We go to museums often, sometimes just so that she can get her “steps” in, but the exhibits are always worth seeing.  My Bride recently found out that our daughter-in-law hadn’t been to the DIA, since maybe a grade school bus trip.  She immediately wanted to change that. The Detroit Institute of Arts was named the best by readers two years in a row by USA Today and has a three-star rating by Michelin Green Guide for Detroit.

We spent a couple of hours with them at the museum, which can hardly do the over one hundred exhibits in what is commonly appreciated as one of the top six museums in the country.  I have been going there consistently since my high school days, and to be truthful, I still see artwork that I don’t remember ever seeing.  We even stopped at the Kresge Court for a bit of nourishment.  The Kresge Court is named after S.S. Kresge who began with “dime stores” and eventually became K-Mart and was a major benefactor.  For years the Court was open air, but it is not protected from the elements and for years, my Bride would attend Breakfast with Bach sessions on the weekends.  I took advantage of the pause to enjoy a glass of Babich Wines Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, New Zealand 2025, and the winery is an historic wine estate based in Auckland, New Zealand.  It was established in 1916 by Josip Babich who arrived from Dalmatia (Croatia).  Babich owns properties in many of New Zealand’s major wine districts.  In 1987 they built a winery in Marlborough, where most of their present-day operations are done.  The fruit for this wine is harvested from various vineyards.  The juice was fermented in Stainless Steel tanks, and they use a mix of wild and inoculated yeast, and then the wine is blended.  The soft-golden yellow wine offered notes of tropical fruits and florals and then followed by some notes of green vegetation.  On the palate this light-to-medium bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of grapefruit, guava and peach, kissed by a lily and followed by some greens and ending with a mouthwatering finish of fruit and herbs; perfect for a summer afternoon.

As the museum was closing, we took our son and wife to Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails for dinner which is probably our favorite place to dine after the DIA, if we are staying in the area. Chartreuse is a digestive, a color and a restaurant that almost feels like an adjunct to all the museums in the area, as well as the ever-growing campus of Wayne State University.  The restaurant is perfect for sharing plates, which come out not in the sequence that you order, but as the kitchen finishes each order.  We started with Twice Cooked Egg with Werp Farm greens, Brussell Sprouts, Locatelli cheese, with a Warm-shallot vinaigrette.  And Steak Tartare with Dijon Remmy, Mango, Avocado, Egg Yolk, Fried Shallots, Chili Oil, Cilantro and Vinegar Potato Chips.  At Chartreuse with its varied menu, it is sometimes easier to order glass of wine.  We started with Avinyou Caves Brut Reserva Cava Penedes, Spain 2022. In 1889, Joan Esteve Marcé travelled to France and learned to cultivate grapevines to be immune to phylloxera.  The Can Fontanals Estate is organic and replanted vines from 1978 to 1988 on deep and well drained loamy-silty soils with small accumulations of calcium carbonate.  This wine is a blend of sixty percent Xarel-lo, twenty-five percent Macabeu and fifteen percent Parellada and all estate grown.  The fruit is night harvested, soft-pressed and initial fermentation in temperature controlled Stainless-Steel tanks.  Second Fermentation is done by Methode Traditionelle and aged for eighteen months.  The golden-yellow sparkling wine with persistent medium-size bubbles offered notes of apples, lemon zest, white florals, pastry and minerals.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of peaches, almonds and dried pineapple with a fine mousse and good acidity that ended with a medium-count finish of dried pineapple and minerals.

Then the ladies had a couple of plates that they shared along with the dishes that the men ordered.  There was Grilled Skewers of Shrimp with Jicama Slaw, Hibiscus, Jasmine Rice, Grilled Broccolini, Ajvar, Chili Oil and Scallions.  The other dish was Walleye with Roasted Spring Onion, Marinated Leeks and Artichokes, Charred Squash with Lemon-Mustard Dressing and Grilled Lemon. The wine chosen was Chateau Belingard Bergerac Blanc 2017.  Chateau Belingard is in the heart of the Dordogne Valley in the Perigord region.  It has been farmed by the de Bosredon family since 1830, and each generation sharing a passion for the Bergerac and Monbazillac terroirs.  This wine is a blend of sixty percent Sauvignon Blanc, twenty percent Semillon and twenty percent Muscadelle grown of limestone, covered in sandy and gravelly clay.  A deep yellow colored wine that offered notes of green apples, pears and quince followed by vanilla.  On the palate this light-to-medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of the ripe tree fruit and stone fruit ended with a nice refreshing medium-count finish of fruit, minerals, and a touch of honey and a trace of menthol.