With his 2006 Award of Excellence, Chef Joe Monteiro of Miami Beach’s seafood/New American restaurant A Fish Called Avalon proudly presents raises a glass of greatness.
Miami Beach, FL – Winning the illustrious Wine Spectator Magazine Award of Excellence last year was the culmination of a lofty goal, but obtaining the prize yet again in 2006 was twice as exciting for Chef Joe Monteiro of Miami Beach’s A Fish Called Avalon.
In 2002, when Chef Monteiro was hired to run the restaurant on Ocean Drive, its menu was lacking in creativity. He turned things around in short order, and the restaurant soon earned rave reviews from local publications, the Four Diamonds Award from AAA, and an “Excellent” rating by Zagat.
The time had come for the staid, 60-label wine menu to be raised to the same heights. Chef Monteiro updated the list, adding more labels and increasing the caliber of current offerings. He then built an onsite wine cellar that would keep the bottles stored horizontally in a temperature-controlled environment, set to range from 64 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
When he applied for the 2005 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, the chef had the utmost confidence that A Fish Called Avalon was a true contender. He wrote the magazine’s editor, explaining that his award-winning restaurant had an inventory of approximately 3,800 bottles and 133 selections, mainly comprising Napa wines. [Chef Monteiro strongly believes in supporting vintners operating in the United States: “The majority of my wines are from California and Oregon. I do a lot of American wines. I like our product.”] The list now tops 160 selections.
Chef Monteiro adjusts the list often. Most recently, he says, “I shrank the amount of Merlots and Cabs, and I also shrank the Chardonnays and added alternate whites and reds and Meritages™. And I added a lot of stuff that is hard to get, some South American. I really focused on wines not available in the supermarkets.”
To keep abreast of trends, the chef and a few of his select employees regularly taste selections offered by reputable vendors. Then the servers at A Fish Called Avalon are trained to recommend appropriate pairings and serve them properly.
Perhaps his most trendsetting move, however, was to predict the public’s zeal for Pinot Noir. “I added six to 12 Pinot Noirs to keep up with the fever,” he explains. “It’s the hottest fruit right now. A great summery red. Actually, the last two weeks was the only time in six months that I had every one on my list available.”
The Pinot Noir is the perfect compliment for his salmon dishes, he adds. Obviously, matching selections with entrees is an important factor when the chef is considering adding new wines, but he also adds a few out-of-the-ordinary labels because his clientele enjoys experimentation. The list also changes in response to the shifting environmental conditions affecting vineyards.
And it will keep improving. “I like our product,” Chef Monteiro claims. “But we don’t have enough of a selection yet to win the Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence [400 labels]. I think we’ll be there soon enough.”
###
Media Contact:
Krista Zilizi
Quantified Marketing Group
706-627-3204
407-936-1010
kzilizi@quantifiedmarketing.com
|
