Periodically, I get to accommodate my Bride to social functions for her business.  Some of the meetings are tied in with sessions held at resorts in different parts of the state, to make it fair to members, as the membership is state-wide.  This particular session was held only a couple miles away from our home, so it would not be financially prudent for us to stay at the resort.  The sessions were being held at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan.  St. John’s began as St. John’s Provincial Seminary in 1949 for the Archdiocese of Detroit.   There was also a private nine-hole Don Ross golf course, which has expanded to twenty-seven holes, since the Seminary closed and it became a hotel, with a beautiful chapel that is still used to this day.   The Seminary ceased in 1988, in 2000 it became St. John’s Golf & Conference Center, and in 2006 with the Inn at St. John’s.

Over the years, my Bride has been there for different professional meetings at the Inn at St. John’s, and we went there once, to dine at their 5ive Steakhouse, which is a play on their location on Five Mile Road.  The dinner began with a wonderful appetizer table, featuring about a dozen different fresh fruits, and then there were vegetables, a couple of different types of hummuses, breads and then some hot appetizers as well.  I thought I grabbed a remaki (bacon wrapped around a water chestnut and chicken liver pate), and it turned out to be rolled bacon around Gorgonzola cheese.  I lived.  After the appetizer and cocktail part of the evening, we then went and sat down and we had preprinted cards with our dinner selection that we had previously ordered, and the staff was also checking for any last-minute food allergies that the kitchen should know about.  We both started with a field greens salad with a Balsamic dressing, and then we both had a Petite Filet and Salmon with mashed potatoes and asparagus.   Followed by a very decadent Flourless Chocolate Cake that demanded some Black Coffee. 

The bar set up for the party had a nice selection of fine liquors and imported beers.  The wine selection was not of the same caliber, but that happens and I am sure that the caterers are happy to suggest their basic house wines.  All the wines were by Sycamore Lane, all were non-vintage and all were from California.  They were offering a Rosé (White Zinfandel), Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Sycamore Lane is an on-premise wine brand owned and produced by Trinchero Family Estates.  It was originally conceived to be a foodservice-only wine, but it can sometimes be found retail as well.  We started off with the Pinot Grigio and it tasted like a bulk version of a Pinot Grigio and it was rather dry, and I had people switch over to it from the White Zin and from the Chardonnay.  During the dinner portion of the evening, I had both a glass of the Pinot Grigio and a glass of the Merlot.  The Merlot was not indicative of that grape, but surprisingly it was rather nice with the Chocolate cake, that I tried out of curiosity as a pairing. The Pinot Grigio was the wine of the evening.