsburg Brut. This is a sparkling chardonnay. There was no year on this wine. It was described as a sparkling wine with flavors of roasted nut and almond. Without food, I thought this tasted like sparkling apple cider. I really liked it on its own. After eating it with the food, I thought it tasted best with the chakalaka and brut. Paired with the brut, it tasted extra sweet. The chakalaka kind of had a bland flavor and I thought the fizz from this chardonnay really added to the flavor.

 The second wine I had was the Royal Chenin Blanc (2014). I really liked this wine. It is described as an intensely fresh and fruity wine with tropical flavors and the signature hint of honey. I did not really get any flavors of honey, but I definitely tasted and smelled the fruit. This wine tasted best with the curry. The sweet and spicy combination was a blend of perfection. This is probably the first wine that I've drank and enjoyed.

The last wine I had was the Indwe Pinotage (2013). This red wine is described as layered with sweet cherry notes and subtle hints of mocha and vanilla flavors. I did not like this wine at all. I thought it smelled really strong and tasted like cough syrup. I actually found that this wine tasted bad with all the food. I did get some hints of mocha which I liked, but I felt like the cherry flavor was overwhelming.

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience here. I definitely would like to come back whether it was for another wines around the world or just to eat food. My roommate did not enjoy any of the wines. I thought the Chenin Blanc tasted best with the food and had a very fruity scent, which I liked. My favorite dish was the bobotie with yellow rice.