A chicken dish that requires some extra effort deserves a red with extra panache.
Hecht & Bannier Rouge Blend from France
I cook a lot. At least 4 dinners a week. Plus, I used to be chef/owner of a little restaurant in Denver where we changed the entire menu every month. I once tallied up our entrees over eight years. To simplify: 8 years x 12 months x 5 entrees per month with zero repeated dishes — 480 different entrees. And I cooked at home. And lunch specials every day, too. I truly love to cook something different every chance I get.
Of all the dishes I have made, this is the one dish that I crave. The one dish I absolutely love to cook. The one dish my wife and daughter request the most. The dish I cannot say no to. It is, in my humble opinion, the best American chef’s dish ever, from the incomparable Judy Rodgers of Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. Zuni Cafe Roast Chicken with Bread Salad. It’s a little complicated, but so worth it. Perfect crispy chicken skin with a soulful bread salad. A classic dish that everyone who knows, knows.
And for a classic dish, a classic wine: Hecht & Bannier Rouge or Rosé. (If it is cool outside, go red; if it’s warm out, go rosé.) The Rouge is a blend of Languedoc Syrah, Grenache and Carignan — think Côtes du Rhône with a touch of garrigue (brambly herbaceousness from the rosemary, thyme, sage, lavender, and juniper that are typical of the region).
Hecht & Bannier Rouge Blend or Rosé
F&F $15.99/btl (reg $18.99)
(Order online if you’d rather not come all the way into the shop. We’ll have it ready for you within an hour; just take a couple of steps inside our shop, pick up your order, and be on your way.)
(NOTE: You must be 21 to order and to pick up wine — please have your ID ready when you arrive.)