Hugo's Frog Bar al fresco wine and dining

Hugo's Frog Bar al fresco wine and dining 

We dined at Hugo's Frog Bar in downtown Naperville for a summer afternoon al fresco dining experience. I must admit I had this place all wrong as I had pre-judged by what I considered a 'stupid and illogical' name. The kids all rave about it so we gave it a try for a special lunch with special friends in from out of town. We dined outside on the patio adjacent to the fountain. There is much to be said about dining outside amidst the sound of trickling water.

I admit, I didnt realize it was a sister restaurant to the notable Gibson's Steakhouse downtown Chicago along the Gold Coast nightclub and entertainment district, or, that they had been in business since 1997, or, that they specialized in premier east and west coast seafood, oysters, crudos, frog legs, lobster and seasonal fish and shellfish, in addition to Gibsons Prime Angus and Gibsons Grassfed Australian steaks.

Lastly, readers of these pages know I measure a restaurant and dining experience by the wine selection and the available pairing of food and wine. 

Suffice to say, I was blown away, very impressed with the food, wine, and overall ambiance and dining experience. 

My initial skepticism deepened and continued when I read from the menu about the Seared Hudson Valley Scallops. I was intrigued by their preparation and accompaniments - brie cheese polenta, wild mushroom bordelaise sauce, and toasted sunflower seeds. 

 

But Hudson Valley Scallops? Scallops are from the bay, or the ocean, or they would have to be farm raised, in an environment not conducive to delectable eating. 

 

I challenged the server who insisted they were Hudson Valley, wild caught, fresh scallops. I was still skeptical, especially when she insisted they were Bay Scallops. I mentioned Hudson Valley is the Hudson River in middle and upper state New York, not near any Bay, or the Ocean. 

 

She went to the kitchen to re-confirm and came back and corrected what she had said, that they were Sea scallops, not Bay scallops, but still, from Hudson Valley! One last challenge, not Hudson Valley foie gras?  No, Hudson Valley Scallops! 

 

I gave in, rolled the dice and gave it a try. They were spectacular - perfectly prepared and accompanied by an imaginative, delicious, delectable delightfully prepared and presented sauce. 

 

The wine selection - B-T-G (by the glass) was decent, respectable, a selection of a dozen chardonnays B-T-G (by the glass), a half dozen each Pinots, Cabernets, 'American Reds' and 'Imported Reds'. 

 

Wine List ? An impressive, imaginative, well thought out, carefully prepared wine list that touched all the bases from simple to complex, budget conscious to self indulgent - all American wines, with all the requisite varietals, regions and blends. I found no less than a two dozen bottles of wine that I would find suitable, reasonably priced, and appropriate accompaniments to the menu selections, for a primo optimal wine and dining experience. Kudo's! 

 

With our entrees, Linda and I each selected a glass of Chardonnay, each to our preferred style. 

 

Far Niente Napa Valley Chardonnay 2018

Far Niente has been producing this Napa Valley Chardonnay since 1979. It was their first varietal cultivated and bottled. Far Niente Chardonnay is a blend sourced from Napa Valley vineyards located in Coombsville. Nestled in the rolling foothills, protected by those hills east of the city of Napa, Coombsville offers the characteristic cool climate of Carneros, with less wind, with deeper, well-drained gravelly loam and volcanic ash soils - ideally suited from Chardonnay. 

 

Producer notes: "Aromas of melon, sweet citrus and white blossom floral layered with notes of flint, yeast and sweetly toasted oak. A smooth and focused entry is followed by a silky midpalate with ripe flavors of honeydew and lemon, supported by just of touch of wet stone, yeast and toasted hazelnuts. The finish is long and structured with citrus rind and mouthwatering acid." 

This is an amazing label given that they produce 40 thousand cases of this wine, year after year, amazing volume with consist quality.

This was awarded 90 points by Wine Spectator, "Rich and juicy, with oaky accents to the dried apple and glazed apricot flavors. The well-structured finish is filled with savory and buttery notes. Drink now through 2023. 41,970 cases made."

I liked it a lot, bright gold colored, medium bodied, round, full, bright expressive melon, wet stone, what the producer called 'yeast and toasted hazelnuts' with buttery toasted oak, rich mouthfeel and supple lingering finish. 

An ideal compliment to my entree - a perfect pairing, which only amplified the enjoyment of both! 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3413850

https://farniente.com/wines/varietals/chardonnay

Linda had the salmon entree and chose this Santa Barbara Chardonnay which she knows well as we have bottles from this producer (shown) in our cellar. The salmon was perfectly prepared and presented and was ideal with the Cambria Santa Barbara Chardonnay.

Cambria Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2017

We've had several bottles of this producer over the years and find it a high QPR, great value nice balanced dependable every day wine.  

 

From Santa Barbara, this was less buttery and oaky than many of the Napa Chardonnays that tend to be a bit bigger and fuller. This has more a clean citrus based layer than the Far Niente above, more to Linda's preference. 

Wine Enthusiast said of this Santa Barbara label. "candied or pie-filling pineapple jam, Mandarin orange zest, apricot brulee and vanilla custard flavors..."

 

I give this 88 points, but at a fraction of the cost of the Far Niente, one would argue it is a higher QPR and therefore better value. In any event, its what one prefers in character and style and this is Linda's preference. 

 

Prior to our entrees we had the Loaded Wedge with bacon, tomato & Blue Cheese. Bingo. 

 

Afterwards we had the two dessert selections, creme brulee and the flourless chocolate cake with berry sauce and creme fraiche, all the food groups, both large enough for sharing, and both delicious. 

As mentioned, I had the scallops, ideally accompanied by Far Niente Napa Valley Chardonnay. Spectacular! Memorable! Notable! 

I am still skeptical about the Hudson Valley seared scallops, and am still half believing they confused the Seared Scallops with foie gras with the Hudson Valley designation being a misnomer with the scallops. I stand ready to be corrected, or enlightened, or ratified. In any event, they were wonderful! 

After lunch I wondered into/through the empty mid-afternoon dining room. It looks delightful and inviting for a wonderful dinner experience and I can't wait to try it out, soon!

 

Truffles Restaurant & Wine Bar B-Town Wine Dinner

Truffles Restaurant and  56° Wine Bar Bloomingon, Indiana Wine Dinner

We traveled to Bloomington, Indiana for a Indiana University sororiety college reunion gathering. Arriving a day early to meet with long time friends, we dined at Truffles Restaurant and  56° Wine Bar. This sells itself as a "chef-driven eaterie serving a range of foods from classic Steakhouse to International fare". They offer an extensive diversified wine list that is unique on the Bloomington dining scene.

The 56 Degrees Bar Wine Cellar is an ambitious venture for the Truffles family owner Mark Kiang who shares his extensive wine collection, with many selections B-T-G (by the glass), by the bottle, or via an online ordering system, with an option for delivery.

He caters to local wine aficionados with a program to sign up for a monthly wine bundle subscription, and receive bottles of wines selected by the owner himself (or bottles to personal choice). Truffles will then provide recipes and pairing suggestions in the wine package and via e-newsletter.

Remarkably, on the front porch of the restaurant was a display of several (consumed) bottles of extraordinary wines that we hold in our cellar, including one very rare label, indeed. The first that got my attention was the current release of Chateau Pichon Lalande, a label we just had the other evening at our gala Pour Boys Wine Dinner.

 The other bottle that really got my attention was a very rare 'red stripe' label of David Arthur 'Elevation 1157' Napa Cabernet (shown right from our cellar). This particular bottling ran to the end of the spool of labels, to the point that there was a red stripe across the label, indicating to the bottling, labeling machine operator that it was time to add a new spool of labels. Several bottles were labeled with these errant labels in the process before the machine was stopped. The producer went ahead and sold these bottles anyway as a novelty in their portfolio selection. 

We visited the David Arthur Estate and Vineyards, at the elevation of 1157 feet, high above the Valley floor on the eastern slope of the Vaca Range. We hold several of those bottles (shown) in our cellar waiting for an suitable occasion to serve a unique novel bottle. Suffice to say, that bottle had been consumed and none were on offer this evening. (David Arthur visit - http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/).

I took advantage of the offering of the latest current release Caymus Estate Napa Cabernet B-T-G. Interestingly, I had considered the same label earlier over the weekend at the Del Ray Beach Wine Bar from their extensive B-T-G selection. Notably, the price of both offers was within $1. 

Truffles offered a charcuterie and wine selection as well as several wine friendly small plates. I sampled the Pate' with my selection.

Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

I admit the glass of wine I was served was a slight bit 'skunked' from having been open a bit too long or not handled properly such as by a dispenser system. Not wanting to make a scene or disrupt the mood of the evening, I accepted the glass and factored in the state condition into my tasting. 

Caymus generally does an incredible job crafting a consistent signature style in large volume, vintage after vintage. The Caymus profile provides early gratification with approachable easy drinking at an early age, yet is ageworthy for a couple decades, or more in exceptional vintages. The style is dark in color, round with full rich fruit and ripe, velvety tannins. 

We hold a decade of Caymus vintages in our cellar as an easy to please, popular, dependable, and mainstay label for special occasion as well as special guest servings.

We visited the Caymus estate and winery during ou r our Napa Valley Wine Experience in the summer of 2018. 

Caymus sources and blends Cabernet fruit from eight of Napa’s 16 sub-appellations, taking advantage of such diversification to enable them to select the best grapes so as to make the best possible wine in any given year. 

Typical of the Caymus profile, tonight's wine that was dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, (setting aside a slight funk most assuredly from the bottle being open and not handled ideally), the ripe black berry and black cherry fruits were accented tones of mocha cocoa, cassis and notes of tobacco and tea with soft smooth lingering finish. 

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3456558

Next I sampled another current release Napa Cab. 

Faust Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

This is the another label that is from the owners/winemakers associated with Quintessa, from the producer Faust, whose property is adjacent to the west of the estate on Silverado Trail.

Some call this label “Baby Quintessa”, since it has common ownership and geographically is from the adjacent Faust property.

We visited the Quintessa Estate and Vineyards during our Napa Valley Wine Experience back in 2003. It was about this time that Quintessa founder Agustin Huneeus and his wife Valeria, were planning and assembling their family portfolio of wines that represent the finest vineyard estates in California and Oregon, that was announced and launched i 2005.

In addition to the Quintessa estate, the family’s vineyard and winery projects include Faust Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Illumination by Quintessa, an aromatic white wine. In 2009, the Huneeus family forged a partnership with Joan and Walt Flowers of Flowers Vineyards & Winery, pioneering vintners who in 1989, established two extraordinary vineyards dedicated to world-class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the extreme Sonoma Coast.

In 2017, Andy Erickson, former winemaker for Screaming Eagle, joined as partners on his red blend project Leviathan, which began in 2004, thereby joining the broader winemaking team. 

The winemaking team at Faust is similar to the team at Quintessa (Michel Rolland/Andy Erickson) minus Rebekah Wineburg but with Charles Thomas (Opus One) and David Jelinek (Copain/Prisoner/Groth). The vineyard sources are from the foothills of Atlas Peak in Coombsville. The wine is aged and bottled at Quintessa’s state-of-the-art winemaking facility, taking advantage of the vineyard pedigree and winemaking prowess of the Quintessa team. This received the big score of 94pts.

This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

 

Dark garnet colored, medium full-bodied, highly expressive black berry and black current fruits with notes with mocha, leather, oak, hints of vanilla with a pleasant moderate lingering finish.

RM 90

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3693590

 

https://www.huneeuswines.com/

 

Rombauer Napa Valley Carneros Chardonnay 2018

 

Label from 2014

Prior to dinner, with the starter course, and with her entree, Linda ordered, B-T-G, this Rombauer Napa Chardonnay. We know this label well, hold several vintages in our cellar, but had not yet tasted this current latest release vintage. Hence, like the two bottles above, we had not yet had the opportunity to taste the latest vintage, and were able to do so via the B-T-G offering, rather than having to procure a full bottle. Such is the fun, and convenience of such offerings. 

This release was awarded 90 points by both Wilfred Wong and James Suckling. 

The fruit for this wine comes from vineyards in the Carneros region owned by the Rombauer family, as well as that from select growers including the Sangiacomo family, long-term grower partners who have farmed this land for three generations.  The Carneros region has a cool climate with fog and breezes off San Pablo Bay, at the southern end of Napa and Sonoma Valleys where they converge near there. The San Pablo Bay provides ideal conditions for Chardonnay, consistently resulting in beautiful, fresh acidity and the key sense of balance for this ever popular Chardonnay. Rombauer has been producing Carneros-specific Chardonnay since 1990. This 2018 is another example of this classic style balancing bold fruit and lively acidity. 

 

We met the Rombauer National Sales Manager at a producer dinner Vin Chicago Rombauer Wine Dinner at Adelle's Restaurant in Wheaton, IL a couple years ago. 

 

This was pale light yellow with a green hue with notes of peach, hints of pear, honeydew, lychee fruit intertwined nicely with vanilla and spice, turning to soft buttery and subtly spicy acidity on the finish. 

 

RM 90 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3346773

 

https://www.rombauer.com/

 

https://www.trufflesbtown.com/

 

 

 

 

Inovasi for Superb Wine & Food Pairings

Inovasi for Superb Wine & Food Pairings

An evening outing landed us at Inovasi Restaurant in tony Lake Bluff. We discovered a vibrant atmosphere in a chic stylish setting with fine-crafted dinner plates and perfect wine-by-the-glass pairings. It was a perfect getaway from a hectic stressful day in the pleasant comfortable setting. A half dozen entree selections include Steak Frites, Shepherds Pie, Baked Haddock, Wild Sockeye Salmon and Crispy Chicken Thigh or Grilled Chicken. There's a larger selection of imaginative small plates and appetizers. A carefully and thoughtfully selected wine list also offers a dozen red and white wines by-the-glass. The result was two great value wine finds that perfectly complemented our meal for a delightful and memorable dining experience.

Inovasi roasted beet salad (half)

We started with the Roasted Beet salad that was delicious with fried onion, goat cheese and a spicy peanut vinaigrette. My Steak Frites was perfectly prepared and nicely presented in a tasty butter au jus reduction. Linda chose the Haddock served on a bed of smoked lentils with a bit of spice.

With my steak I tasted Aviary Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 from the By-The-Glass (B-T-G) list. It was a perfect pairing complementing the beef and the au jus reduction. It was also spectacular with the roasted beet salad with feta cheese and peanut ragu.

Aviary Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

This was a pleasant surprise, exceeding my modest expectations for a B-T-G selection. I am not familiar with this producer or label and upon researching it further found it in distribution throughout the northeast US. Perhaps the setting and an ideal food pairing taints my perspective but I'd say at the $20 retail price point on offer, this is an exceptional QPR (Quality Price Ratio) and I'd say go get a case for every day as well as special occasion drinking. Its a perfect blind tasting candidate!

According to their website, Aviary source grapes from 'nearly a dozen distinct vineyards from Calistoga... to Coombsville'.  Gregory Ahn the Executive Winemaker/GM works with a team of consulting winemakers and a cellar crew to craft the grapes and wines to his specifications.

This is serendipity as it provides a wonderful wine find and dining experience such as this evening. But for lack of terroir or consistent sourcing, one can't infer anything from one label to the next label or even vintage to the next which may be totally different. This the the state of non-estate bottled or broker negotiant labels. Enjoy it while you can .. but caveat emptor with each label. One time you might get premium or ultra premium grapes in a 'private label', the next it may be excess production, or sub-standard product not suitable for the primary flagship label. There's fun in the hunt and great reward when it turns out to be winner at a great price such as tonight. There were 4900 cases of this produced so you should be able to find it.

This was dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, moderately complex but nicely balanced, the muted aromas deceive the burst of Blackberry fruit on the front pallet followed by a layer of black currant, cassis with a hint of dark chocolate and tones of tobacco and tea on the smooth moderate tannin finish.

The blend is Cabernet Sauvignon 88%, Merlot 8% and Petit Syrah 4%.

RM 91

 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1702857

http://aviaryvineyards.com/


Barrique Sonoma County Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2012

With Linda's entree we chose this Barrique Sonoma County Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2012. Once again, this was an unknown label or producer. This wine is produced by Brack Mountain Wine Company, made from hand-selected blocks from one of the oldest vineyards on the Sonoma coast. A recent earlier vintage of this label was offered by K&L in the Bay Area, one of our favorite wine merchants for their value, selection and expertise, for under $15. Even at the suggested retail $20 price it represents great value.

This was magenta colored, light bodied, flavors of dusty rose with notes of red fruits accented by a layer of rhubarb, hints of black tea, earth and a touch of tangy white pepper.

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1727500

http://brackmountainwine.com/