Tomorrow: Four Courses, Zero Chill

I do not usually calendar a Tuesday like a home opener. Then somebody said “lobster-claw risotto” and “Port wine fig sauce” in the same breath, and suddenly my week had a designated hitter.

Amore Restaurant is pouring its September Wine Dinner & Pairing tomorrow night — Tuesday, Sept. 29, 6 to 9 p.m. — at 180 N. Lime Avenue in downtown Sarasota. $140 per person, all-inclusive. Call 941-383-1111 to reserve; seating is limited, which is restaurant for “do not wing this.”

The lineup (verified, not vibes)

Per the Local Wine Events listing and Sarasota Patch, the four-course card goes like this:

Mumm Napa Brut Prestige with Farinheira-Alheira croquettes (that’s two Portuguese sausages sharing a fryer, plus a piri-piri honey-mustard situation)
Fiano di Avellino Empatia Donnachiara ’24 with lobster-claw risotto and a Grappa drizzle
Duas Quintas Douro Reserva ’22 with steak à Porto — seared filet scaloppini, Port wine fig sauce, cranberry Brussels sprouts, Portuguese migas
Licor Beirão with bread pudding and dark rum-caramel sauce

That is not a dinner. That is a road trip with better tannins.

Why my sports brain is involved

Course three is basically a Douro home run: Portuguese red, Port in the pan sauce, filet that did nothing wrong. Course four is the postgame press conference in dessert form. I will not claim any certification for saying that. I will claim that if you can sit through four courses without loosening your belt, you are lying to your group chat.

Amore’s regular nights run Wednesday through Sunday; this dinner is a special Tuesday pour, so treat the reservation line like a tee time you actually want. Details also live on amorelbk.com.

I’ll be the guy swirling the Fiano like it’s game tape. Stretch. Hydrate. Leave room for the Beirão.

— Kevin