This restaurant joins a growing list of similar bars and restaurants in the city that cater to a wine/foodie crowd and therefore incorporate aspects that may induce excitement in some diners or an eye roll from others. You can probably figure out which category I...fall into. Is it in a swanky renovated shotgun? Check. House made charcuterie? Check. Exotic menu ingredients and long descriptions? Check. Obligatory Banh Mi offering? Check. Obligatory pork belly offering? Check. Huge wine list? Well, it is a wine bar. Check. Not all of this is bad, mind you, just nothing new.
Let's get the bad news out of the way so I can end on a high note. The menu has interesting takes on such mundane things as ceasar salad, fritters, (done-to-death) savory cheesecake.....what we had was good but not great and not really an improvement on the basics. I don't quite understand the need to swank out all of the dishes. Cold smoked shrimp (on the salad) is an interesting foodie touch but gives the shrimp an odd almost raw texture, taking away one of the best features of shrimp in my opinion. And they didn't seem to have a smoky taste. Also the smoked shrimp salad dressing was blindingly hot. My wife and I can eat some pretty hot stuff so we had no problem finishing it but I would imagine if that is the usual recipe that some of these salads may get sent back. I ordered some crispy duck skin bruschetta that arrived with a healthy portion of duck skin but it was kinda soggy and not crispy at all. Flavor was OK but missing the main point of duck skin. Fritters were bland, I forgot what the ingredients were but weren't particularly noteworthy at any rate. First batch of fritters was still liquid in the middle so they were sent back and replaced with another order that then looked like they were left in the fryer a little too long. Smoked shrimp cheesecake was excellent however, and a decent portion, done up like a souffle in a big ramekin. If I come back I will order this with a good glass of white wine. I wasn't a fan of the food overall. Also the Cuban sandwich is $15.50. Yeah I get it, duck ham, etc. But still. I have seen so many menus like this in the last few years that reading them now just makes me tired. This menu feels thrown together from a list of must-have ingredients that are all the rage right now.
And now to the good stuff. The place is rustic and comfortable and has a beautiful patio outside. And there are tons of wines to choose from along with craft cocktails. Happy hour is the time to hit a place like this if you can. Come on a nice afternoon when you can sit outside. Try the cheesecake, its good.More