Plate & Vine, Concord CA

Last night we had casual organic food; tonight we went for fancy.  Plate & Vine was recommended to us by the same friend who turned us to El Aguila, so it was fun to try two very different takes on organic food back-to-back.

tri colored roasted baby beets

Our first plate to share was this sampling of beets with rainbow radish, crisp turnip, sweet and spicy red onion, orange supremes, parsley, and a mild orange-ginger vinaigrette.  The taste of the beets was very earthy and sweet, and August thought the yellow had the most curious earthiness to it.  We enjoyed the natural sweetness that you normally don’t find in a canned beet.

roasted fingerling potatoes

Garlic and rosemary and a touch of salt seemed to be the only adornments for these potatoes.  Cooked well, they were a wonderful side dish.

trofie macaroni

Our other shared side dish was this macaroni and cheese with white cheddar, herbs, and trofie pasta.  The cheddar flavor was mild but very deep, adding to the creaminess of the sauce to contrast the bread crumbs.  This is a pasta shape that you probably won’t find often, so it’s interesting to have a classic flavor of mac ‘n cheese but with a different mouth feel.

apple wood smoked local sturgeon with caviar

August enjoyed this super moist sturgeon of a thick cut with a skin that was seasoned very well.  A dollop of sturgeon caviar on top served as additional seasoning.  Angled on top of the sturgeon fillet was fried prosciutto, crispy and very salty so it was best in small bites.  Hidden underneath the sturgeon was a round of strong rye bread with cream cheese, giving August the slight impression of bagels and lox.  The parsley vinaigrette swiped around the side was very well balanced and tasted great with every element of the plate.

pork loin chop & buttered cabbage

Zach’s pork was bone-in, tender, juicy, and seasoned well.  Its jus was rich and salty and somewhat tangy.  The cabbage was very mild and only slightly buttery; Zach says it was so simple yet flavorful, it’s now one of his favorite cabbage versions of all time.  The green apple sauce was extremely fresh and tart with a hint of white wine, and the texture was good – not super pureed like baby food.  All around, he says this was a fantastic dinner.

Plate & Vine is proud to offer locally-sourced ingredients for all dishes.  It’s appropriate that they do what they can do be more green, since the Hilton Concord is the flagship hotel of Interstate Hotels & Resorts for being green by doing things like using LED lighting, paperless check-in, and sustainable landscape watering through recycling fruit.  If that inspires you, come try Plate & Vine.