wine pairings

[lmuller]

Hello,

I am looking for a place to have either a dinner poured with different wines or something more like a wine tasting with small plates. I know about the more common ones such as SDLT, Ten Tables an TW Food but what else is out there?
THanks!

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Ten Tables
5 Craigie Circle, Cambridge, MA 02138

[Ricardo Malocchio]

Has anyone had the wine pairing at Menton? (Has anyone eaten at Menton?)

I happened to be checking out their website last night, and I loved the description of their wine program:

"...Wine Director Cat Silirie’s wine list is edited to create a thoughtful collection that is scaled to the cuisine and aesthetic of Menton and that emanates a distinct point of view full of wonderful discoveries. Along with ample representation of Cat’s beloved old world wines from France, Italy, and Austria, Menton’s list features a selection of beautiful American wines from small growers that Cat has long admired. Motifs include an extensive selection of brilliant small grower Champagnes and incredible vertical collections of varying ages of Barolo, Barbera, and the Valtellina wines of Nebbiolo. Beyond France and Italy, guests will discover the Pinot Noirs of California’s Sonoma Coast and Austrian Grüner Veltliners and Rieslings..."

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Menton
354 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210

[cambridgedoctpr]

Cat Silirie is well respected in the business.

[kimfair1]

We had the wine pairings with our dinner at Menton, and they were excellent and extremely well matched. They also gave me a second pour of one since I had finished it before finishing the course. It's expensive, but the food was my favorite of the Barbara Lynch restaurants, and the service is some of the best I've ever had in Boston.

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Menton
354 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210

[LeoLioness]

I have no ideas what their events are like, but a normal Friday night at Pairings was really depressing. A friend and I attempted to go a few months ago for dinner but we were so put off by....everything that we bolted after one drink. The dining room was practically empty (at 8:30 on a Friday) but the hostess told us it would be 15-20 minutes for a table. Uh...okay. The bartender ignored us for a while, then served us taro chips that tasted like rancid oil. Honestly, everyone working there seemed miserable. My friend and I were seriously looking for the hidden cameras, it was so bad.

[LeoLioness]

There's no way I would ever go back, it was that much of a sh*t show.

[Ricardo Malocchio]

I believe I may have written a brief, sputtering pan of this restaurant a year ago. I hated everything about this place, including - in particular - their boring, New World-centric, all grocery store wine list. Not. Even. Trying.

If there's actually someone in charge of what can only very generously be called a "wine program" there, that person should be dismissed, denounced, and legally restrained from ever again imposing such a generic, awful wine selection on the hapless restaurant-going public.

[Ricardo Malocchio]

Turns out I did write that pan:

Lousy food carelessly executed, indifferent and ignorant servers, and a wine menu unsuitable even for beginners

One might go into detail aboout the food here, wasting adjectives describing such failures as the soggy porchetta sandwich and the mealy, unfrozen frites. One might complain about the service, the forgotten orders, the smugly defiant bartender declaring his specific ignorance of the menu and general disinterest in wine. One might even compose a witty takedown of a wine list featuring nothing but flabby, homogenized, new world consumables aimed at flabby, homogenized, new world consumers...

But you already suspected all that. Consider it confirmed

[teezeetoo]

I love the wine pairings with lunch at L'Espalier. They were interesting, generous and the lunch was a delight. Plan on a nice 2 1/2 hour interlude.

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L'Espalier
774 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02199

[emannths]

Wine tasting + small plates = tapas, no? How about something like Toro?

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Toro
1704 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118

[lmuller]

I will definitely check out Troquet. We were thinking about something a little more organized than Toro but along those lines as far as food. Has anyone ever done anything at Pairings Boston? It looks like they have wine pairings with munchies every Wednesday.

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Toro
1704 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118

Troquet
140 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116

[cambridgedoctpr]

if your emphasis is on the wine, then Troquet is the place. If your emphasis is on food, then there are plenty of other places that are interesting in boston.

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Troquet
140 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116

[BostonZest]

Troquet would be perfect for you.

They have a great wine list and knowledgeable staff. You'll see wine suggestions for each item right on the menu. Scroll down for the wine list.

http://www.troquetboston.com/menus.html

You can even order flights of 2 0z tastes if you like. That is a great way to test wine pairings against a course.

Penny
http://www.bostonzest.com/

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Troquet
140 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116

[cambridgedoctpr]

i second Troquet; it is by far the best place for wine in the area.

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Troquet
140 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116