Weekend Getaway Part One: Duck Salad

This weekend featured a 24 hour getaway for the little lady and I… A quick drive down to Huntington Beach for some R&R at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort.

No time was wasted; a cup of coffee and an overnight bag in the back of the car and off we went.  We arranged for an early check-in before noon. The plan was to move as little as possible, but the pangs of hunger beckoned so we walked 70 paces to the elevator, took it down to the first floor, took another 70 paces into the restaurant and grabbed a table.

Moments later, the waiter brought me a tasty looking duck salad and a half bottle of 2005 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine.

The duck salad was good. Crispy coated, moist, flavorful duck on a bed of spring lettuces with a very mild citrus dressing.

And the Schramsberg was just what the doctor ordered. The nose had sweet, creamy aromas of pears and citrus, and those flavors continued on the palate along with apples and pineapples. It was crisp and dry with a balanced acidity and scattered streams of tiny bubbles. It was a great pairing with the crispy duck, though I could see this wine working with chicken or seafood dishes or all by itself before dinner.

It was a great way to kickoff my 24-hour beach retreat. After I finished my lunch, I pulled the bottle out of the ice bucket for glass #2 while I gazed out towards the water.

Dinner was even better, but I’ll talk about that tomorrow in Part Two…