Cityscene
|
|
>
Amo Eno
|
|
|
Hong Kong has many “mosts” when it comes to wine: the most robust auction scene, the most highly developed wine storage facilities; the most wine stores per capita. And now it has the most technologically savvy wine bar in the world. Andrew Bradbury, who developed the first touchscreen e-list when he was at Aureole Las Vegas in 2001, launched Amo Emo this winter with his wife, design maven Brook Bradbury. The sleek, glassy space in the IFC Mall has echoes of Clo, the diminuitive, freestanding wine bar he installed in New York City’s Time Warner Center. That was, in fact, a prototype designed for crowded Asian cities. This one also features walls lined with wine (and gorgeous wine accoutrements, a reason in themselves for a visit), and a wine list beamed right onto the table. In addition to being able to scroll through the wine list with a flick of the finger, tapping particular wines for tasting notes and backstories, diners can also record their own notes and post them to Facebook or Twitter. But you don’t have to get lost in the technology: Order some food off the wine-obsessed menu (smoked duck breast sandwiches with PX-infused relish; penne with sangiovese Bolognese) and let the servers drive: With choices ranging from Haut-Médoc to Uruguayan tannat, the whole point is to find something new.
—Tara Q. Thomas
Amo Eno, 3rd floor, IFC Mall, 1 Harbour View St., Central, Hong Kong; 852.2954.9922; , amoeno.com (reviewed W&S, 04/12)
|
|
|
>
Ray’s & Stark
|
As if you needed another reason to go to LACMA, LA’s great museum of art, now there’s Ray’s and Stark Bar, a sleek establishment spilling into the atrium behind the museum’s most famous sculpture, Chris Burden’s luminous Urban Light. Chef Kris Morningstar, who has trained in some of LA’s most prestigious kitchens including Meson G. and Grace, brings California touches to Mediterranean dishes like octopus with burrata and Fresno chiles, or poached albacore on a smoked onion purée. It would be hard to escape the bar without trying one of Paul Sanguinetti’s cocktails, but his California-centric wine list will not disappoint either, with rarities like Saxon Brown’s Cricket Creek Semillon or the Santa Barbara syrah from Emanuel Tres known as Roberto.
—P.J.C.
Ray’s & Stark Bar, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles; 323-857-6180; patinagroup.com, patinagroup.com (reviewed W&S, 04/12)
|
|
|
>
Wo Hing General Store
|
Shrimp dumplings aren’t hard to find in San Francisco, but Wo Hing General Store is perhaps the only place where you’ll find ten German rieslings to drink with your ha gau. Opened by Charlie Phan of Slanted Door fame, Wo Hing offers a stylish take on Chinese street food. While the space itself is clearly 21st century—bold collage-like paintings spice up the walls and the music selection tends toward indie rock—the kitchen delivers classic, unfussy dishes: poached chicken with ginger sauce, braised mushrooms with glass noodles, wonton soup and several flavors of jook. Beyond riesling, Chaylee Priete’s list offers an eclectic range of choices, from Moncuit Champagne to acid-driven reds from Alto Adige and Chinon. She also provides a focused selection of local producers that fall into the loosely defined “natural wine” camp: wineries like Broc, A Donkey & Goat, Edmund St. John and Natural Process Alliance. After dinner, unwind with one of several vintage-dated pu-erh teas.
—Luke Sykora
Wo Hing General Store, 585 Valencia St.; 415-552-2510,
wohinggeneralstore.com (reviewed W&S, 04/12)
|
>
AQ
|
Integrated into the exposed brick and high ceilings of a former factory, AQ brings some buzz to a section of the mid-Market neighborhood that’s still rough around the edges. The concept is seasonal to the extreme: The menu changes with the seasons, of course, but so does the décor. The winter solstice brought white tablecloths, white wainscoting and light fixtures that look like clustered snowballs, while chef Mark Liberman prepared satisfying, precise dishes such as seabass with a crackling skin served over a silky potato croquette and a neat, succulent square of boudin noir with chestnuts and quince. Instead of the expected trophy wines—you can count the red Burgundies and Napa cabernets on one hand—beverage director Kristen Capella worked with consultant Jesse Becker, MS, to focus on lively, artisanally produced wines from both classic and emerging regions. The choices range from the Mosel to California’s Anderson Valley, with two pages dedicated to the Loire, and a surprising amount of interesting options under $40. Soon, there will be a whiskey lounge on the restaurant’s lower level, too.
—L.S.
AQ, 1085 Mission St., San Francisco; 415-341-9000,
aq-sf.com (reviewed W&S, 04/12)
|
|
|
>
Acadia
|
The clean, sophisticated look of the dining room at Acadia signals a meal that’s going to be luxurious and, accordingly, expensive. But in fact, there are deals to be had at this South Loop restaurant. The lobster roll is chef Ryan McCaskey’s homage to childhood summers in Maine; available in the lounge, it goes for just $14. But whether you’re eating that or the $32 deconstructed lobster pie in the dining room, you’ll find the biggest steals are on sommelier Jason Prah’s wine list, which features oodles of unusual wines from small producers (Erzetic Rebula from Slovenia; Dme. Schreyer Edelswicker; a grenache blanc from Spain’s Vinas del Vero), many of which hover below $40.
—David Tamarkin
Acadia, 1639 S. Wabash Ave. Chicago; 312-360-9500,
acadiachicago.com (reviewed W&S, 04/12)
|
|
|
>
Williams & Graham
|
The latest bar to serve up its spin on speakeasy chic, Williams & Graham lurks behind a nondescript door in the back of a bookstore dedicated to all things booze. Located in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood, it’s a cozy, dimly lit vintage-meets-goth room where owner and head barkeep Sean Kenyon and his genuinely charming bartenders serve up an array of cocktails. Local hooch, including Leopold Bros, Stranahan’s and Spring 44, features prominently in drinks like the South Park and the Vodkatini; additions from orgeat to Bloody Mary mix are made in-house. We’re hooked on the Smoking Frenchman, a mezcal-kissed concoction that quenches the thirst brought on by the spicy, caramel-Marsala popcorn. A solid, compact menu, including an 11 pm to 1 am “third shift” board of three egg-based sandwiches, means you never have to drink on an empty stomach.
—Kendra Anderson
Williams & Graham, 3160 Tejon St.; Denver, 303-997-8886, williamsandgraham.com (reviewed W&S, 04/12)
|
 |
|
| |