Wine Me, Dine Me!
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This site is a creation to share my experiences as an enophile, my love for food,
and just for fun. My goal here is to give thoughts and insight into food and wine pairing and
restaurant reviews, and wine tasting's. I hope to add a new face to the arena of food and wine experiences. |
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Review June 2007:
Bynums Steakhouse Indianapolis, IN
Well it was our anniversary, and yes I realize I have only updated the site once since our last anniversary,
but anyway we snuck out for a beautiful dinner together. We really wanted steak so thought we'd go with a safe
choice, Bynum's, maybe the best place for steak around. being tight on funds we decided to split the steak.
Looking over the menu and trying to save a dollar we settled on their t-bone, a 20 once piece of heaven.
Being in the steak mode is was just the night to have a baked potato, following their awesome onion soup, salad and bread.
As for the wine, I was conservative and went for their house cabernet. I have had thier house wine before and wrote on it, but they have a new house wine,
sycamore lane, and this one was the 2005. It was a nice wine nothing too special, but not boring either.
So nothing too special, what does that mean in a wine? for me on this night it meant a little pepper, and hint of spice,
high acid, but smooth. The color was a purple hue, with high legs easily 13+% alcohol. There were subtle bits of tar and
bark and an austere nose and palate, but still with ripe fruit. While I enjoyed this wine, I have an issue with how
wine is stored, every one thinks red wine must be at room temperature, what restaurants must know is
that the room temperature that is meant is cave temperature, 65-68 degrees Fahrenheit, not 72-75 degrees!
The warmer temp at most restaurants produces a wine that shows too much alcohol and acid and hides the subilties and
complexities of the wine.
So this night a special evening, our anniversary, dinner with my wife, was great.
As it always is Bynums delivered great food, good wine and with the after
dinner entertainment of Big Daddy joining us for a glass of wine a great time. On this night
the service earned a full glass, the food a full glass, the wine a
full glass, and the company a full bottle with a spilled strawberry daiquiri on the side. Cheers to wine friends!
Review April 2007:
Hal's Fabulous Vegas Bar & Grille Greenwood, IN
So my wife and I had a night out and we settled on Hal's, a place that has only been open for about six months.
With a night to ourselves with out the kids we thought we'd try out Hal's. It is a nice place, lot's of
Vegas flare, and they really stick to the theme. Upon entering we were seated right away, we got there just
before the rush.
As it always is when I go to dinner, which isn't as often as I'd like, I plan to drink wine, and have to order my meal based on wine.
Our waitress, who was obviously new or something, had suggested a wine that she had enjoyed there at a tasting.
So I bought a bottle. it just happened to be the least expensive on the menu as well, which was an added bonus, and it was a
red, a petite syrah from California, Guenoc Petite Syrah, Lake County CA, 2003.
For dinner I was having a tough time deciding, I settled on the Curry-Yaki Glazed Salmon, a Grilled Salmon filet glazed with a curried
teriyaki sauce served over wild rice and
strawberry mango salsa. For an appetizer we had ordered the Crab Stuffed Mushrooms,
mushroom caps stuffed with crabmeat,
celery, bell peppers, served with remoulade. Though I found a way to enjoy them they had a very "tuna salad" smell to them and for the price they did not give you enough to eat.
The Guenoc was tight, had a nose of pepper and spice, had high acid, a violet color, a purply mulberry hue.
Though starting out tight and with high acids it started to opening up nicely. Hints of floral notes began to show through as it
opened up, and lots of dark berry fruit. There were lots of black cherries, cassis, and brambles.
The wine opened so beautifully and delicately, there was lots of spice and heat, 14.5% alcohol, which I like! There were notes of cedar,
black pepper, and those floral notes never left and were so intricately subtle. The finish had a nice spice I had trouble nailing down the spice but it was good, clean and crisp.
The curry teriyaki glazed salmon had a nice peppery spice and went very well with the wine, the glaze was a fried chili sauce with papaya and cilantro. A good balanced wine with the right meal made for a great pairing.
So this night a wonderful special evening on a date with my wife, was great. The decor and atmosphere of the restaurant was perfect, being a 21 and over place was a nice change for us.
They paid much attention to detail and had great show and presentation, and even with a rookie waitress she did well, though could have had her timing a bit better,
gave us an excellent meal, good wine and respectable service. On this night the service earned a half glass, the food a full glass, the wine a
full glass, and the company a full bottle with a cocktail on the side. Cheers to wine friends!
Review June 2006:
Restaurant Du Soleil Indianapolis, IN
Celebrating our fifth anniversary I had to take my beautiful wife somewhere special, so why not go to
the latest, greatest new restaurant in town? Restaurant Du Soleil is a french inspired restaurant at the Conrad Hilton
in downtown Indy. I believe that Indy may not have been quite ready for this style of restaurant, but for one
night, I sure enjoyed myself.
Knowing I was going to have wine I had to read the wine list, an impressive list I may say. They offered around
20-25 wines by the glass, and many by the bottle, probably close to if not over a hundred. I had not decided what to eat but had narrowed it down to two items,
the saddle of lamb, or rib of veal. For the wine, that could have gone with either meal I ordered Rex Hill
pinot noir, 2004 from Oregon.
For my meal I settled on the saddle of lamb, and was not let down. It may have been the best piece of
meat I have ever tasted. By far the most plush dinning experience I have had thus far in life.
The wine on the other hand needed air badly, it started out very tight, but opened pretty quickly. At such an establishment they bring
the wine out, open it at the table side and pour a taste to be sure it meets your liking. My problem is there
is little wine I don't like!
Although it started tight there were high acids and I struggled getting a nose at first. But as it opened up there was lots of
berries, blackberries, and wild cherries. Plenty of fruit forwardness, with strong acids and a smooth finish.
I also had the soup of mushroom preceding my main course. The soup a puree of shiitake, chanterelles, morels I think, and maybe some more
was an explosion of flavor on the finish, and helped to bring out the cherry and current in the pinot, and
exposed its finish of pepper.
On this special occasion, the company was the best it could be, the saddle of lamb and the whole meal was just exquisite, and the wine was superb. I did not even mention the dessert, creme brulee,
homemade sherbet, and fresh strawberries with real whipped cream!
I could not have had a better dinning experience, though the price was bit more than I would normally spend, the event was well worth it.
On this night the service earned a full glass, the food an overflowing glass, the wine a
full glass, and the company an overflowing glass with a full bottle. Cheers to wine friends!
Review January 2006:
Damon's Grill Indianapolis, IN
For my sisters birthday we went to Damon's Grill, not the best place for wine, but they have a small, very
short wine list. As per my usual method of ordering, I checked the wine list first.
I was in the mood for steak so I went with a good red wine, Black Swan Shiraz.
When the waitress brought it out to me she asked if I would taste it for her, so I
give her credit for trying. The wine was really tight, it needed some air.
I simply stated that it need time to open but fine. There was a peppery finish,
and it seemed the tannins were low but the acid was very high.
Wanting steak, I looked at the menu and settled on the bone-in Kansas City strip.
A good hearty cut of beef with lots of flavor and cooked properly. For sides I had steamed broccoli, and sauteed mushrooms and
onions, unfortunately the sides were getting cold when my meal came out.
Once the Shiraz opened up it had a nose of raspberry, currants, and maybe a bit of black cherry.
The meal was good, the wine and steak went good together, but I really could not
come up with anything more than it worked together. There was no magic when I paired
the food and wine, but they were not polar opposites either. Nothing special about the pairing,
but it was good enough for a second glass!
On this special occasion, the company was great, the food was alright, and the wine was okay.
And we did not embarrass my sister with song, but brought a nice cake and the waitress brought ice cream to the birthday girl and we did not even
order it! On this evening the service earned a full glass, the food a half glass, the wine a
half glass, and company an overflowing glass. Cheers to wine friends!
Review December 2005:
Longhorn Steakhouse Indianapolis, IN
For a Saturday afternoon lunch just me and the family went to Longhorn. I knew
I needed to add to the site so wine was going to be ordered. The question became what do they have
and what to eat! I choose Leaping Horse Chardonney from Lodi, and had the grilled shrimp over rice pilaf with steamed veggies
and a chipotle ranch sauce. Preceding the meal I had their lobster and shrimp chowder.
The wine was oaky, buttery, with toasted almonds, vanilla overtones, and a citrus finish.
The nose was very citrus, mangos and limes maybe some melon mixed in with oaky smokey vanilla in there a bit too.
The chowder was a buttery cream chowder with some good hints of black pepper.
The wine really brought out the pepper. Seafood really paired great with this wine.
The pepper in the chowder really became over powering after several bites and drowned
out the wine, but it worked as a good aperitif.
Grilled shrimp and the Chardonney was fabulous together. They complimented each other well,
and the wine brought out a subtle spice in the shrimp. Surprisingly the chipotle sauce even worked with
the wine, I thought it would be too strong but it was quite tame and the wine had
plenty of acid to cut through the sauce. The veggies were good and the butter on them brought tones of buttery
cream out from the wine. A meal I'd recommend and even have again.
As usual a great meal with great people. Another afternoon with
service that earned a full glass, the food a full glass, the wine a
full glass, and company an overflowing glass. Cheers to wine friends!
Review November 2005:
Bynums Steak House Indianapolis, IN
For my moms birthday we went to Bynums for lunch this past Saturday, and I
admit I forgot my notepad so these notes are from memory, so they'll be short!
I knew I had written about their steak tips and merlot, and had them with
the cab, so I wanted to try a white wine. I went for the house chardonney, which
is Canyon Creek I believe. It was a nice true CA chardonney complete with good
oak, lots of fruit forwardness, and fairly high acids. To match my food with
the wine I ordered the Santa Fe Chicken, a nice grilled chicken breast topped with
diced onions, tomatoes, and a slice of mozzarella cheese I think. Delicious!
The wine had notes of toasted nuts, some citrus fruits like mango and grapefruit,
and finished smooth and clean with a bit of citrine acid after taste but not unpleasant.
The chicken paired so well, the chicken brought out the fruit forwardness and
the wine pulled the hint of pepper used in the cooking out of the chicken. For my side I
had the steamed veggies, a medley of squash, snap peas, and red pepper, nothing too fancy
yet worked with the wine.
As usual a great meal with great people, and we brought our dessert, but shared with our server and offered
some to the owners since they are our neighbors! Another afternoon with
service that earned a full glass, the food a full glass, the wine a
full glass, and company an overflowing glass. Cheers to wine friends!
Review April 2005:
Texas Roadhouse Indianapolis, IN
Well as it always seems another night out with family, and another big group.
To seat us they put us at three separate tables, almost close enough to hold conversations.
I searched the "wine list" and they only have about five wines on it, and nothing jumps off the list.
You would think a steak house would carry some good red wines, but they had nothing above average. So I decided to go for a white wine and a chicken dish.
I ordered the Eco Domontii pinot grigio, nothing real special, but not plunk either. The nose was very citrus, lots of mangos, limes, and hint of lemon Rhine.
The tastes were bitter but clean, a short finish, but with a lingering citrine acidity that was not overwhelming.
For my meal I ordered the portobello chicken, a nice sized chicken breast grilled and smothered with a slice of
parmesan, and portobello slices and sauce. My side was the all the too usual in Indiana steamed veggies; carrots,
broccoli, and cauliflower, buttered and served. I added a bit of salt and pepper and they were well... steamed veggies.
The meal was nice, the portobello sauce was smooth and had just enough complexity in the flavors to not be boring. The wine paired well.
The biggest surprise were the vegetables with the wine, for such a simple side they complimented each other well, nothing to go back for, but made the meal worth while.
The chicken with the wine just worked, not flavor enhancing but they balanced each other nicely. The wine smoothed out the mushroom sauce,
a good balance, with simple subtle checks and balances for each other.
All in all a nice spring dinner with good company. The meal reminded me of a mid-summer afternoon lunch, clean, light, and refreshing. However the wine and strawberry
cheesecake did not go well, but it did not stop me from finishing both.
With another large group over ten we had no complaints and lots of laughs and good conversation. On this night the service earned a full glass, the food a moderate glass, the wine a moderate glass, and company an overflowing glass. Cheers!
Review March 2005:
Vito Provolone's Indianapolis, IN
One of my favorite places to eat, nice menu and pretty easy on the wallet for the quality of food. They offer
a good Italian menu and build your own pizzas. The wine list is nice as well,
reds, whites, rosè's, some house wines and some more expensive. Being Friday and lent I
knew I was eating seafood or vegetarian. I could not make up my mind on a white
wine so I went with the Lambrusco, from Cella. I then looked for my meal,
I chose the orange roughy florentine.
The lambrusco was light, refreshing and a bit spritzy. It had a hint of petalence.
It was fruity and had flavors of wild berries and bit of strawberry, and while
sweet there was a nice clean sourness to it. The wine started out with the spritz and
really bounced around the tongue, it finished clean and crisp. We had an order of cheese bread and I
had clam chowder for my aperitif. I was surprised how the lambrusco worked so well
with the butter cream sauce of the clam chowder, the chowder had a toasty oak
like a new world chardonney, amazing how the fruity wine and buttery, toasty chowder went together.
The orange roughy florentine also paired nice with the fruit forwardness
of the wine. There was something about the earthy spinach and citrine cooked fish that the wine just balanced it all out.
The big cheeses and spices made the spritzy wine seem even more refreshing and crisp.
The fish dish was clean and had a clean finish like the wine. All in all the whole meal
was nice, fresh and smooth. On this evening, as is the norm at Vito's the
service earned a full glass, the food received a full glass, the wine a full glass,
and the company of my wife, daughters and father-in-law an obvious overflowing glass. Cheers!
Review February 2005:
Bynum's Steakhouse. Indianapolis, IN
We revived our Saturday tradition of lunch at Bynum's after a several month layoff. On entrance my old neighbor, whom is still my parents neighbor, Bynum's owner was seating guests. She had not seen us in a while and could not believe how big my daughter has gotten. She asked where we wanted to sit, and we let her know our full crew of eleven was coming. We then took our seats in the rear of the restaurant.
I have had just about everything on the menu for lunch, and wanted revisit the steak tips, this time with the house merlot instead of house cabernet. This was an excellent choice. I began my lunch with coffee since I had not had my daily caffeine intake yet, and ordered the wine with my meal.
As I mentioned I had the steak tips with steamed veggies, and a glass of Canyon Road Merlot, what a combination! The nose of the merlot had hints of licorice, blackberries, plums, and tiny hint of wet leather with the slightest hint of earthiness. At first I could not get a flavor profile upon first sip of the wine. But after a few sips I could finally get through the complex layers and decipher the different flavors. With first contact with the tongue I got a little spice a pinch of earth, a little austere berry flavors, and a long but very smooth finish.
A sip of wine following a bite of meat brought the pepperiness of the meat, but the two married well. The wine and meat had a very good compliment to each other. There was nothing overpowering with this meal, nothing jumping out making the combination special, but the wine a food paired real good together.
After getting into the meal for five or ten minutes the wine began to open up nicely, the jammy fruit forward flavors really came alive. The fruity blackberry jam flavors were so delicious I wish I had ordered the wine earlier to allow it time to open up before the first taste. It was nice though to have the flavor profile change through the meal, it added a unique evolution of flavor to a great meal and great time. On this afternoon, as usual at Bynum's the service earned a full glass, the food a full glass, the wine a full glass, and the company an obvious overflowing glass. Cheers!
Review January 2005:
Colorado Steakhouse. Indianapolis, IN
We walked in and were seated right away, the best way to start with great service is no wait! It was about 6:00pm New Years day and just two of us. Once seated I knew I needed to order a good big red wine to go with the steak I knew I was going to order.
I ordered the Luna di Luna Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon. I am becoming quite the fan of blended wines. The wine was delicious by itself and even better with food. I ordered the Steak Soup over salad and was I ever surprised. The soup was great and had big hunks of meat and veggies in it, and was thick but not quite a stew. After a few bites I stopped and took a sip of wine and the magic happened, the soup brought out the earthy spice of the wine, and the wine brought out a nice peppery flavor that was in the soup and not there before.
The wine itself had a nice round balance and plenty of flavors, a bit of black cherries, some leather and little tar, rounded tannins and acid, the wine was dry but had some fruit for balance. For the main course I ordered the New York Strip.
The steak was nice and juicy, thick with lots of flavor. I ordered it medium and it was a bit under cooked for me but that is what I ordered and was was still good. The steak and wine were perfect together, each complimented each other to a perfect dinner.
To begin the year with a quiet night over a good dinner with just my wife and I could not have been much better. On this night the service earned a full glass, the food a full glass, the wine a full glass, and the company an obvious overflowing glass. Cheers!
Review September 2004:
The Old Spaghetti Factory. Indianapolis, IN
While waiting to be seated a few of us headed upstairs to the bar. The location of the restaurant in a dated building fits the authenticness and rusticness of the menu. The bar located upstairs fits the atmosphere almost as well as the shiraz fit my meal. The group had been up at a table at in the bar for a few minutes before I made my way upstairs, and they had already ordered a bottle of Delicato Shiraz.
The shiraz had a wonderful aroma of blackberries, austere earth, blueberries and hint of leather, and the flavors matched the aromas perfectly. It was to my advantage to arrive a minute later as the bottle had been open for several minutes and had time to develop its aromas and flavors before being poured into my glass.
Once seated for our meal it was time order another bottle, then scan the menu for something to match the shiraz, with many tomato and meat sauces to choose from this was not easy. I finally settled on zesty sausage with spaghetti and meat sauce, and what a pairing it turned out to be. The shiraz had already served as a gracious aperitif and the medium to big flavors had my palate cleansed and ready for the meal.
The zesty sausage with spaghetti and meat sauce went so well with the shiraz it was magical. The wine was able to tame and complement the zest and bring out a hint more of spice the sausage, as well as the sausage brought out a hint of pepper in the wine, just right. The shiraz also was bold enough to cut through the acidic meat and tomato sauce with out either over powering the other.
With a large group over ten we had no complaints and lots of laughs and good conversation. On this night the service earned a full glass, the food a full glass, the wine a full glass, and company an overflowing glass. Cheers!
Review August 2004:
White Point Seafood Cafe and Bar. North Myrtle Beach, SC
As we pulled into the parking lot, and saw the small size of the building my wife questioned whether we wanted to dine here. I had found the restaurant i a things to do guide at the condo we were staying at and thought the food sounding good. Maybe I should have listened to my wife.
Upon entering the building it appeared to a be more of a bar with a few tables one side of the place to dine if you wanted. It's a small and quaint place, decorated with many items you'd find dockside, but appropriate for the menu.
The service was a bit better than a dive bar, but that's about it. Though they did bring out hush puppies when the menus were brought to the table.
The menu itself was nothing more than a piece of laminated card stock, and the choices were few. They had no grilled items, fried or deep-fried shrimp was about it. A few steaks and chicken entree's, and limited fish for a seafood cafe.
The wine list was the worst part of the menu, the list read: Chardonney, Pinot Grigio, White Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and that's it, nothing else to be said. I ordered a Pinot Grigio, by the taste it was a California wine, and the waitress had forgot my drink order so I had wait until she brought everyone else's drinks before I made my order. The wines were all $3.50 a glass which I thought was good until I was given an 8 ounce glass that was barely two-thirds full.
After reading the menu three times and seeing that the only shrimp dishes were fried, I asked what the catch of the day was, grouper. I then asked if it was fried or battered, no one noticed my sarcasm or paid any attention to it at least. When told the grouper was grilled I ordered, and my choice of sides, cole slaw, fries, or baked potato, I went for the baked.
Everyone agreed that the meal was okay at best, but then I received my check. After discounts to the food and "bar" drinks, for my wife, daughter(2years old) and myself it was still fifty dollars, and for the food, wine, and service, hardly worth it. But that did include gratuity since our whole party counting the children was over 8 guest. By doing that the waitress probably shorted herself another twenty-plus bucks for the night, but that was her loss. My loss was not getting a good dinner or good wine.
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