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A16 Restaurant, S.F. Natural Wine Week, August 23-29 – San Francisco

Friday, August 20th, 2010

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2355 Chestnut St. | 415.771.2216 | Dinner: Mon-Thur 5:30pm-10:00pm, Fri 5:30pm-11pm, Sat 5:00pm-11:00pm, Sun 5:00pm-10:00pm | Lunch: Wed-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm

A16 – The cuisine of Campania and the wood fired pizzas of Naples brought to San Francisco’s Marina neighborhood.

SF Natural Wine Week, August 23-29
Ciao amici!

In celebration of Natural Wine Week, A16 Restaurant & Wine Bar will be hosting seven natural wine making leaders each night this coming week, the masters behind these great wines will be
joining us here at A16 as we will be pouring a lineup of their wines by the glass, carafe and bottle. We are honored to be participating in the city wide celebration of sustainable wine making practices and hope that you can join these wonderful wine makers to learn more about their craft and vision. Here is the line up for this coming week.

Monday, August 23 – Palmina Wines with Chrystal & Steve Clifton www.palminawines.com

Tuesday, August 24- Robert Sinskey Vineyards with Robert & Maria Helm Sinskey www.robertsinskey.com

Wednesday, August 25- Bonny Doon Vineyards with Randall Graham www.bonnydoonvineyard.com

Thursday, August 26- Unti Vineyards Mick and George Unti www.untivineyards.com

Friday, August 27- Whetstone Wine Cellars with Jamey Whetstone www.whetstonewinecellars.com

Saturday, August 28- Peay Vineyards with Andy Peay www.peayvineyards.com

Sunday, August 29- Brown Estate Vineyards with Deneen Brown & Stefanie Kelly
 www.brownestate.com

For more information about SF Natural wine week please see ( http://sfnaturalwineweek.wordpress.com/what-is-natural-wine/ )

Saluti!
click here

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Alloro Wine Bar & Restaurant, Bandon, Oregon – U.S.A.

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
By Sandy Driscoll

Bandon 2
Here we are in Bandon . . . on the beach.  This is the view from our motel room. All images on this post are ©2010 by restaurantdiningcritiques.com & Sandy Driscoll

Bandon, Oregon is a charming coastal town located 90 miles north of the California border.   With a population of 3100, they are known for their three world class golf courses, and spectacular rock-laden ocean sunset views.   http://www.bandon.com/
Last year, I discovered the Alloro Wine Bar and Restaurant, where I had a truly memorable meal.   Alloro is owned by Jeremy Buck and Lian Schmidt, both of whom lived and trained in Florence, Italy.   Jeremy is a talented chef who uses fresh local ingredients and Lian is the wine steward.   She is adept at picking just the right wine to go with Chef Buck’s Tuscan-inspired and innovative cuisine.   Everything is very reasonably priced, and there are excellent wines by the glass.  The menu changes seasonally, depending on what is fresh and available.
The restaurant is attractive, with a wine bar, white-clothed tables, and efficient and friendly servers.   Even when crowded, it is quiet enough for a pleasant conversation with dinner.   Everything I ate was memorable, and I enjoyed it so much last year that this year I returned, spending a night at the Bandon Beach Motel, where every room has a spectacular
ocean view.    http://bandonbeachmotel.com/ Next year, perhaps I’ll stay in Bandon two nights so I can sample even more.
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Crab and Avocado ……  Dungeness Crab, avocado, lime, tomato, scallion
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Ceviche…. White fish cured in lime, red onion, mint, avocado, Cascabel chile powder, romaine, Sardinian flatbread

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Steelhead Trout (fresh caught) ….. Crispy skin, passion fruit butter, morel mushroom jus (and fresh morels!) asparagus and wild watercress

allora4Pork, Chiles and Chocolate…….Braised pork shoulder, Cascabel chiles, oregano, tomato, chocolate, hazelnuts with

spinach and ricotto dumplings

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The special Chocolate and Ice Cream dessert topped with a Bruleed Banana sliver and chopped nuts

allora66Bandon Alaska, Allora’s delicious version of Baked Alaska…….cake, homemade hazelnut ice cream, cranberries (grown & harvested locally), chocolate and sugared mint leaves

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Mondo Vino Wine Shop & Cafe – Hua Hin, Thailand

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

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Mondo Vino
22/65 Naeb Kachat Road
Hua Hin Sub-district
Hua Hin district
Prachuabkirikhan 77110
info@mondovino.co.th
Tel.: Retail Shop: 032 531 493
Tel.: Office: 032 511 274-5
Fax.: 032 511 274-5#18

Mondo Vino is an attractive wine shop and cafe offering a wide selection of old and new world wines at very competitive prices, where you can buy bottles to take home or sit down and relax in the pleasant surroundings and enjoy a bottle or glass at the cafe. Mondo Vino proclaims: “We will not sell a wine that we would not drink ourselves, and if we can buy it cheaper, then you will too”. They always have a monthly promotion and a selection of wines selling for less than 500 THB.

Mondo Vino, Hua Hin 5

Mondo Vino, Hua Hin 1

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Marugo Wine Bar, Shinjuku – Tokyo

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Marugo Wine Bar, Shinjuku, Tokyo

Marugo Wine Bar, Shinjuku, Tokyo

東京都新宿区新宿3-7-5, Tokyo
Shinjuku 3-7-5. Open 5pm-2am daily.
Phone: 03-3350-4605
Opening Hours:  5pm-2am daily.
Prices: Moderate

It is a very small space so be prepared to squeeze-in and if you choose to do so you can enjoy meeting new acquaintances in a very short period of time. Tapas-style small plates of olives, various canapes, and cheeses are ¥500; duck liver pate is ¥700. There are pasta dishes and pizza and additional main course items available as well. Most of the wines are French selections with a great percentage of them being organic. Of course, the menu is in Japanese, although a few of the staff, when coaxed, speak a little English. They have opened another branch Marugo 2, offering Italian cooking and a wine list weighted more to Italian regional wines as well as French. Tel. 3356-1052.

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Garçon de la Vigne – Hiroo, Tokyo

Friday, December 4th, 2009

Garcon de la Vigne, Hiroo, TokyoHiroo 5-7-11, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo
Tel. 3445-6626
www.le-garcon.jp
Opening Hours: Noon-2pm, 6pm-2am, Closed Sunday
Credit Cards: Yes
Prices: Inexpensive – Moderate

Garçon de la Vigne is a small French restaurant and Wine Bar with emphasis on the regions of Burgundy including Beaujolais and some selections from the Loire Valley with many choices of “biological” wines (chemical free). There are prix-fixe lunches at very reasonable prices ranging from ¥1200-¥2800. Wine Bottle prices start at ¥4,900. The owner is a sommelier who worked in France in an organic vineyard.  He is very “organic” oriented, even going as far as purchasing only organic produce, that is bought on a contract basis from small growers from the countryside.

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Wine Bar Brasserie du Vin – Honolulu

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Brasserie du Vin, Honolulu (photo credit: Brasserie du Vin)

Brasserie du Vin, Honolulu
1115 Bethel St.
808-545-1115
Credit Cards: Yes
Prices: Moderate

A French-style wine bar in the interesting, if not ideally located, Chinatown district of downtown Honolulu. You have the option to choose from a selection of 25 open wines by the glass and taste classic bistro dishes such as frisée aux lardons, escargots, and moules frites (these mussels are from New Zealand and can be quite “tough”). I would avoid any complex cooking here, and stick to wine bar fare such as: charcuterie, cheese, olives with bread and other light selections. For 30% of the bottle cost they will open any bottle from their wine list and pour a 6 oz. glass, which is really not bad as this is approximately 170 grams of wine per glass.

It is definitely a congenial place with an outdoor patio, dining room and bar. It could not be farther removed from Paris in every possible way; albeit you can still see a glimmer.

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Bar Bambino, Italian Wine Bar – San Francisco

Saturday, September 5th, 2009

Bar Bambino, San Francisco
Italian Wine Bar
2931 16th St. San Francisco 94103
(Between Mission St. & S. Van Ness Ave)
Tel. (415) 701-8466
Website: www.barbambino.com
Opening Hours:
Lunch: Tue-Sat: 11am-5pm; Dinner: Tue-Thu: 5pm-11pm Fri-Sat: 5pm-12am; Sun: 4pm-10pm
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate

You will initially go to this small Italian Wine Bar named Bar Bambino for two reasons: a selection of 40 Italian wines by the glass and the rustic Italian-inspired cooking, that is consistently delivered by Chef Elizabeth Binder who heads up culinary endeavors, be sure to give a try to this kitchen’s version of a soupy rabbit ragu (really more like a stew) with papparadelle ($13.75).  The wine bar is owned by Christopher Losa, who is immensely environmentally aware and has a genuine interest in keeping the place directed towards organic products. Other reasons to visit that may not immediately be apparent, although situated in a run-down block of San Francisco’s Mission District it is a cozy space where people clamor to grab one of the metallic covered tables or a seat at the good-sized bar, in addition, it also boasts a heated-patio, and a salumeria that they squeezed into the already crowded space. Bar Bambino has evolved to become one of the top wine bars in the city.

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Ebury Wine Bar – London

Monday, July 27th, 2009

139 Ebury Street, London,
SW1W 9QU
Tel.  0871 3328766
Venue Type: Wine Bar
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 11:00-23:00; Sun 18:00-22:30
Underground: Victoria or Sloane Sq.
Cuisine: British
Kitchen Open: Daily 12:00-14:45 & 18:00-22:15
Booking Essential on Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun
Facilities: TV Screens showing sports events
Children: Welcome
Credit Cards: Visa, MC
Prices: Moderate

In the late sixties and early seventies when I spent a good deal of time in London I frequented Ebury Wine Bar while staying with friends who lived around the corner on Chester Row. In those days, they had on offer some very reasonably priced, solid “little” French Burgundies, both red & white, along with a good selection of Loire Valley, Rhône, and Alsace wines available by the glass or bottle. At the time, it was excellent value especially for the wines; and the food was, on the whole, quite good. Today, they have no hope of offering the quality of the wines from France and Italy that they could in those days, and no one expects that, however, they are scouting out a great many “interesting wines” from the old and new world that are quite surprising in their own right. It is because of these elements combined with maintaining the integrity of the kitchen that it has remained to be one of the great wine bars in London for over 40 years.

Information below includes: Name of wine, region, vintage year, country of origin, price by bottle, price by glass, alcohol percentage by volume.

White Wines – House Selection

1. Chevanceau Blanc, Vin de Pays du Cotes de Gascogne, 2005

France 
£12.80
 £3.40
 12.0%

2. Chenin Blanc, Stormy Cape, 2006

S.Africa
 £16.50 
£4.35 
13.5%

3. Sauvignon Blanc, Reserva, Echeverria, Curico Valley, 2006

Chile
 £17.00 
£4.45
 13.0%

4. Pinot Grigio, Della Provincia di Pavia, Cielo, 2005

Italy 
£17.50
 £4.60 
12.0%

5. Unoaked Chardonnay, Foundstone, 2006

Australia 
£17.50 
£4.60 
12.5%

6. Riesling, Kabinett, Johannisberger Erntebringer, Rheingau, 2004

Germany
 £18.00 
£4.70 
9.5%

Red Wines – House Selection

38. Chevanceau Rouge, Vin de Pays de L’Herault, 2005

France
£12.80
£3.40
12.0%

39. Merlot, Vin de Pays D’oc, La Place, 2005

France
£14.50
£3.80
13.0%

40. Santa Ines, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004

Chile
£16.50
£4.35
13.5%

41. Malbec, Bodegas Terrazas Mendoza, 2004

Argentinal
£17.00
£4.45
13.5%

42. Nero D’Avola, Mandrarossa, 2005

Italy
£17.50
£4.60
13.5%

43. Anares Tinto Crianza, Rioja, 2003

Spain
£17.50
£4.60
12.5%

44. Shiraz, Tyrrell’s Moore’s Creek, Hunter VAlley, 2004

Australia
£18.00
£4.70
14.0%

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Terroir Wine Bar – NYC

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

Above: Paul Grieco of Terroir Wine Bar: Mad or Cunning?
413 E 12th St
Tel. 646-602-1300
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 5 pm-2 am (food til 1am) Sun 5 pm-midnight
New York, NY 10009
Neighborhood:  East Village
Cross Street:  1st Ave
Website: www.wineisterroir.com
Credit Cards: Yes
Parking: Street
Dress Code: Casual
Reservations: No
Outdoor Seating: No
Happy Hour: Yes
Alcohol: Beer & Wine
Smoking: No
Prices: Inexpensive-Moderate

Reisling fanatic Paul Grieco opened Terroir Wine Bar in the East Village about one year ago. He has been quoted in an interview by the website Dr. Vino (drvino.com) as saying,  “I say the only wine by the glass in the summer will be Riesling. That’s it! It’s a small enough venue at 500 sq ft., the costs sort of minimal, I think I feel I can afford to take chances like that. I want to upset people, I want to educate people, I want people to open their minds. In taking such an aggressive stance, my goal is not to piss people off; my goal is to get people to open their minds. If they come in and they say they want a Chardonnay and I say all we have is Riesling, and they say “how can you not have a Chardonnay! It’s the worlds most popular grape!” I’ll say, “you’re absolutely right and here’s why Riesling should be just as popular…please have a taste.”
Following are a couple of Paul’s well-known accompaniments to the wines:
Sage leaves stuffed with lamb sausage $7
Beet risotto balls with Gorgonzola cheese $7

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Corkbar California Wine Bar – Downtown Los Angeles

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

403 W 12th Street
In the EVO Bldg. 12th & Grand
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 746-0050
Area: Downtown Los Angeles
Attire: Casual
Delivery/Take Out: No
Reservations: No
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Music: DJ
Happy Hour: Yes
Alcohol: Beer & Wine License Only
Parking: Street
www.corkbar.com
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate-Expensive

This is California, but should we be so chauvinistic? A totally California Wine List could only be made better by the introduction of wines from other wine-producing regions, with selections from both Old and New World Wineries. It also might add some variation in pricing on a downward scale. Hint, hint!
This is a pleasant place to stop by, near the lofts in South Park and on the way to  LA Live Sports, Dining & Entertainment Complex. The prices for wines are a bit steep with glass prices in the $10-$20 range. Food offerings are also not inexpensive.

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