Tag Archives: Wine Bar

Zula

Posted in Cincinnati by

Zula, Cincinnati (OTR)

I was back in Cincinnati for work but this time for a much shorter trip all the while I was still able to try one new restaurant! It was a bistro specializing in Mediterranean flavors and wine! A friend raved about the mussels so while I already knew my friend Lindsey and I were sharing a pot of those we had many other small plates to choose from. If you happen to love bacon this would be an especially good place for you since it was included in many of the dishes. We started out with the Plancha Mushrooms with smoked bacon, scallions, lime, & cilantro. The Yellow Fin Tuna Crudo with tomatoes, avocado, citrus, & Serrano peppers; I just loved the spiciness of the peppers and coolness of the raw fish. The Roasted Beet Salad with bleu cheese, herb salad, pistachios, & beet vinaigrette. The beet on beet flavors was cool to see since I would never think to do that myself. Then we pigged out on the Mediterranean Mussels the broth included scallions, Serrano peppers, garlic confit, lemon, parsley, mint, & sun-dried tomatoes. We ordered a side of bread too and were able to soak up all the soup we wanted, literally two meals in one! We shared a bottle of Kermit Lynch Côtes du Rhône, which may have been a little heavy for what we were having but we both enjoyed it since we tend to prefer heavier/ earthier wines! We finished the meal with a dessert that was out of this world. The Raspberry Marsala Cake was both light and sweet. It came with mascarpone cream and vanilla bean panna cotta. While both Lindsey were polite this is a dish you want the last bite of! We came on a week night so it wasn’t too busy and the waitress was great, she never loaded our table with too many dishes at once. The parking was a little problematic due to construction but besides that I wouldn’t say there were a whole lot of cons. 

Abigail Street

Posted in Cincinnati by

Abigail Street, Cincinnati (OTR)

This will be my last post for Cincinnati (at least for now) and while all restaurants have been beyond satisfying this dinner will resonate in my mind for a while. The menu won my friend Morgan and I over before we even got there but our waitress was also perfect because she could actually advise on the food & wine and not just give the standard party line: “the whole menu is great you won’t be disappointed”. That’s a huge pet peeve of mine.

We were first overwhelmed at the wine selection because not only did they have wine by the bottle but also on tap and while the wines on tap were enticing we decided on a bottle. Morgan and I shared all dishes and I’d say got a good array. First came the Butternut Squash Soup and Gnocchi. I am typically not a fan of butternut squash but this soup blew me away. It had strong flavors of curry and was anything but ordinary. The gnocchi were pan seared similar to pierogies and came with sautéed leeks and asparagus that only contributed to the whole dish. Next came the Beets, Moroccan Spiced Carrot Salad, and Grilled Hanger Steak.  I wouldn’t classify these plates as small but if you share you can get a few and be all the more satisfied. To finish up we got Baklava one walnut and one pistachio; the honey, nut, and filo dough combination is never a disappointment.

The plates all had focused flavors from the Mediterranean but included elements from northern Europe. Although that sounds like a challenging endeavor all were executed without a glitch.

Shucks Oyster & Wine Bar

Posted in Atlanta by

Shucks Oyster & Wine Bar, Brookhaven

This restaurant is combining oysters and grilled cheese, while I’m not sure how many people order both I think it’s a good idea to have something for everyone and when limiting to two “dishes” the restaurant can really spend time making all food worth while. It was a Friday and I was the first to arrive from my group so I wasted no time ordering a glass of Martin Codax from Albarino Spain, an agreeable dry crisp white wine. I admit that Atlanta doesn’t get that cold but on Friday night I was cold and when I saw chowder I didn’t hesitate. I ordered a cup of the Oyster Chowder, which was thick and creamy and actually had a worthy number of oysters in it. I then moved on to the Steamed Mussels which were in a traditional white wine broth, also very delightful. While I’m aware that this is an oyster bar and I didn’t order any on the half shell I noticed that they have a happy hour deal during the week that I will have to come back and try!