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Many have seen the glossy full-page ads or have attended a wedding reception at Carltun on the Park, a top notch catering facility opened in 1995 and located deep in the heart of Nassau County's Eisenhower Park. The Carltun has a reputation for being the "10 pound Gorilla" of exquisite social venues. Lesser few may know that the Carltun is much more than a catering facility, they are a multi-faceted restaurant to boot. Multi-faceted is an understatement, because the Carltun has as many as eight different restaurant rooms within 3 floors of it's massive 85,000 square foot facility.

• The Palm Court Restaurant
• The Wine Cellar
• The Gallery
• Peter Beard Tap Room
• The Drawing Room
• The Grand Ballroom
• The Secret Dining Room
• Havana's- a private Cigar Club

For several years, I have been aware of the Carltun on the Park's commitment to fine cuisine and local wines. They have hosted the Long Island Wine Country Experience, presented by the Long Island Wine Council and benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

New Weekly Gourmet Wine Dinners
The Carltun has now developed a fantastic series of weekly wine dinners. Each dinner is carefully planned by Executive Chef Rodrigo Bernal and Sommelier Natalie Zalevska. The wine dinners have been created to bring together the worlds of food and wine in an enlightening manner. They explore the most outrageously delicious wines from around the world and demonstrate how they interact with food.

Dinners range from 4 to 6 courses each paired with American and International wines. They also offer mid week specials (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday) with wine & food pairing meals starting at only $39 per person. The more extensive 4 and 6 course wine dinners are conducted on Fridays in the restaurants spectacular underground wine cellar. The cellar is elegantly decorated with fine wood furnishing and dining tables. The massive collection of wines are the center of attraction in the wine cellar room. It's wall-to-wall/floor-to-ceiling wine racks store the wine behind glass, in a temperature controlled climate . Having a special wine dinner in this elegant and romantic setting is my idea for truly celebrating life. The full course dinners take about three hours featuring up to 6 courses. They cost between $ 99 and $125 per person, which is an excellent value considering the fine wines and food that will be savored.

My wife Darcy and I had the recent pleasure of enjoying a fantastic gourmet wine dinner at the Carltun. We were honored to be guests of Owner Anthony Capetola who joined us for dinner. Mr. Capetola is an Attorney turned professional Restaurateur. His love of fine wine and food is contagious, especially when he talks about his wine cellar and culinary team.

During each course, Sommelier Natalie Zalevska personally introduced us to the wines that she carefully selected for the dinner. "I try to change the featured wines on a weekly basis" explained Ms. Zalevska . "This way our frequent guests may enjoy a different range of wines each time they visit."

During our visit we enjoyed the following menu:

THE CARLTUN WINE CELLAR DINNER
Foie Gras
Schramsberg, Blanc de Noir, Napa Valley,1997

Tuna Ceviche
Sauvignon Blanc, Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2000

Crispy Red Snapper & Corn-Tomato Beurre Blanc
Chardonnay, Bateleur, De Westsof Estate, South Africa, 1998

Pan Seared Ostrich in a Lingonberry Vinaigarette
Bourgogne Rouge,Joseph Faiveley, Burgundy, 1998

Wild Boar Wellington in a Fig Sauce
Piastraia (Merlot/Sangiovese/Cabernet/Syrah), Michele Satta, Tuscany,1997

Crème Brulee Tasting
Muscat de Rivesaltes, M.Chapoutier, Rhone, France, 1999

We were delighted with the diverse wines that were paired with this highly creative menu. The chef's creations included a delicious Fried Foie Gras, firm textured Red Snapper, lean Ostrich and surprisingly prepared Wild Boar in a Wellington Fig Sauce garnished with a sweet fried plantain. The overall meal was a "10" on our gastronomic pleasure scale.

The wide selection of International wines were a "wine lovers treat". Although all the wines of the evening were spectacular, these two wines stood out for us:

Schramsberg of Napa's "Blanc de Noir" (white from black) uses red Pinot Noir grapes,blended with a small percentage of Chardonnay. As a result this sparkling wine presents a richer more fruity aroma than Brut Champagne. This sparkler has been awarded with ratings of 90 to 95 points by national wine publications.

The Bourgogne Rouge, from Joseph Faiveley, Burgundy, 1998, is a superbly crafted, elegant grand cru burgundy. This burgundy stood out for it's grapes reputation as "the prince of Pinot Noirs". Not to be confused with the California "jug "wine. Joseph Faiveley has a reputation for being one of France's most reliable producers. This wine was deliciously full of fruit with a long finish.

The dessert, should have been enjoyed in the beginning. (in my dreams). The Carltun knocked our socks off with a plate of three uniquely different Crème Brulee's (traditional, chocolate & key lime flavors) that tasted like heaven times ten!

The Massive Wine List

The Carltun's massive wine list rivals world famous "haute" eateries. When compared to the restaurants that were named in Wine Spectator Magazine's "2002 Best Restaurants for Wine Lovers" , the Carltun's wine list is serious in breadth and depth at 86 pages. The Calrtun cellars 35,000 bottles/2000 wine selections, which is more expansive than the famed Restaurant Daniel in New York City or at Opus Restaurant in Toronto.

Carltun Owner Anthony Capetola is an obvious Francophile. He proudly gave us a special peak inside the wine cellar. To my amazement, he pulled out a bottle of 1928 Château Cos d'Estournel Bordeaux (2 me Cru) which is listed on the wine list at $7,500 per bottle. This rare wine as well as a few others (Château Lafite 1949 and Château Latour 1959) have been part of the most notable wine collections in New York, President John F. Kennedy's wine cellar.

The list offers an impressive array of 25 different wines by the glass. We were disappointed that no Long Island Wines were found on the "by the glass" list. There were 9 American wines on the by-the-glass list. The rest were International wines heavily weighted with French varietals.

Although the list of wines-by-the-bottle is mainly French. There is only page devoted to New York State wines, Long Island wine accounts for only 12 selections, I was told by the Sommelier that the Carltun now plans to expand its selection of Long Island wine. "Cabernet Franc is successful and also Merlot is growing very well. Also the sparkling and dessert wines have a great future." commented Natalie Zalevska.

The Carltun currently offers the following
New York/Long Island wines by the bottle:
Chardonnay

• Bedell Cellars
• Duck Walk Vineyards
• Herman J. Weimer
• Millbrook

• Duck Walk

• Pellegrini
• Corey Creek
• Galluccio/Gristina

• Pindar Mythology

• Galluccio/Gristina
• Osprey's Dominion
• Pellegrini

The Chef

Chef Rodrigo Bernal is a native of Columbia. He has extensive culinary experience steeped in the South American tradition of hospitality and friendly service.

This chef specializes in seafood dishes; Pan Seared Yellow Fin Tuna with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes, Served with Carrot Ginger Sauce and Soy Glaze- Chef Comments: I love Tuna. The carrot ginger sauce is 100% vegetarian, which is ideal for vegetarians who still eat fish. In my opinion, this is a perfect meal.

Roasted Chilean Sea Bass with Port Jerez Reduction Over a Bead of Spinach and Mashed Chef Comments: Potatoes-Chilean Sea Bass is a very mild fish with a soft texture. Any fish lover will find this dish delightful.

When asked what makes his meals distinctive, Chef Bernal told me "I mix the flavors, emphasize presentation and the decoration of every plate. It is my goal to make every meal something special for each one of our guests. I won't put out a meal that doesn't use all five senses. My perfect menu combines many different types of cooking styles".

Owner Anthony Capetola and his team of culinary and service professionals are committed to making each guests experience a memorable occasion. Dining at the Carltun is as visually exciting as it is a gastronomic treat. I highly recommend that you attend one of the Carltun's wine dinners. They are an exceptional value and highly educational! Anthony Capetola has duplicated his successful Carltun formula with additional restaurants in Atlantic City and Las Vegas.

Proprietor: Anthony Capetola
Executive Chef: Rodrigo Bernal
Sommelier: Natalie Zalevska
Wine Cellar: Over 35,000 Bottles/2000 different wines

The Carltun On The Park
Eisenhower Park
East Meadow, NY
Tel. (516) 542-0700 www.thecarltun.com

The Carltun Hospitality Company also owns two other fine establishments:

Temple Bar & Grill
Located in Caesars New Temple Lobby
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Tel. (609) 441-2345
www.templebarandgrill.com

Olio!
At the MGM Grand Hotel
3799 Las Vegas Blvd. SO
Las Vegas, Nevada
Tel. (702) 891-7775
www.oliolasvegas.com

FEATURED RECIPE:
FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
by Chef Rodrigo Bernal

Ingredients:

• 1lb. Butter
• 1lb. 8.oz Semi-sweet Chocolate(Force Noire 50%)
• 4.oz Granulated sugar
• 5.5 oz. Light corn syrup
• 10 whole eggs
• 3.5 oz. Coating chocolate(pate a glacer dark)

Ganache Glaze

• 7.oz Heavy cream
• 9 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate

Procedure:

Melt butter and chocolate chips in a large double boiler until chocolate melts. Combine sugar and light corn syrup in a light saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the eggs until well mixed, add the hot sugar corn syrup, mix slowly until double in volume and the mixture becomes thick(the mixture will change to paler color). Add chocolate mixture slowly. Divide batter into equal parts and spread evenly into two 9" cake pans and bake for 30 to 42 minutes in a water pan at 350 F. until set. Cool completely and refrigerate. Unmold after a couple of hours and melt chocolate coating, brushing the bottom part of the cake heavily. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and freeze for at least three hours to firm up.

Ganache

Place chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. In a saucepan bring cream to a boil over medium heat. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and let it set for a few seconds. Stir with a whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and the ganache is very smooth.

Remove the cake from the freezer and pour the ganache glaze over the top of the cake, spreading it evenly with a metal spatula( at this point it can be garnished with lines of melted white chocolate). Refrigerate and allow the ganache to set completely.

Cut the glazed cake into 12 equal parts.