There is a rather curious sight when one is at the corner of Dequinder and Thirteen Mile Road in Madison Heights, a Northern suburb of Detroit.  If one is even remotely familiar with the game of golf there is a building that evokes the fabled clubhouse that becomes famous at least once a year in Augusta, Georgia.  Not only does this building resemble the clubhouse it is called The Masters Restaurant and when one enters it, they are surrounded by all sorts of golf memorabilia from antiques to present day.  My Bride and all of her female relatives frequent this location for their monthly “Cousins” get-together and I have had the good fortune to go there a couple of times a year with my dinner group.

The other night I met my group for dinner and it was a very fine evening to be with the guys.  Our hosts that evening started the dinner off with hot and cold appetizers of cocoanut shrimp, chicken wings, assorted cheeses, crackers, fruits and vegetables.  This followed by a house salad, which was beyond the norm of just iceberg lettuce and dressing, which some restaurants call a house salad.  Our hosts that evening chose three different dishes for us to choose as our entrée; Prime Rib, Whitefish and Chicken Marsala.  The dinner ended with a chocolate sundae and coffee, and then we began our meeting.  I took advantage of the Prime Rib with fresh horseradish and potatoes, as it is a dish that one seldom sees anymore being offered, and at one time it was a standard dish offered by most restaurants.

After having a cold cocktail to fight off the humidity of the day and early evening, I asked to see the wine list.  I had no intention of ordering a bottle of wine as this was a dinner where I was not a host and that would be too presumptuous on my part, but I did wish to see what was being offered by the glass, instead of just asking for a “Cabernet Sauvignon” or just a “Red Wine.”  As I looked at the list, I saw a wine that was a red blend from a winery that I have enjoyed several of their wines in the past, namely Ferrari-Carano Vineyards & Winery of Healdsburg, California in the Sonoma County.  The wine that caught my eye was Siena 2010 which is from their “Spirit of Italy” collection.  This wine is a blend of the following varietals; Sangiovese, Malbec, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.  As soon as I ordered a glass of this wine, another man did as well, telling our server, that he knows his wines.  Since this wine is predominately made from the Sangiovese grape, it has that mellow Italian flavor, a good color, a soft nose and I enjoyed it with my Prime Rib dinner.  The other gentleman at my table also enjoyed the wine and made it point to tell me that I had made a good selection as he was having the same dinner as I was.