Who says everything has to be green on St. Patrick’s Day? After spending most of my holiday outdoors with friends, I headed to Eve in Kerrytown for some white and red at a food and wine tasting led by sommelier Travis Reeves.

Bar room at Eve

Sarah Mintz | Contributor

The event, which started at 7p.m., was an interactive wine tasting that focused primarily on food and wine pairings. Only eight people made reservations, creating an intimate atmosphere for us all seated around one table together. Besides my friend Lauren, I spent the evening with two other lovely and sophisticated couples, a server from Eve who had the night off and a server from Pacific Rim. I felt like I was at a dinner party with friends more than a formal wine tasting at a restaurant.

Travis started the event by introducing himself and providing us with some basic wine knowledge. He knowledgeably informed us that non-fruity appetizers should be paired with drier wine such as Chablis, Chardonnay, dry Riesling or even Sauvignon Blanc. A fruity appetizer, however, should be paired with a more sugary, off-dry wine such as Chenin Blanc. Another seemingly obvious fact I had never considered before was that regional cuisines, if nothing else, pair well with wines from that particular region.

After our brief overview, the wine began to flow. The L. Mawby Blancs de Blancs sparkling wine from Michigan was deliciously crisp and not overly fruity. While hints of apple came through, I was pleasantly surprised at its refreshing finish.

While sipping our sparkling wine, Travis brought out three cutting boards complete with warm, crusty French bread and Eve’s famous spreads: guava butter, garlic herb and harissa. While I am usually partial to the aromatically sweet guava butter for its smoothness and dessert-like appeal, I found myself reaching more and more for the harissa spread made from North African hot red peppers. Its slightly smoked flavor and mild spiciness was addicting.

Grilled jumbo shrimp with mango and papaya chutney and mango cream sauce

Sarah Mintz | Contributor

Our first course, grilled jumbo shrimp with mango and papaya chutney served over a mango cream sauce, was refreshingly delicious. The shrimp, slightly dusted with pepper and tossed in a chili mélange (mixed pepper) blend, was cooked to perfection. Going along with Eve’s advocacy of sustainability and supporting local agriculture, the restaurant gets its shrimp from the cleanest shrimp farm in the world located nearby in Okemos. The slightly sweet shrimp paired with the slightly sweet sparkling wine paired wonderfully. When owner Eve checked in later in the evening, I requested this appetizer be put on the menu.

Next to our table was a menu staple at Eve: the curried mussels. The rich curry sauce was spiced to perfection, and the mussels were wonderfully prepared. The best part was the french bread accompanying the dish for sopping up extra sauce. I salivate just thinking about this dish; thankfully, it is on the menu. 

Curried mussels

Sarah Mintz | Contributor

The curried mussels were paired with two wines, a Marc Bredif Vouvray Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley in France and a Gunderloch Riesling. I enjoyed how the flavors of my curried mussel dish changed with each wine, something I had never experienced before. For instance, I tasted significantly more mussel flavor with the Chenin Blanc and more curry sauce with the Riesling. Also, as the spiciness of the curry sauce intensified, it became more difficult for me to taste the Chenin Blanc. While I prefer the semi-dry Riesling with this dish, both wines paired well.

Mushroom fricasse

Sarah Mintz | Contributor

Our third course was a mushroom fricassee complete with gnocchi and New Zealand Oyster mushrooms over a Parmigiano-Reggiano crisp. The light, fluffy gnocchi pillows mixed well with the velvety oyster mushrooms, while the cheesy crisp gave the dish its bold flavor. The mushroom fricassee was served with a New Zealand Pinot Noir and Southern Rome Cote Du Rhone. While both wines paired well, I found the Cote Du Rhone much more enjoyable. A 50 percent Grenache and 50 percent Syrah blend, the Cote Du Rhone brought out unexpected yet delicious pomegranate and berry flavors with a nice earthy tone finish.

Smoked mozzarella wonton with barbecued beef tenderloin medallion.

Sarah Mintz | Contributor

The last course was a creation Eve is working on as a new menu addition; it was my favorite course of the evening. This dish used Eve’s famous wontons topped with smoked mozzarella and then added a beef tenderloin medallion marinated with smoked barbecu sauce and grilled. We ate this dish the Cote Du Rhone and a full-bodied Gerard Petite Syrah, which both brought out extremely different flavors of the dish. Again I was partial to the Cote Du Rhone as the Petite Syrah had too harsh of a plum flavor and overpowered the barbecue and mozzarella essence in the food.

For the dessert , we were each delivered a glass of after-dinner wine. I thoroughly enjoyed my glass of Sherry, ultra-sweet with hints of fresh red grapes, dates and even a molasses flavor.

Service at the event was flawless. Our water glasses were always full, and flatware was always replaced. And even though this was a wine tasting, Travis ensured that our wine glasses were never empty. Now that is my kind of wine tasting! Travis was also very mindful of food allergies. When one man mentioned his shrimp allergy, Travis immediately apologized for not asking about allergies sooner, took away the shrimp appetizer, and returned in less than a minute with a beautiful escolar dish.

This event was an interactive and extremely enjoyable way to taste some of Eve’s most food friendly wines combined with a mix of bold and unique flavors in the food, all through a comparison of body, weight, flavor profile and cooking methods. Although we were served smaller portions of many dishes, I loved the unique flavor combinations of each serving and the tastes brought out with each wine pairing. Eve is definitely a Top Chef in my book.

Eve the Restaurant
Address: 415 N. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor
Phone: 734-222-0711
Cuisine: Contemporary French, with North African, West African, Cuban and Vietnamese influences
Payment: Credit card or cash
Alcohol: Full bar
Prices: Appetizers $10-$15; entrees $26-$35; desserts $4-$10
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Outdoor seating: Yes
Reservations accepted: Yes 
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Specials: Complimentary appetizers and music every Thursday 9:30 - 11 p.m.; Happy hour every Tuesday-Friday 5-7 p.m.: 20% off wines by the glass, and seasonal appetizer and cocktail specials.

Sarah Mintz is a new contributor to AnnArbor.com's Food and Drink section. She is a senior at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. You can follow Sarah's other dining blog and contact Sarah at smintz@umich.edu.