Hungrygrrl

Last Friday we ventured over to Columbia City to check out the new-ish (i.e., 2007) wine bar “Verve.” I’ve walked past it several times, but it always seemed sterile.

Imagine our surprise when we walked in, soggy from the rain, to find a cozy warm little spot just packed on a Saturday night. The waitstaff were upset that we couldn’t sit immediately.

“Maybe we should use that table?” (the one holding a vase of flowers by the door) “Or do you want some wine?”

In a few moments we each had a glass of sparking and were happily browsing their little wine section, carefully arranged by country. We had to be pulled away when our table opened up 5 minutes later.

This is a proper wine bar, with tastings on Tuesday nights from 6-8pm, and multiple flights every night of the week. If you’re in the mood for a bottle, you can buy one at store price and pay a 10$ corkage, not half bad.

We decided against the bottle. Cobe ordered a glass of pinot (the Walnut City, from Oregon) which was the most pine scented pinot I have ever experienced. It had a beautifully long nose, but I like my pinots a bit more on the cherry side. I tried the old world wine flight, a mix of Italian, French and Spanish wines. They were all beautiful, and great food wines, especially the Bordeaux (a 2005 Chateau Dutruch from the Haut-Medoc) which just happened to be a perfect match for the lamb.

But what really impressed us was the food. The prices are very reasonable and I mean reasonable– entrees are 12-16$. But you get a large amount of food, each dish is designed and plated with care, and the flavors are beautiful.

The only dish that disappointed was the grilled pattypan squash, which was slightly underdone. The lamb shank was a big hunk of meat that came fall-off-the-bone tender and had a beautifully rich flavor, complemented by a bed of lentils flavored with chanterelles and apples . The hangar steak was grilled a perfect medium rare and presented on a bed of smashed potatoes with Point Reyes Farmstead blue. The cheese plate could have been a bit more pungent (I love a good stinky cheese), but they were artfully arranged and accompanied by a balsamic reduction with just a few shaves of lime zest.

And damn Bordeaux is just perfect with lamb.

We left full, warm and happy. I’ll definitely be back.

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Verve Wine Bar & Cellar
3820 S Ferdinand St Ste 102
Seattle, WA 98118
www.vervewinebar.com
(206) 760-0977