Thursday, March 4, 2010

Home National Sports Business Lifestyles Religion Arts & Culture Pulse Spice Editorial letters Opinion Foodie Sportscope Real Talks Weekend Report PDF's Classifieds Contact About Us Archive Weather

Letters | Opinion | Editorial | Weekend Report
Delivering the verdict Shavaughn Moss: As promised folks, I made it a point to return to the newly opened Wine Lounge Tasting Room & Retail with one thing in mind — to try their Napa Style thin crust, hand-tossed pizza which I couldn't get on a previous visit, because they'd run out of figs. My verdict — it was good and I'd eat it again — but if you absolutely force me to make a choice, the Yukon Gold Pizza with potatoes, mushrooms and white truffle crème pizza has my name all over it. My date for the evening, on my recent visit was my five-year-old niece Waltonique, her pizza of choice was The Classic — cheese, tomato and pepperoni. For those who may be wondering why I took a tot with me to a wine bar, the answer is that the Wine Lounge has both indoor and outdoor dining and has an atmosphere that caters to the family as well as the couple looking for a quiet evening together. It's not a place where people hang out drinking to get drunk. Waltonique and I sat in the open-air courtyard, with quite a few other families with children her age, and as children will be children, I had to urge her to sit still, because all she wanted to do was get out of her chair and make friends. But, back to the point, on the evening that I took my niece for what I thought would be a pizza night, I was surprised to see that the Wine Lounge had extended their menu even more from my visit a week earlier and had started offering specials which are apparently a hit with their customers who have become regulars. I started out with the Smoked Salmon Chowder in Puff Pastry shell, and I must say that after my first spoonful, I had to sit back and savor that mouthful. Delicious! It was a creamy broth with chunks of potatoes and crispy-skinned smoked salmon that set my taste buds tingling. I later learned that the recipe came from the owner's wife. My spoon is raised to this woman who is worthy of praise. Next up, I had the Osso Bucco topped with gremolata with herbed rice — again — another of the owner's wife's recipes. I swear it was probably one of the best veal shank dishes I've ever had. The gremolata (a mix of parsley, garlic and lemon zest, which is sprinkled on top of the cooked meat) made all the difference, and provided a burst of lemony goodness at first bite. Fork-tender, it was a dish that even my niece enjoyed, and it was perfectly paired with the herb rice, which is simply white rice with fresh herbs that she loves. My hat is off to the chef. Apparently, a number of people tipped their hats to this gem of a cook, because both the chowder and the Osso Bucco were hits from the time they were introduced. And of course I couldn't send my plate back into the kitchen without asking for a spoon to try to get at that bone marrow, which to me is probably the best part of indulging in a little Osso Bucco. Between all of this I had a slice or maybe two of the Yukon Gold pizza, and two slices of the Napa Style pizza that I'd actually made the journey for, before I was most definitely deliciously sidetracked. Oh — can't forget the reason why I had gone back — the Napa Style, which has prosciutto, goat cheese and figs poached in a Syrah wine was fine, but after the Yukon Gold, and their newly-introduced specials, I'm spoiled for life. Almost forgot, satisfied my sweet tooth as I finished the evening with the raspberry and mango sorbets again, while Waltonique dove into chocolate ice cream sprinkled with nuts. The Wine Lounge Tasting Room & Retail is shaping up to be one of my top places of 2010, and it's still early in the year. If I'm saying this now, you better believe this place is something special. And it certainly seems like it's going to be a place that I will visit often. Making it that much more enticing is that I can actually take my nieces there. In speaking to the owner who is a family man himself, he knows the importance of being able to take his children out when he and his wife dine out, and he wanted a child-friendly environment that adults without children could feel comfortable in as well. Wednesday January 3, 2010