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the chef at Up The Creek’s piano playing a favorite classical After our conversation with the owners, my husband Dan piece. and I were seated in the newborn creekside dining room. “Art, music and food are at our roots,” explained Mario. What was once a screened porch now is repurposed and “We fuse it all together. In the Eastern Sierra we were very polished into a space for the wine tasting bar and increased successful with that concept for the San Francisco clientele.” sit-down dinner seating. From our treetop window table, Up the Creek’s wine list and menu reflect Chef Jim’s we watch hummingbirds, herons and ducks reveling in Oak remarkable ability to pair just the right wine with his menu Creek. We started our feast with the roasted cauliflower items. “I see wine, I think of food,” stated the chef/sommelier/ prepared with roasted red pepper, capers, toasted almonds, musician. “What’s more, I like to add music to my wine date puree and balsamic drizzle; and the mushroom pairings.” When I asked for examples, he matched the perfect bruschetta with sautéed shallots, garlic and Marsala cream balance of food, wine and music: sauce. For the main, my tender venison medallions were • Venison with berry gastrique, Chopin and Cab Franc; served over a pyramid of heavenly rice soubise and artfully each earthy yet romantic. drizzled with a sweet-sour blueberry gastrique sauce. Dan • Wild boar with roasted pear chutney, early devoured his cooked-to-perfection ribeye with mushroomBeethoven and off-dry Riesling; classic and flowery with a shallot sauce, bacon and spinach, alongside a loaded baked colorful German heritage. potato. The chocolate espresso tort was the perfect finale to • Scallops with beurre blanc, Claude Debussy and a fabulous meal in the new, picturesque dining room. Sancerre; all light, white and produced in France. When you see Chef Jim at the piano, ask him to “When Jim played piano at the five-star Ahwahnee play some Led Zeppelin for you. And then ask for his Dining Room (in Yosemite National Park), he would mix in The recommendation of a wine to be paired with that music. Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin or Red Hot Chili Peppers with Chances are, he will have that special wine in his growing classical music,” said Mario with a smile. “People would come wine cellar. It’s all part of the fusion magic at Up The Creek in up and say, ‘That was great – what was that?’ ” Page Springs. Back in 2014, when the Mono Lake restaurant temporarily closed for the 2013-14 winter season, their sous chef secured a position at Up The Creek in Page Springs. “He got a job here and when we came to visit him, we discovered just how special this place is,” recalled chef Jim. “We met Dawn and Greg, the former owners. The restaurant wasn’t on the market, but they told us that they’d be interested in selling it to the right people.” He, Mario and their third partner, Michelle Mebine, secured a loan and took over the restaurant in December 2014. “We own the building and we own the property. That’s what we wanted – we didn’t want to continue to pay rent,” he added. Besides the menu and music, Venison Medallions, Soubise Rice, Blueberry Gastrique other fresh directions for the restaurant include wine tastings at the new tasting bar, a Up The Creek, 1975 N Page Springs Road, Cornville remodeled dining room and a novel wine club. Their recently www.UpTheCreekAZ.com 928-634-9954 Stacey “Vagabonding Lulu” Wittig is an Arizona travel writer who acquired off-sale liquor license allows guests to order wine loves to write about emerging wine regions. Follow her escapades at and beer by the case or bottle and bring it home as part of VagabondingLulu.com the wine club. november
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AZWINE lifestyle . com