By TR Robertson
Friday evening, Madera Kitchen of Mexico, on 1250 S. Santa Fe Ave., was the scene of a packed restaurant full of people both enjoying a great evening out and people taking part in another wine presentation and dinner offered by the restaurant. This was the 6th Wine Presentation the restaurant has offered and if the full patio area is any indication, there will be many more.
This particular evening, The Riboli Family of San Antonio Winery and guest presenter Winemaker Arnould Debons led the guests through a presentation of six wines the winery offers. San Antonio Winery was founded in 1917 by Santo Cambianica in Downtown Los Angeles. Through the 1930’s to 40’s, a young apprentice, Stefano Riboli and his wife Maddalena, learned the wine making trade and began to build what would become the Riboli Family of Wines into what it is today. The Riboli Family of Wines has estate vineyards in Monterey, Paso Robles and Napa Valley. The Paso Robles location has a modern winemaking facility. The Los Angeles winery location was declared a historic landmark in 1964. Wine Enthusiast magazine declared the winery American Winery of the Year in 2018. The wineries produce Riboli Family, Windstream, Maddalena, Opaque, Highlands 41 and San Simeon. For the Madera Kitchen of Mexico Wine Presentation and Dinner, the six wines presented were San Simeon selections.
Madera owners Ivan Sanchez Lucas, Daniel Carrasco, Nestor Flores and Guillermo Lupecio have successfully negotiated the COVID pandemic, and their restaurant is alive and by the look of things, doing quite well. Currently the Wine Presentation and Dinner has been a once a month offering but due to the success of the evenings, plans are to expand and offer more than one a month. The concept of the evening begins with guests who have reserved a spot for the evening being seated in the covered patio and a large number of heaters scattered on the patio providing warmth. For Friday evening, Winemaker Arnoud Debons from San Antonio Winery began by introducing staff members accompanying him, which include Division Manager Brian Reardon and Genevieve Edwards Key Account Manager, then explaining the concept for the evening and the wines that would be poured. He then began his discussion of the first wine in detail, a San Simeon Sauvignon Blanc from Paso Robles, a delicious white wine with a bit of a sweet taste. As guests received a pour of this wine, orders were taken for dinner choices from the extensive Madera dinner menu.
Dinner guests were given 15-20 minutes between each pour. Debons would introduce each wine, talking about where the wines came from, the climate they were grown in, how they were grown to acquire the taste the wine would eventually have and any other special details about the wine. This would occur for each wine and continued through the serving of our choices for dinner. The remainder of the wines for the evening were San Simeon Chardonnay from Monterey, San Simeon Syrah from Paso Robles, San Simeon Stormwatch Bordeaux Blend from Paso Robles, San Simeon Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles and San Simeon Cabernet Franc from Paso Robles.
For dinner, my selection was Enchiladas de Camaron as did guest Kathy Woods. My wife, Carolyn, selected the Madera Salad. Terry Woods selected Taquitos de Camaron and Flautas de Pollo. The dinner was scrumptious. Chef Emilio Rodriguez did an amazing job with preparation and presentation. Everyone we spoke with loved their selection for the evening. Wade and Blair, seated behind us, said they have been to other Madera presentations and love the service, food and their excellent wine selection. Our waitress was Vanessa and she was a hard working young lady, taking care of customer requests and getting dinners out to the tables in a timely manner. The cost for the evening for the guests was $35 each for the wine tasting and then the cost for whatever dinner selection was made. Dinner prices were between $13 to $26. Live entertainment was also provided for the evening.
Ivan is especially excited to announce that Madera will be offering a new dinner menu in a couple of weeks which will include several new items. The new items include a Vegan menu with Enchiladas de Vegetales, Fajitas de la Casa, Picadillo with cauliflower rice, and Chile Relleno. Also new on the dinner menu will be Pescado Entero, a Bone-in Ribeye Ranchero and Empanadas de Pollo. Madera also offers a breakfast menu on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am until 2 pm. New to the breakfast menu will be Torta de Chilaquiles, Arrachera Benedict (with an arrachera steak and chipotle cream sauce), Kom Torta, Emilio’s Chicken Club Torta, Daisy’s Burrito (wet with a choice of sauces) and Strawberry Crepas.
Ivan and his partners philosophy from the very opening of the restaurant still continues. We will “treat all our guests as family and friends, the restaurant is our home; we shake hands, give hugs and invite all in to our home to serve, to give, to embrace the fundamentals of humanity. To fuel more than our bodies. To fuel our souls.” Ivan also wanted to thank his daughter Scarlet Ximena Sanchez and Audriana for all of their help.
To see a complete list of items on the Madera Kitchen of Mexico menu go to www.maderakitchenofmexico.com. Call 760-884-0429 for reservations or to ask about the Wine Presentation Dinner.
