TOWNSEND, Tenn. – The Dancing Bear Lodge & Appalachian Bistro is participating in the Smoky Mountain Snowdown with a trio of events, including a Wine Pairing Dinner to benefit the Appalachian Bear Rescue on Saturday, January 30, 2016 at 6:30 pm Eastern.

 

Dancing Bear will donate $50 of each $135 ticket sold to ABR, a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization based in Townsend. Each year black bears from our national parks and surrounding areas are orphaned, injured or in need of medical care. ABR has rehabilitated these bears and released them back to the wild since 1996.

 

Advance reservations are required by Wednesday, January 27 by calling Dancing Bear at 1-800-369-0111 ext. 2 or by going online to OpenTable at http://www.opentable.com/dancing-bear-appalachian-bistro-reservations-townsend?rid=174316&restref=174316.

 

This isn’t the first time Appalachian Bear Rescue has teamed with Mark and Sharon Oldham, the owners of Dancing Bear and the Apple Valley Country Stores & Café next door. Last summer, the Oldhams organized a concert, which was also a benefit event for ABR.

 

“We’re eager to do what we can to bring attention to the bear rescue and help with this worthy cause, “ Mark Oldham said.

 

Dana Dodd, President of the Board for Appalachian Bear Rescue, said the organization is proud to have a relationship with Dancing Bear and Apple Valley.

 

“Mark and Sharon Oldham have been supporters since they arrived in Townsend, and we appreciate them very much,” Dodd said. “We now have 21 bear cubs on site that we will need to provide food and shelter until April, and we will probably match our record of 35 cubs on site by the spring. Therefore, the support of local businesses is essential to give these animals a second chance at life in the wild. We hope everyone will come out to Dancing Bear and enjoy the marvelous food, have a good time and support this benefit.”

 

The Wine Pairing Dinner will feature dishes created by Executive Chef Shelley Cooper, featured in publications such as Bon Apetit, Food Arts, Food and Wine, Good Housekeeping, The Local Palate, and others. She will give a demonstration on Cast Iron Cooking at the restaurant from 11 am-2 pm on January 29th, also part of the local Snowdown festivities. 

 

Some tasting notes for the Wine Pairing Dinner:

  • Winter Vegetable Salad paired with Sans Liege “Call to Arms” Grenache Blanc & Roussanne 2012 (92 points on Wine Advocate): This wine begins with cool mint tastes swishing with pine boughs, lemon peel sorbet, wild coriander and soft nettle then finishes with the exotic flavor of grated ginger, raw honey, vanilla crème and honeysuckle and a strike of acidity that mixes well with the rainbow carrots, sugar snap peas, blood oranges, Buratta, Tennessee honey, and spicy peanut of the salad.
  • Seared Scallop paired with Frank Family Chardonnay 2013 (92 points on Wine Spectator): This Chardonnay has aromas of fresh tropical fruit, marzipan and honeysuckle jump from the glass. On the palate, the wine has generous notes of sweet vanilla, pear and Meyer lemon. Stone fruits and ripe citrus zest lead to the rich creamy mid palate, and fresh green apple on the finish. The wine has wonderful length and well-balanced acids. The flavors compliment the bacon custard, leeks, fingerlings, truffle, and frisee.
  • Veal Cheeks paired with Robert Biale “Black Chicken” Zinfandel 2012 (91 points on Wine Advocate): The ripe, layered blackberry flavors and aromas of cherry pie and spice combine with the dish’s pumpkin fritter, apples, cippollini onions, and Brussels, highlighting accents of smoky caramel, sage and licorice. Rich, dense and jammy, this label is perfect for fans of big wines.
  • Sorghum Syrup Cake paired by Prager 10-year-old “Noble Companion” tawny port (92.7 points on Wine Spectator): Sweet flavors of blackberry jam, crème de cassis, tangerine zest and vanilla wafer candy make this a great combination with the black walnut ice cream. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, this Port-style wine is balanced with bright, citrusy acidity as a very nice, satisfying after-dinner sipper.
  • Socializing snacks (breads, cheeses, hams & jams, oysters on the half shell, ginger & horseradish dressing, and lemon pepper fried frogs’ legs) will be paired with a wine TBD from neighboring Cades Cove Winery.

 

Eric Johansson of Knoxville Beverage Company will be on hand to answer questions about the wines.

 

The dinner is part of the Smoky Mountain Snowdown Winter Festival, an annual event attracting visitors to the community with attractions such as demonstrations, classes, workshops, and more. Apple Valley Country Stores will participate as well, giving away free Apple Cider samples on January 30 from 11 am to 5 pm. More than 40 events are scheduled for the weekend. The official schedule can be viewed online at http://www.snowdownfest.com/schedule-of-events/.

 

Advance reservations are also required for Cooper’s January 29 Cast Iron Cooking Demonstration, including lunch, cocktails, recipes and samples for $55 per person. It will be held at the Dancing Bear Appalachian Bistro, located at 7140 East Lamar Alexander Parkway in Townsend. The establishment reopened in August 2016 after several months of construction and has rapidly become Townsend’s hottest new restaurant and the town’s only full-service bar.

 

The bar will host a Bourbon Tasting Saturday, January 30, from 4-6 pm, serving bourbon drinks, craft cocktails and hot toddies. The cost of the event is $20, and advance reservations are required.

 

To learn more about Dancing Bear Lodge & Appalachian Bistro and see the menu for the Wine Pairing Dinner, visit https://dancingbearlodge.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Snowdown2016WinePair3.pdf