An Enchanted Evening with Heart and Hands and Evan Dawson!

It seemed as if it had rained 40 days and 40 nights, but sometime mid-afternoon on May 20th, the rain stopped, the sun came out and the sky cleared. By the time Jim and I arrived at the Aurora Inn on Cayuga Lake, the sky was blue and the air was warm. You couldn't have ordered a better evening. Evan Dawson set up his book signing station on the patio and Tom and Susan Higgins arrived. A lovely library wine was served: the 2007 Riesling while Crab Cakes Dijonaise, Beef Carpaccio and Shitake, Leek and Asiago Croustades were passed among the crowd by the staff from the Inn. We chatted with a couple from Baltimore who got into Heart & Hands wines through their daughter. They had flown in for the evening's dinner!

We walked through the french doors from the patio into the Lakeview Room where the tables were set (with lots of wine glasses) in preparation for the dinner. Although it was hard to leave the natural beauty of the lakeside patio, this room was gorgeous - with beautiful murals painted by Cleveland artist Glenn Moore Shaw in 1958 surrounding the room. The murals show scenes of the village and were originally hung in the front hall of the Inn. Shaw's murals were joined by four new panels of other Aurora scenes painted by local artists with the newest being the Wells College Boathouse painted by local artist Derwood Crocker. They were stunning.

We sat at our table and met new friends Terry and John, and Vicki and George. The meal began with Red Endive, Fennel and Frisee Salad topped with pistachios and ruby red grapefruit vinaigrette perfectly paired with the 2010 Dry Riesling. With each course, Tom gave information about the wine being served. Next came Coriander Crusted Scallops drizzled with carrot ginger puree and served on kohlrabi slaw paired with 2009 Polarity, another library wine. The Polarity, a chardonnay-like wine made with Pinot Noir grapes, was awesome. Tom tells us that more Polarity is in the future of Heart and Hands. The entree of grilled lamb chops on warm berry pilaf with spring vegetables, watercress and natural jus was served with a flight of Pinot Noir (2007 Barrel Reserve, 2008 Pinot Noir from the Sawmill Vineyard, and the 2008 Pinot from the Hobbit Hollow Vineyard). I loved the idea of the flight so that each wine could be tasted, appreciated and compared to the others. (And I also loved the lamb!) The meal was finished with a delicious fresh strawberry shortcake paired with sparkling 2009 Brute Rose while Tom and Evan Dawson entertained with "the stories that didn't make the book."

The wine was delicious, the food outstanding, the company wonderful, and the surroundings beautiful. Our hosts, Tom and Susan couldn't have been more excited about the evening. Evan Dawson obviously enjoyed his role and had a lot of fun as well. What a great evening!