Restaurant Week in Dallas is always fun. It’s a chance to head out to dinner someplace you’ve never tried before or someplace you can’t afford, even on a special occasion. While at the same time doing some good for charity.
José on Lovers, which describes itself as “The best of Jalisco food, cocktails & culture in Dallas. Guadalajara Restaurant.” (website) was a chance for me to actually try wines from Mexico, specifically the Casa Madero Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.
We opted for the four course signature experience dinner with wine pairings. Upon arrival an example of their cocktails was served – Mi Campo Amuse Bouche. It went well with the chips and salsa. BTW, the green salsa is craveable.
First Course
The first course was a seasonal crudo of marinated fish with lime juice, chilies, seasonal garnish (melon and pepitas). This was paired with the Casa Madero Chardonnay, Valle de Parras, 2021.
It didn’t have much smell to it at first, maybe a bit of vine… It was tart with a touch of sweet on first sip and warmed the mouth and was easy drinking. It got sweeter with the fish, but brought out a bit of the fishiness. The melon brought out the citrus in it, but overall the affect was not overwhelming.
Great Crudo – mediocre Chardonnay.
The full menu of options is at the bottom of this post.
Second Course
This is a prime example of how food changes your thoughts about wine. I wasn’t excited by the chardonnay with the first course, however the second course changed my mind. The cheese and poblano quesadilla brought out the sweetness of the wine. All I could think of to describe it was “sunshine concentrated in a glass.” A bit of a metaphor, but it was just better with the second course. The spice is upped by the wine and habanero in the ahi tuna tostadas really got a kick from the wine.
Third Course
The third course saw the introduction of the Casa Madero, Cabernet Sauvignon, Valle de Parras, 2021. It had a big bold berry taste to it. I was too engrossed in eavesdropping on the “well, my husband left me” conversation one table over to smell it first, but probably good as it smelled like your typical cabernet. Regardless, its good and earthy, with some acidity on the tongue but well rounded – so none of the flavors overwhelm the others and that makes it really drinkable. In fact, if I hadn’t had to concentrate on the food pairing, I would have just sipped and eavesdropped for much of the meal.
It went really well with the Mole and brought out the spice. I’d call it a perfect pairing. As for the Carne Asada – really good – but the pairing was right in the “typical red meat and red wine way.” I tried it with the mole and the grain tortilla (not pictured) and it faded into the background – but it went really well with the fried plantain and bought out the sweetness of both.
Fourth Course
Dessert was paired with Telmont Brut, Reserve Brut, Champagne, NV from France. Which honestly, I didn’t think paired well with either of the desserts. The chocolate needed a red wine and the strawberry made the champagne bitter. So we’ll skip discussing this one and I’ll just say the desserts were amazing!
Final Thoughts
Overall, I thought the pairings were good and if I were to see the wines in a store, I’d definitely give them another try. The Chardonnay was a Monday for me – rather forgettable in a not so good way. The Cabernet Sauvignon was forgettable in the background wine way – I could just sit and sip on it and talk and eat and then would realize the bottle was empty.
Sinceramente así es – or Honestly, it is what it is… aka so-so.
Casa Madero (website) has been around since 1597. Since I knew nothing about them or the area, I had to look them up (between Monterrey and Durango) and only a 4 hour drive from the Texas border town of Laredo. I found the statement below to be very interesting – and after reviewing their website – I will definitely have to look for some of their other wines to try.
At the foot of the Sierra Madre Oriental, in the south-central region of the state of Coahuila, lies the fertile Parras Valley, an oasis in the middle of the desert that is home to the oldest winery on the American continent, from Cape Horn to the Bering Strait.
-Casa Madero Winery
