Gary and Lisa are old enough to remember when hotel dining in Boston meant Kon Tiki Ports at the Sheraton, the Last Hurrah at the Parker House, and Boodles at the Hilton.  While the latter two still soldier on catering to tourists and a smattering of locals, the dining scene at area hotels has morphed, Manhattan-like, into a foodies’ paradise. From Mooo at XV Beacon and Great Bay at the Commonwealth to Meritage at the Boston Harbor, some of Boston’s top restaurants are found at the city’s best hotels.

And now L’Espalier, one of Boston’s oldest high-end dining spots, has moved into the city’s newest high-rent hotel, the Mandarin Oriental. We had the pleasure of eating at the old L’Espalier exactly once, for a special family celebration. The food was extraordinary but the prices were prohibitive. So when the invitation arrived from Vini Portugal to attend a wine tasting dinner at the new L’Espalier, we RSVP’d in the blink of an eye.

Vini Portugal is a government trade association charged with promoting Portuguese wines both domestically and internationally. Their goal is to get wine lovers to think beyond Port when they think of Portugal.  That’s easier said than done in the VinoDuo household, where Gary is an avid student of Port but has had disappointing forays into the rest of the Portuguese wine catalogue. But given the rarefied surroundings of the event we gamely decided to give Portuguese wine another shot.

Arriving just in time for the wine dinner we sped through the Mandarin Oriental lobby with no time for gawking.  Our 30-second view, however, confirmed the chain’s reputation for stately opulence.  Lisa had just visited the New York Mandarin on business and thought the Boston property echoed its look and feel: sleek but refined; cool, not homey; a bit austere, perhaps.  Finding L’Espalier was a bit of a challenge, as the restaurant has its own entrance adjacent to the hotel. The route from the hotel lobby was poorly marked. After zigging and zagging down a number of hallways and walking by an open kitchen we were escorted to a generic private dining room with about 30 other local wine writers and industry professionals, including sommelier extraordinaire Cat Silirie and Legal Sea Foods’ wine master Sandy Block.

With 12 wines to taste over the course of the evening, we tried to sip judiciously, but after an hour or so (including 30 minutes of wine tasting with nary a cracker or bread slice) our table of jolly wine bloggers got a bit boisterous…in fact we were shushed by one of the Vini Portugal representatives. Note to the event planners: if you want your audience to be quiet, give them some food with the wine!

Cut to the Chase – What to Drink         
We’ll get to the dinner (which was outstanding and worth the $30 valet charge) in a moment. As for the wine, of the 12 served, we can recommend four.  Surprisingly, Gary and Lisa agreed on two of the wines, and each selected a third wine from the list.
               

Dona Maria Reserva, 2004        $40        THE WINNER         
Grapes: 50% Alicante Bouschet; 30% Syrah; 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
Lisa and Gary selected this deep, smoky red as their number one pick. “Inky and mysterious”    
in the glass; “deep, intense oak and vanilla on the nose,” Gary noted. That intensity continued
from first taste to finish—deep black fruits, licorice, and a hint of chocolate. 

Alvarinho Deu la Deu, 2007        $12
Grapes: 100% Alvarinho
According to Gary this is a lovely, clean white wine, with the scent of “fresh, washed peaches.” Lisa picked up some vanilla on the nose. We both found it a well-balanced, easy to drink charmer.

Quinta da Murta, 2007    $18
Grapes: 100% Arinto
The tasting notes for Quinta da Murta proclaim its “exuberant nose,” to which Lisa responded, “Exuberant indeed!” This sharp, crisp white jumps out of the bottle with lots of mineral and citrus notes on the palate—a great alternative to Sauvignon Blanc.

Andresen Royal Choice 20 year Tawny Port    $48
Grapes: 40% Tinto Roriz; 35% Touriga Franca; 15% Bastardo; 10% Tinta Barocca
Gary hoped for a terrific Port and he was not disappointed. He described the Andreson as “smoky, magical, a pungent nose.” He dreamed of pairing it with a flourless chocolate torte (although the chocolate bomb L’Espalier served certainly worked fine.) In summary—“Just great; where can I buy some?”

Now, about the Dinner
A few quibbles about the event and the room from Lisa, who’s planned her share of events and attended more wine tastings than she cares to admit.

• No spit jar on the table—how are we supposed to drink 12 pours and not fall over?
•  No crackers or bread on the table; in fact no food for 30 minutes after the tasting began
•  No explanation of the wine and food pairings
• Private dining room is awkwardly situated across from the kitchen—we could hear the clatter of plates and loud conversation all evening
  

The food, as noted at the outset, was exceptional.  Attendees were presented with a printed menu of three appetizers and three entrées.  We don’t care for oysters and aren’t brave enough to tackle veal sweetbreads, so Gary and Lisa chose the Foie gras terrine with concord grape foam and husk cherries for the first course. Aside from the bursting of the duck’s liver thing, the foie gras was delightful.  Like liquid silk—was this heavenly slice really a cousin of the chicken liver we eat at Passover?

Gary’s main course was Blue Foot chicken with baby Brussels sprouts and new potatoes; black truffle and roasted chicken reduction. And it tasted like…chicken!  Maybe a little better than the Empire we buy…surely those blue feet have something different to recommend them.  Lisa had the Almond crusted rack of Colorado lamb with pommes sarladaise; roasted figs; and eggplant caviar. Both entrees were rich but light; elegantly prepared and beautifully plated.

The true standout of the meal, however, was the cheese course. 
  
    A perfect little collection of Azeitao  cheese and puffy rounds of artisan bread. Azeitao is a sheep’s milk cheese from the mountainous southwest region of Portugal. It’s got a soft but not runny texture and a gorgeous smooth, almost grassy flavor. Lisa flipped for it and was delighted to learn that Formaggio Kitchen, the phenomenal cheese shop in West Cambridge, sells Azeitao for the luxe price of $25 for a half-pound.

Dessert was a luscious collection of small confections—the aforementioned chocolate bomb, delicate cookies, something with foam that escapes memory.

We zigged and zagged our way back to the Mandarin Oriental lobby and out to the valet stand.  At nearly 11 on a Thursday night, Boylston Street was hopping. Limos idled in front of the hotel; club kids walked around looking for the next stop—another reminder of how far Boston has come from the sleepy city that closed up for the night at 9 pm.