Culinary Quest

We arrived at The Wine Market store prior to our reservations so that we could browse the shelves for some interesting wines.  I had my heart set on finding a good Alsatian white, while my girlfriend was looking for a rosé.  Of course, our eyes were always peeled for a fabulous Port, as well.  As I turned the first corner, I came upon a display of whites from Alsace and proceeded to pore over the labels, hoping to find a familiar winery from my recent reading of Wine News.  A bit overwhelmed, I asked the gentleman at the counter for help.  To my great relief, he was a wealth of knowledge, providing me with information on each wine and winery, and making suggestions for pairings as well.  Leaving me to ponder my choices, he offered my girlfriend his assistance with her quest for a rosé.  Having located the wines we wanted, we turned our quest to Ports.  The selection here seemed limited at first; however, when we asked for specific Ports that we were unable to find on the shelves, the same gentleman to help us, he quickly disappeared into the back room to go through the store's stock.  Shortly, he returned with one of our requests, letting us know that he could order the other Port (and almost any other request, for that matter) should we so desire.  We made our purchase and asked the gentleman to hold our wine behind the counter while we dined.

We arrived early for our reservations, which allowed me to survey the café’s décor and use of space.  The loft like dining area allows for mingling at the wine bar, movement between tables, and a very relaxed feel to the room.  The room itself is done post-modern, with exposed air-ducts and high ceilings indicating that this building was probably used as a warehouse at one time.  The long wine bar is of a beautiful dark wood which picks up the lighting wonderfully, both from the overhead lights and the copious sunlight coming through the windows lining the wall.  Wall hangings are minimal, but tasteful.

The maitre d’ seats us by the window and hands us our menus and a wine list.  The menus are kept under plexiglass clipboards, allowing them to be changed as necessary, ensuring fresh, seasonal ingredients, and allowing new dishes to be added periodically.  Today’s choices look scrumptious.  There is a list of "Small Stuff" that includes such wonders as Marinated Olives and Potatoes, also a House Made Country Pork Pate with Apricot Brandy Compote, Honey Onion Roasted Baguette, and a Mustard Trio.  The Starters list such items as Swedish Asparagus Soup with Crisp House-Cured Ham and Lavender Crème Fraiche, or Caramelized Onion and Bleu Cheese Tart with Pistachio Dusted Frisee, Port Wine and Pumpkin Seed Dressing and a Cherry Citrus Compote.  Oh, but the Entrees take the cake.  Here, you will find Chef deLutis’s creative mind at work, with dishes such as African Barbequed Lamb Shank with Plantain, Sweet Yam and Dried Currant Hash with Asparagus in Brown Butter, or Saffron Poached Sea Scallops with a Romanesco Crust over Fennel and Rock Shrimp Risotto with a Light Lobster Cream Sauce, and the delectable looking Prosciutto Seared Tuna, White Bean and Herb Ragout, Braised Leek, Espangole, and Fig Pistachio Tapenade.  I decided not to even look at the list of sides.

After a little contemplation, I decide to start my meal with the Espresso Barbequed Short Ribs with Warm Cornmeal Dust Over White Beans Slow Braised with Smoked Ham and Greens.  For my entrée, I will have the Olive Crusted Tuna, Seared Rare, with Peruvian Blue Potato and Haricot Verts Salad, Red Pepper Infused Goat Cheese, Poached Egg, and White Balsamic Vinaigrette.  There are so many different elements to this dish, many of which will be quite new to me, that it calls out to be ordered.  My first inclination is to order a Pinot Noir for the tuna; however, I am sure that there is a better pairing.  I will ask my server for help.

My server arrives to take our order, and we ask some questions first to be sure that we have not missed something on the menu.  Concluding that mine is the right choice, I order and ask the server to select an appropriate wine to accompany my entrée.  Her face lights up at the prospect, and she states that she knows exactly which wine will go with both of my courses.  This excites me, too, since I did not think there would be a wine to accompany both the short rib and the tuna courses, given the flavors in each.  This will be a real test of my server’s wine acumen.

After placing our order with the kitchen, my server brought us a basket of bread with an olive oil with roasted tomato in it.  This was a most delicious mixture to dip our bread into, a very different flavor combination than other restaurants have offered.  As my girlfriend and I were talking about The Wine Market’s charm, our wines arrived.  My server had procured a glass of Ten Mile, 2005, "The Broken Road," a California red wine, for me.  This wine was inspired by the late 19^th century field blends, combining a number of dry farmed, old vine vineyards.  "The Broken Road" is a blend of Petite Syrah, Zinfandel, Barbera, Malbec, and Carignane.

I toyed with the idea of waiting for my entrée before examining the wine, thus allowing it to breathe a bit.  However, when my appetizer arrived a short time later, I could not resist the temptation of finding out whether my server had picked a winner.

“The Broken Road" is as purple as Welch’s grape juice.  The nose is fruity with freshly brewed herbal tea.  It has a very pleasant, fruity taste, with strong berry tones that mirror the fruity nose.  Lots of blue fruit and just a touch of sweet tannin. It has great legs and a long finish.  I suggest this red for people who do not have a full appreciation for wine.  Nevertheless, it is a very enjoyable drink. 

The short rib is served in bowl, surrounded by the white beans and smoked ham and greens.  The short rib is as thick as my index finger is long and as long as my hand is wide.  If I did not know what I ordered, this could be any large piece of meat.  Covering the short rib is a piquant smelling barbeque sauce.  I attempt to cut the short rib with my fork, testing for tenderness.  The fork cuts through the meat like a hot knife through butter!  The meat has obviously been slow-cooked to achieve such a perfect state.  Of course, I must taste to be sure that all is not a ruse.  Oh, the flavors!  There is but a hint of the espresso in the barbeque sauce which is rich with a combination of sweet and spicy.  And the meat absolutely melts in my mouth.  The meat is flavorful and fills the palate.

A sip of my wine follows.  Interestingly enough, the wine augments tastes in the barbeque sauce and intensifies the meatiness of the short rib.  This is a very good accompaniment for the appetizer.

The white beans are hearty and hold the barbeque sauce well, creating a baked beans of a sort. Using these as an addition to the short rib works well.  The smoked ham and greens make a wonderful vegetable side dish for the short rib.  The smoked ham plays well against the barbeque sauce, and the greens function as healthful filler capable of carrying the dish’s flavors without the addition of any overpowering tastes of their own.  In all, the appetizer marks a fabulous beginning to my meal.

I only sipped at my wine during the first course, so I decline a second glass when my server refills my water and clears our dishes. 

My entrée arrives, served on a rectangular plate.  To the left is the olive crusted tuna, atop of which is the poached egg.  Positioned next to the tuna is a triangle of red pepper infused goat cheese.  At the right side of the plate, in a ramekin, is a large serving of the Peruvian blue potato and Haricot Verts salad with white balsamic vinaigrette.  The colors of the dish are very appealing.  My eye is drawn to each element’s texture, as well.  Obviously, a great deal of time was spent designing, preparing, and presenting this dish.  But would the flavors work together?

I begin by tasting the poached egg.  The egg is cooked so that only the center of the yolk is soft.  The egg is fresh and flavorful.  Next, I try the tuna.  I am a fan of seared rare tuna, so I am a little disappointed to find that the fish is a bit overcooked.  I would say that this has been done medium-rare.  The flavors are very good—the tuna combined with the olive crust, but the tuna is a little dry to be able to carry the crust.  The flavor of the olive crust dominates that of the tuna.  I try the wine with the tuna.  The wine seems a bit sweet for the fish.  Neither the wine’s fruitiness, nor its sweet finish is particularly complementary.

Working my way to the right, I taste the goat cheese.  This is magnificent.  The red pepper and goat cheese play well with each other.  Neither one takes center stage; rather, they combine flawlessly to produce a singular flavor unique to this mixture.  This would make a great party spread.  A sip of the wine demonstrates that what may not work with one thing, can work with something else.  Here, “The Broken Road” shows its sweet tannins to best effect with the cheese.  I probably would not choose to serve this wine with ordinary goat cheese, but with the red pepper infusion, the two go well together.

Finally, I arrive at the Peruvian blue potato and Haricot Verts salad.  The Peruvian blue potatoes, I must emphasize, do not taste like ordinary potatoes.  They are not as starchy as a baking potato, and they do not taste like sweet potatoes either.  These potatoes have a deeply earthy taste.  The Haricot Verts are fresh, crisp, and green.  The salad is dusted with spicy mustard.  The white balsamic vinaigrette used to finish the salad lacks the bite of black balsamic, making this a lighter, cleaner, springtime salad.  I am able to taste all of the ingredients separately without losing their individual characteristics in cups of mayonnaise.  The wine, however, does not complement this piece of my entrée well.  The tartness of the vinaigrette and the sweetness of the wine conflict with one another.  (I expected this.)

 After clearing our dinner plates, our server offers us the dessert menu.  Although there are many interesting selections, I immediately decide upon the Chocolate Trilogy.  This is described as Frangelica and chocolate paté, orange infused chocolate mousse, and hazelnut chocolate milk.  My theory is that if I have the opportunity to taste an assortment of desserts, I should take advantage of that.  Besides, I am a chocoholic. 

When our server returns, I place my order and ask for her help with an accompanying after dinner drink.  Specifically, I am interested in a chocolate wine listed on the dessert menu.  She guides me away from this wine, suggesting that I consider the Port paired with the dessert on the menu instead.  I note that I am familiar with the restaurant’s Port suggestion and ask that she surprise me with Port that will be a good match.  Admitting that Port’s are not her strong point, she tells me that she will get the bartender to choose a Port for me. 

Almost immediately, my server returns with a glass of Benjamin Tawny Port.  I am unfamiliar with this pour.  The color is, indeed, a deep tawny.  The nose is of raisin and brown sugar. It is medium to full-bodied with nutty and caramel flavors and a nice lingering finish.  I am certain that the caramel flavors will pair nicely with the chocolates in my dessert.

As my girlfriend and I discuss our Ports, our desserts are brought to the table by none other than Chef deLutis.  Nobody knows that I am reviewing the restaurant today, so this is obviously not an attempt to influence me.  Chef must just be very involved in creating the whole dining experience for his customers. 

The Chocolate Trilogy is arranged from left to right on a long rectangular dish.  I begin with the Frangelica and chocolate paté.  The chocolate is creamy and light with nuances of the Frangelica dancing through it.  There is no bitterness to the dessert and no evidence of alcohol.  I sip my Port.  The caramel flavors in the Port work marvelously with the chocolate, and the Port’s nutty flavors are intensified with the hazelnut of the Frangelica. 

The orange infused chocolate mousse is a thick, dark chocolate presentation.  The orange is hard to identify given the chocolate’s intensity.  But it is magnificent.  This is not the usual, pudding-like mousse that you find in most restaurants.  Instead, I am able to stand my spoon in this dessert.  I taste the Port.  Again, the caramel and nut of the Port accompany the chocolate perfectly.  I can taste the orange in the mousse a little better now. 

At last, I taste the hazelnut chocolate milk.  This is topped with whipped cream.  The mixture tastes wonderful.  Simple in its concept, it is a nice ending to a great dessert.  And when followed with a sip of Benjamin Tawny Port, the nut flavors intensify, the caramel flavors come out, and the chocolate becomes as smooth as silk.  

Here is where I get to grade my dining experience.  I grade on 5 factors:  Atmosphere, Service, Presentation, Taste, and Value.  These areas are scored on a 0 to 10 scale with 0 being the lowest and 10 being the highest.