Five Senses owner and chef Mitchell Murphree with Pulse wine columnist Lisa Marie Ihrig

There’s a rumor going around that Five Senses Restaurant and Bar is stuffy and expensive. I am dispelling that rumor right now! I’m so grateful to have attended the “End of Summer Wine Dinner” on Sept. 23. The atmosphere, food and wine of Five Senses are of impeccable quality, yet it is an accessible elegance—even for us common folk. About 40 guests turned out for Lipman Brothers (represented by Eric Bates and Jennifer Alexander) wines and Chef Mitchell Murphree’s food.

The first course was a vichyssoise of potato puree with frizzled leeks. The wine, Antonini Ceresa Prosecco Valdobbiadene from Italy was sparkling but dry. The bubbles contrasted the richness of the puree nicely. I prefer my Prosecco more on the fruity side as this was very mineral.

In the second course, the 2007 Undone Riesling from Germany released tarragon and liquorice aromas with a multi-faceted tart-mouth feel. I liked the fact that it was not excessively sweet as a lot of German Rieslings are. It was paired with the tomato and watermelon salad with avocado and herbs. This pairing was a perfect palette cleanser for the sumptuousness that took place next. This Riesling had a screw top—which has been in debate for some time now. Cork is extremely expensive so almost all wines have topped at least one type of their bottles with screw caps. Everyone, that is, except the French! This is quite ironic because France is where the original screw cap was released.

Next was the most divine salmon I’ve ever tasted. It was pan roasted with olive/mustard butter and served with pistachio orzo. The salmon was so decadent and rich that the Kenwood Pinot Noir it was paired with took a back seat. The Pinot noir is from the Russian River Valley region circa 2008. I got red currants and cherry in the aroma and very subtle vanilla notes in the feel. It was light enough for the salmon but still supported its own integrity.

The fourth course consisted of a grilled filet mignon with a mac-and-cheese custard. Cut on the premises, the filet was gorgeous but I can’t say I was a big fan of the custard. I suppose I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around the concept. The Castello De Molina Merlot from Chile fell short of my expectations as well. It was extremely aromatic with heavy coffee, oak and toffee—I wanted to taste this. However, when I did taste it I found that it had not been able to breathe and open up enough, and all the flavors felt very concentrated into one. I couldn’t differentiate between the beginning, middle and end—it all felt like the end.

The final course was the delicious dessert course of an Apple Charlotte. The wine came from one of our local wineries, Arrington Vineyards. The vineyard is a lovely place to go (bring a picnic and stay for the bonfires and live music!). The Muscat Love was sweet, sweet, sweet with heavy honey aroma and feel. It had a bit of citrus but in a sweet way as opposed to acidic.

These wine dinners are special events that also provide feedback for the restaurant, and though none of the food nor wine is offered on the current menu at Five Senses, the menu is constantly changing and always delicious and one can take part in amazing experience like this one every evening at Five Senses. There is a special price of $50 for an appetizer, two entrees and a dessert, making a perfect date night.

The restaurant also serves Southern style lunches from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. for about $8. In November, they plan on having regular wine tastings for $10. Five Senses believes, “It’s all in the details” and they have proven it consistently. Murphree and the Five Senses staff have given us a magnificent, creative place to Eat, Drink and be Merry!