Holy Snail

Crawl out from under your shell for this wine dinner we just got wind of. On Friday, Lacroix chef Matthew Levin celebrates snails with a four-course menu with menu wine pairings from sommelier Eric Simonis. If we had $95 extra lying around, we’d go just to try the periwinkles, a snail variety we’ve never had before. Says Wikipedia: “It is not uncommon to find cooked periwinkles on sale in paper bags at beaches in Ireland, usually salted, with a pin attached to the bag to assist extracting the winkle from the shell.” And who says the Irish don’t know how to eat? Yum. Then again, ‘Periwinkle’ could mean the flower. With Levin, you never really know what you’re gonna get. Just that it will be delicious.

Japanese Sea Snail
Meyer Lemon, Parmesan, Salsify, Chicken Skin

Chateau de la Vieille Tour
Vignobles Boissenneau, Bordeaux Blanc 2007

Cuttlefish
Bacon, Lavender, Periwinkle, Pine

Rosé de Provence, Routas “Rouvière”
Côteaux Varois, 2007

Snails and Tails
Pineapple, Coriander, Lotus

Mercurey, Monopole “Clos de la Marche”
Domaine Louis Max, Burgundy, 2005

Chocolate Roulade, Spiced Chestnut
Meringue Shell, Pain d’Epices Ice Cream

Monbazillac, Domaine du Petit Paris
Bénédicte & Patrick Geneste, Southwestern France, 2005

Photo: PD Photo