Showing posts with label Naperville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Naperville. Show all posts

Thursday, January 25, 2024

Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Naperville

Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Naperville 

Son Ryan and D-in-law Michelle treated us to dinner at Gordon Ramsey's RK Kitchen in downtown Naperville (IL). This was our first visit to the trendy restaurant that opened in our hometown last summer to much fanfare. 

Readers of these pages know I write often about dinesites and our food and wine restaurant experience. But, up until now I've not had a metricized qualitative or quantitative rating or review system against which to evaluate and compare such restaurants. Based on tonight's, and recent experiences, I felt such a evaluation method with criteria was required and after much thought devised a system to try. 

Using my new system, I evaluated tonight's dining experience. I then went back and retrospectively scored a half dozen recent restaurant experiences as a basis of comparison, evaluating the evaluation system, so to speak. 

Here are my criteria for evaluating a restaurant dining experience, and the associated weight applied to each:

Food - 35 - Selection, quality, creativity or ingenuity, presentation, course pairing, wine pairing

Wine - 35 - Breadth and depth of selection, range of options at various price points, suitability and applicable pairing with the dinner courses

Ambiance - 10| - atmosphere, vibe, comfort, stylishness, general aura

Service - 10 - delivery, attentiveness, professionalism, attitude, overall experience

Value - 10 - value for quality, service, atmosphere, experience

Wow Factor - Lastly, what I simply call the WOW Factor - additional scoring, weighting based on special consideration or  extra credit factors that contribute to the overall experience such that they warrant attention - food and wine pairing - site architecture, location, historical significance, specials ... other ... potential for +10 points

So, here we go, for tonight's experience - 

Food  - 31 - Food was superb in creativity, ingenuity, preparation, quality - downgraded the rating for the only thing lacking, bread or depth of selection choices - only the limited menu choice detracting from score.

Wine - 31 - Same as food, the minimalist winelist offered various options for each course, at multiple price points, but lacking depth and breadth of multiple choices for minimal options for effective wine pairing with each course.

Ambiance - 8 of 10 - chic, stylish, artful, warm, lively and vibrant but a bit noisy and boisterous for optimal comfort. 

 

Service - 9 of 10 - Starting with the host station, going the extra meal to seat us promptly, attending to checking our coats, superb food service, adequate wine service. 

Value - 5 - Expensive, especially taking into account the ala carte sides, and the somewhat limited number of options or alternatives. 

WOW Factor - 8 points extra credit for the up-beat, stylish, quality fixtures, furnishings, layout, design, artfully designed and implemented for a positive experience. 

Total - 92 points.


Our dinner - 

We started with a Wedge Salad which they conveniently served almost family style like a chopped salad making it easy and convenient to share around the table.

Wedge Salad- iceberg, blue cheese, glazed bacon, roasted tomatoes, pickled red onion, chives.

With the salad course we had from the WBTG offerings two sparkling wines - 

Cremant d'Alsace Brut Rose'

Lanson Brut NV Champagne 

For our main source entree selections, we had to try the house specialty, Ramsey's signature dish, the Beef Wellington.

Beef Wellingto, potato purée, glazed baby root vegetables, red wine demi, served medium rare.

RK offers a Daily Special so in the spirit of trying out the gourmet chef's selections, Linda ordered the daily special - Lobster Pot Pie -butter-poached lobster, lobster bisque filling served aside for preparation at the table by the diner, pouring into the puff pastry.

We ordered two side dishes, Potato Puree with sour cream and chives, and the Roasted Heirloom Carrots with harissa yogurt, za’atar, brown butter, marcona almonds and mint.

For dessert we ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding -warm date cake, sweet cream ice cream and english toffee sauce.


Our wine accompaniment pairing with the dinner was a robust full bodied Red Blend. 

Ridge Lytton Springs Red Blend 2021

Once again, as happens often, we drank this same wine, from our cellar, about this same time, two years ago, almost to the day for another dinner tastings - Ridge Vineyards "Lytton Springs" Dry Creek ValleyZinfandel 2014. At that time, I wrote about the producer and wine in these pages, Ridge Vineyards  and Lytton Springs.  

We always keep a selection of big robust fruit forward wines for pizza and barbecue - Zinfandels, Syrahs and Petite Syrah varietals to name a few. We typically hold a half dozen different labels from the various offerings of Ridge Vineyards.

Ridge Vineyards are a legendary producer of a broad portfolio of wines with an extensive line-up of Zinfandels, all from single vineyard designated label sites. 

Ridge has a rich history dating back to 1885 when Osea Perrone, a doctor and prominent member of San Francisco's Italian community, bought 180 acres near the top of Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains. There, he planted vineyards and constructed a winery of redwood and native limestone in time to produce the first vintage of Monte Bello in 1892. The historic building remains to this day serving as the Ridge production facility.

Ridge have been producing Lytton Spring vineyard wines since 1972 with 100 plus-year-old Zinfandel vines interplanted with Petite Sirah, Carignane, a small amount of Mataro (Mourvèdre), and Genache. The site has produced the quintessential example of Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. 

The Lytton Springs site lies just north of the town of Healdsburg, just west of Highway 101 in the Dry Creek Valley. The topography consists of a benchland and gently rolling hills. The climate provides foggy mornings turning to warm, sunny afternoons and breezy late evenings. Soils are varied with a predominance of gravelly clay, which aids in moisture retention, ensuring that the grapes ripen slowly. The Lytton Springs terrior with weathered, agronomically poor soils in the benchland have proven to be an ideal site for Zinfandel vines to produce classic Zinfandel varietal wines.

The Lytton Springs vineyards were part of land once owned by Captain William Litton, who during the last half of the nineteenth century developed the springs and built a hotel just east of the vineyard for San Franciscans who arrived by train to “take the waters.” 

According to the producer's website, Long after the death of Captain Litton, controversy continued in regards to the change from “i” to “y”, as the accepted spelling of the Litton property. According to the text of Once Upon a Time by Julius Myron Alexander, the spelling was changed “because it was proper”. Then, in a 1969 Press Democrat article, Healdsburg City Clerk and local historian, Edwin Langhart, offered a different opinion, “It appears the name was changed in error by a draftsman or some other official, and it has stayed ‘Lytton’ ever since:’ Whatever the reason, records show that by 1896, most official documents had adopted the ‘Lytton’ spelling.

Ridge Vineyards dates back to 1959 when three scientists from Stanford University's Research Institute (SRI) and their families formed a partnership and bought a property owned by Dr. Short up on Monte Bello Ridge high atop the Santa Cruz Mountains. One of them, David Bennion, made a half barrel of cabernet from the ten year old vines. The partners re-bonded the winery and named it Ridge Vineyards in 1962. That year they produced their first Monte Bello vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

Ridge produced its first Zinfandel in 1964 from 19th century vines on the Pichetti Ranch near the base of the Monte Bello Ridge. Ridge produced it's first Sonoma County Geyserville Zinfandel in 1966, from vines planted in 1882. By 1968, production had increased to just under three thousand cases per year.

Paul Draper joined the partnership as winemaker in 1969. He was a Stanford graduate in philosophy, and a practical winemaker, not an enologist. His knowledge of fine wines and traditional methods complemented the straightforward “hands off” approach pioneered at Ridge. He had recently returned from setting up a winery in Chile’s coast range. He oversaw the restoration of the old Perrone winery and vineyards acquired the previous year. 

He first saw the Lytton Springs vineyard in 1972 and, based on its age with 80 years old vines, purchased grapes and produced Ridge’s first Lytton Springs bottling that year. In 1991, on the 20th anniversary of their first vintage, Ridge purchased the Lytton Springs winery and the old vines surrounding it, making it a true estate vineyard.

Paul Draper went on to become a legend with Ridge Vineyards. The Ridge brand grew to a broad portfolio of more than four dozen single vineyard designated label wines from more than two dozen different vineyards. They operate two wineries and hospitality sites, Lytton Springs in Healdsburg up in north Sonoma County and Monte Bello high in the Santz Cruz Mountains above Silicon Valley. 

Paul Draper retired in 2016 at age 80, after 47 years as winemaker. Ridge continued on expanding with additional vineyard site purchases include the purchase that year of Whitton Ranch, a 36-acre parcel in the heart of Geyserville.

Ridge Vineyards "Lytton Springs" Dry Creek Valley Red Blend 2021

This is a single vineyard designated label, sourced from the Lytton Springs vineyard in Northern Soboma County. The vineyard lies just north of Healdsburg on the benchland where the gently rolling hills separate Dry Creek from Alexander Valley. 

Lytton Springs is named after Captain William H. Litton and two naturally occurring springs that were located on the original property. Litton worked as a ship’s pilot in the San Francisco Bay in the mid nineteenth century before acquiring the large tract of land in 1860. The property straddled the Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys that extended from the southernmost boundaries of Geyserville to the northern limits of the fledgling town of Healdsburg, with the Russian River serving as its eastern boundary. The property was originally part of the Rancho Sotoyome land grant of the 1840’s. By 1867, Captain Litton was considered the fourth largest property owner in Sonoma County. 

In 1872, the San Francisco and Northern Pacific Railroad linked Healdsburg and points north with the Bay area. In an attempt to attract tourists, Captain Litton and three partners built a resort hotel on the site in 1875, known as “Litton Springs” for the popular soda springs that were located half a mile uphill from the original hotel site. The naturally carbonated seltzer, or sweetwater, springs were considered to have medicinal value for their mineral properties. The springs still exist today and their presence was one of the primary reasons that underground caves were never built underneath the winery.

Captain Litton sold the 2700 acre property, including the hotel in 1878. Over the next couple of decades, the resort property was bought and sold and subdivided into smaller parcels by various owners. 

 According to the producer's website, “It appears the name was changed in error by a draftsman or some other official, and it has stayed ‘Lytton’ ever since:’ Whatever the reason, records show that by 1896, most official documents had adopted the ‘Lytton’ spelling.

 The vineyards were first established on the property in 1901 with the hillside vineyard blocks on the eastern portion of Lytton Springs, followed by vineyard blocks on the flats in 1910. To this day, Lytton Springs is home to those 100-plus-year-old Zinfandel vines interplanted with Petite Sirah, Carignane, a small amount of Mataro (Mourvèdre), and Grenache.

 The site is ideal for Zinfandel with foggy mornings, warm, sunny afternoons and breezy late evenings. The agronomically poor soils are gravelly clay which holds moisture ensuring that the grapes ripen slowly. 

This label was first produced in 1972.

I write regularly in these pages about the pairing of wine with food. This wine was too bold and rich for the Beef Wellington, which would've been better suited with a more balanced and finely integrated Red Blend. 

This vintage release is a red blend of 72% Zinfandel, 15% Petite Sirah, 9% Carignane, 2% Alicante Bouschet, 1% Cinsaut and 1% Counoise.

This label release was awarded 95+ Points by Antonio Galloni of Vinous, 94 Points by Zinfandel Chronicles and 94 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com, and 93 Points by Owen Bargreen, OwenBargreen.com.

Winemaker Notes

"Rich blackberry and plum on the nose with notes of aniseed. Full-bodied with dark bramble fruit and well-coated tannins on the palate. The long finish reveals layers of black licorice and dried sage.'

"Lytton Springs has become synonymous with classic Dry Creek zinfandel. It shows potent, ripe boysenberry and blackberry, but also a pronounced rusticity and earthiness often attributed to its blending varietals; petite sirah and carignane. Acid and tannin are firm, yet not overwhelming; in youth, at least, fruit predominates. This balanced, powerful wine becomes more nuanced with age, and it often holds for more than a decade."

Dark ruby colored, medium full bodied, a cacophony of bright, vibrant expressive, full round ripe red and black brambly fruit flavors accented by sweet spices, clove and cinnamon, full tannins on the finish. May be better with some age to further integrate.

RM  92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4578675 

https://www.ridgewine.com/product/2021-lytton-springs/

https://www.ridgewine.com/

https://www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com/en/us/ramsays-kitchen/menus/naperville

https://twitter.com/GRamsaysKitchen

@RidgeVineyards

Thursday, December 28, 2023

Plumpjack Reserve Napa Chardonnay at Entourage Restaurant Naperville

Plumpjack Reserve Napa Chardonnay 2022 at Entourage Restaurant Naperville 

Son Alec & d-in-law Vivianna gave us a gift card to their latest favorite restaurant Entourage in Naperville, IL. It turns out Alec discovered the GM and Principle of the restaurant is a college buddy of one of his best buds from NYC, AJ, who has been to our home several times for wine and dinners. Hence, we were eager to try their restaurant find, which they highly recommended. 

Entourage features craftfully dry-aged cuts of beef, seafood, sandwiches, and small plate dishes. The founders opened a similar Entourage restaurant in suburban Schaumburg, IL in 2006 that was named “Restaurant of the Year” by a Chicago magazine, and neighboring Vai’s Italian Kitchen which earned best Italian restaurant honors two years in a row.

There is seating in and adjacent the lively bar, and a dining room to the rear with a couple booths, cushioned bench and table seating.

We decided on two seafood dishes for our entrees and hence ordered a bottle of Napa Valley Chardonnay as an accompaniment.

For a starter we had the Roasted Beets and Whipped Goat Cheese Salad with Arugula, Baby Gem, Spicy Pecans, Hot Honey, Blood Orange Vinaigrette and Fennel. Linda loved it but I found the whipped goat cheese uninspiring.


I chose the Branzino based on my favor for Meuniére sauce and for whipped potatoes. It too was uninspiring, okay but not great, a bit bland, perhaps because it was served less than hot. 


Linda ordered the Miso Marinated Chilean Seabass with Broccolini, Charred Peppers, Shiitake Mushrooms with Black Truffle Risotto, Yuzu and Sake Butter Sauce. This was extraordinary, delicious in all respects, the fish artfully prepared and served hot, and the Black Truffle Risoto was spectacular. I tried it and loved the Charred Peppers accent which Linda found slightly offputting to the dish. 

The Wood Grilled Branzino Meuniére was served with Yukon Pommes Puree, Baby Tomatoes, Artichoke Brussel Sprouts, Basil and Lemon Caper Sauce.

Entourage service was super, attentive and professional throughout the evening.   

The Entourage winelist offers a thoughtfully and carefully selected winelist of fifteen White wines and 30+ Reds, half of those BTG - By-The-Glass. It is mostly from the US but also offers some selections from Australia, Italy, France and some reds from Spain and whites from Germany.  Five Chardonnays were on offer in a range of five price points.

It includes several notable and some favorite producers including Darioush, Long Shadows, Shafer, (Cabernets), Domaine Drouhin, Foxen and Brave (Pinots), Rombauer, Fontanafredda Barolo, Anaperenna Barossa Shiraz, and Chateau LaNerthe Côtes-du-Rhône (Rose).

Despite our serious disdain for and distrust of the despicable owner producer, hypocrite politician, we order the Plumpjack Reserve Napa Chardonnay, putting politics aside for the evening to enjoy our wine dinner outing.

Plumpjack Reserve Napa Valley Chardonnay 2022

Plumpjack Estate Vineyards and Winery sits on the east end of Oakville Cross Road, just off the Silverado Trail, in southern Napa Valley. It used to be one of our favorite producers and sites to visit in Napa Valley before their ownership became so political, and regretably so radical and divisive. 

We visited the winery several times over the years and hosted their winemaker for a special dinner back in the early 90's. Over the years we acquired an extensive collection of Plumpjack Estate Napa Cabernets, some Merlots and Syrahs, including several vintages of their Cabernet Reserve offering dating back to 1995 through 1997. 

Some of these visits were chronicled in these pages's blogposts - 

Plumpjack Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

Plumpjack Founders Reserve Cabernet

I mentioned our cellar collection of Plumpjack vintages during our last visit there during a private tasting and they eagerly tried to supplement our collection of those vintages from their library, but at $500 to $700 per bottle, we politely passed. 

We first visited Plumpjack in its earliest days at the PlumpJack Wine Store on Fillmore Street in San Francisco, opened in 1992 by partners that included former San Francisco mayor and current Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, and some of his benefactor supporters. 

Over the years the investment group backing Newsome as their high profile figurehead lead has amassed a collection of premier Napa Valley properties and brands including PlumpJack Estate Winery, CADE Estate Winery, Odette Estate Winery and 13th Vineyard.

They also own and operate the rustic PlumpJack Inn boutique hotel set in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in North Lake Tahoe, and several restaurants including Balboa Cafe in San Francisco, PlumpJack Cafe in Olympic Valley, Wildhawk, a neighborhood bar in San Francisco’s Mission district, and White Rabbit neighborhood bar in the Marina district.

The PlumpJack Winery sits in the heart of Napa Valley's renowned Oakville appellation, surrounded by the 42-acre estate vineyard. Both the winery building and the vineyard date back to the 1800s. The east  boundary of their vineyard lies along the foothills of the Vaca mountain range and yields grapes with the kind of bold fruit character that comes from well-drained hillside soils. To the west, their estate lies in the Napa River flood zone, where the vines take root in rich, deep clay soil yielding grapes with softer, more supple varietal character. From their oldest, rockiest section, the "I" Block, they source their Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, of which we hold a half dozen bottles from several aged vintages.

Plumpjack Reserve Napa Valley Chardonnay 2022

This Chardonnay is sourced from grapes grown in two vineyards in Napa Valley – one in the southern Napa Los Carneros appellation near San Pablo Bay, and another in St. Helena in the Central Valley. Just 30 miles apart, Los Carneros can be 10-15° cooler than St. Helena. Due to this difference and other important differences, such as soil type, these two vineyard sites vary significantly in character and expression. When blended, these differences in expression add layer upon layer of flavor to the nose and palate, creating a beautiful and complex Chardonnay.

Winemaker's notes - The 2022 PlumpJack Reserve Chardonnay is a gorgeous, multi-faceted wine. The nose delivers layers of aromas—apple, baked pear, and lemon curd mingle with white peach, apricot, and honeysuckle with a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon just beneath the fruit. The palate is energetic and dynamic, beginning with a rich, mouth-filling texture reminiscent of lemon curd, followed by bright acidity that evokes lemon zest and honey-crisp apples. Finally, the beautiful acidity pulls the wine through the back of the palate, creating a long, structured finish. 

Light straw colored, light medium bodied, crisp, tangy citrus with notes of apple and pear with bright acidity on the lingering finish. 

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4703905

https://plumpjackwinery.com/

We look forward to returning to Entourage, next time to try to Indiana Farm Raised beef with some favorite red wine (s). 

https://entouragerestaurant.com/

Thursday, August 24, 2023

Super Tuscan at La Sorrella de Francesca

Tolaini Al Passo Super Tuscan at La Sorrella de Francesca 

Dear friends Beth and fellow Pour Boy Bill came into town to visit family and friends. We met and dined at La Sorrella de Francesca in Naperville

La Sorella is part of the Francesca’s Restaurant Group family of restaurants, founded in 1992 by Restaurateur Scott Harris, it has grown from one small Italian restaurant on Chicago’s North Clark Street to a group of six concepts across 23 locations in Chicagoland and a couple locations in California.

The original and primary brand of Francesca’s Restaurants are neighborhood Trattorias offering classic Italian favorites in an ambiance of sophisticated comfort, that have expanded to other brands within the historic Italian cuisine. 

In recent years they've also expanded the portfolio to Davanti Enoteca, a lively wine bar and restaurant with shareable  "contemporary twists on rustic Italian cuisine" and Disotto with the vive of a wine cellar in the Italian countryside. 

They've also gwoen beyond their Italian roots with Fat Rosie's Taco and Tequila Bar a family-friendly Mexican Taqueria featuring traditional Mexican fare with shareable small plates, and Joe's Imports offering modern Mediterranean noshes complemented by iworldly wines from curated from Joe's travels, and Vasili's hearth-cooked Mediterranean cuisine.

La Sorella de Francesca (sister of Francesca) has been a Naperville chic upscale staple for more than two decades in the lively burgeoning city center district. 

While the food was delicious, the wine list is somewhat limited and the atmosphere and ambiance is challenging with horrible acoustics that impedes basic conversation to shouting above the cacaphony of music, TV's and boisterous chatter.

For our entrees, Bill, Beth and I all selected the Mafaldine Pasta Bolognese - Fiore's mafalde - beef, pork, veal, tomato sauce, carrots, celery, onion and parmigiano. It was a perfect, delectable mix of pasta meat and cheese.

Linda selected for entree the Halibut Ippoglosso al Limone* - sautéed halibut with lemon white wine sauce, capers and sautéed spinach. It was equally delicious. 

From the winelist we ordered a Super Tuscan Merlot Sangiovese Blend as a pairing with dinner. 

Tolaini Al Passo Toscana 2019 

This is from the Tolaini estate winery and vineyards of founder Pier Luigi Tolaini. He envisioned owning such an estate when he left his Tuscan home for America as a young man, knowing that one day he would return, buy some land and make great wine.

Pier Luigi's search for a top Tuscan vineyard brought him to Chianti Classico, to the prestigious region of Castelnuovo Berardenga, and to the properties at Montebello and San Giovanni. When Pier Luigi first set foot on the amphitheatre - shaped vineyard at Montebello, he knew he had found the perfect balance of climate, soil, and exposure to establish the Tuscan Tolaini Estate winery and vineyards. The silty clay soil is rich in limestone with a high presence of stones. The wine plantings were completed in the spring of 2000

The vast and diverse Chianti Classico region of Tuscany stretches from the suburbs of Florence in the north to the outskirts of Siena in the south. As a result of the diverse varying soil, altitude, exposure and micro-climate, within the zone, many argue that it should be divided into subzones, or into communes, as in the Médoc [Bordeaux, France]. If this were the case, the wines from Castelnuovo Berardenga, the southernmost commune, would be the Pauillac of Chianti, for the wines have power, intensity and, at their best, great elegance and longevity.

Wine production in the area dates back more than 3000 years when Tuscany was home to the Etruscan civilization, a people noted for their culture and wine.

The name Al Passo is a derived from the term describing a small circular forest with an interior passage ("al passo") which sits at the highest point of the Tolaini Estate vineyard with views of the towers of Siena, the town of Montalcino and Montepulciano to the east of the Tuscany wine region. It was there in Al Passo that Tolaini discovered and restored an ancient Etruscan tomb and ruins.

The inverted "Y" symbol undefined that is in their branding logo and adorns their labels is taken from the ancient alphabet of the Etruscans and is equivalent to our modern letter "T". To honor the connection of the ancient with the modern, the symbol was chosen and is used to represent the Tolaini name and brand. The symbol is carved into a 3-meter high stone quarried from the vineyard and is also placed at the gate of the Estate.

The 2019 Tolaini Al Passo is a blend of 34% Sangiovese, 33% Merlot and 33% Cabernet Sauvignon. Such Blends that combine the native Sangiovese varietal grape of Chianti, Tuscany with traditional Bordeaux varietals are known as 'Super Tuscan's". 

 This release was rated 93 points by James Suckling, 92 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 91 points by both Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast.

Al Passo 2020 was featured by Wine Spectator's picks in "9 Stylish Tuscan Reds".

Winemaker Notes - Spicy notes of oak rise above distinct aromas of cherry and berry. The palate has a backbone of Sangiovese, a roundness of Merlot and enhanced body from the Cabernet Sauvignon. The fruit purity and varietal signatures are testament to the meticulous care given to the vines. Note: Some sediment may occur in the bottom of the bottle as the wine is not filtered.

This was bright garnet colored, medium full bodied, firm and tightly structured blackberry iand blackcherry fruits wth notes of black pepper, herbs, cedar and hints of cinnamon spice with pointed acidity on the chewy tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 89 points 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4339636

https://www.tolaini.it/en/ 

https://twitter.com/TolainiWines

https://www.miafrancesca.com/location/mia-francesca-la-sorella-di-francesca/

https://twitter.com/Mia_Francesca

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Santo Ciello Naperville - unique wine dine experience

 Santo Ciello Restaurant in Naperville - a unique imaginative wine dine experience

We dined at Santo Ciello in Naperville (IL), atop the Indigo Hotel overlooking downtown Naperville and the DuPage River. Several friends and all our kids have been there and gave it a thumbs up. 

The menu and cuisine is a bit eclectic and funky, and the ambiance and atmosphere has a jive to it.

As their website proclaims: "The inspiration for our food lies within the idea of a “globally inspired kitchen.” This means staying true to our midwest roots while extending our vision to other countries & cultures. We source our ingredients responsibly by seeking out local purveyors, aiming to be sustainable and seasonal whenever mother nature allows. We also strive to provide the highest quality of freshness in all aspects of our creations."

The highlight of Santo Ciello may be its setting with riverfront window seating offering views overlooking the river and downtown Naperville and its RiverWalk that are spectacular. 


Santo Ciello interior dining room
seating

I have to say, the experience exceeded my expectations with a delicious dinner and wonderful wine and food pairing. 

Once again, as earlier in the week, we took advantage of Restaurant Week Chicago and their special menu dinner offering. The special feature provided one of two starters, to share, one each of three entree choices, and one of two desserts to share. 

We chose for our selections the Roasted curried cauliflower with cucumber-cilantro raita, spiced honey and mint, and the Chicken Bao, teriyaki chicken, kimchi aioli, pickled carrot, fresno chili, sesame and cilantro.

For entree selections amongst us we chose all three of the entree selections on offer:

  • Gnocchi & Short Rib,  chicken stock beurre monté, pickled fennel & fresno chili




  • Atlantic Corvina, carrot ginger puree, bok choy, edamame, seasonal pickles, togarashi vinaigrette, rice chicharron

  • Roasted 1/2 Chicken, free-range chicken, creamed collard green, charred okra, chimichurri, sweet potatoes

For dessert both couples ordered the Seasonal Sorbet which was an imaginative Guava and Blackberry.

On first view, the wine-list is limited, sparse and eclectic, with a couple offerings in each wine category delineated by wine style. In each category there is from one to nearly a dozen offerings. 

The wine categories are, such as for the whites: 

  • Light + Crisp/ Mineral-Driven
  • Aromatic + Expressive
  • Round + Textured
And for the reds: 
  • Elegant + Floral for a selection of Pinot Noirs
  • Structured + Earthy for a broad diverse selection of varietals including Tempranillo, Malbec, GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre), Gamay, Grenache, Garnacha, Cabernet Franc, Nebbiolo, Syrah, Sangiovese and Red Blends, and,
  • Bold + Spicy for Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Blends, a Syrah, a Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc-Merlot, and assorted Red Blends.
There are also awine category selections
  • Bubbles + Skin Contact + Pink Matter for Sparkling wines, and,
  • Before + After Dinner for after or before dinner wine selections.
While initially perhaps confusing, once you get the approach its imaginative, helpful and useful. In the end, its challenging in that if you're offering but one or a few selections for a category, picking the right labels need be done with care. For example, I was initially put off when as is so often the case, my first wine choice was not available, from a selection of but two Bordeaux labels. But in the end we had a delightful wine that paired perfectly with our food that was a great selection for the category.

For our wine selections I was wanting from the winelist Chateau Lassegue '12, Bordeaux, Cabernet Franc-Merlot, especially since it was available by the glass or by the bottle, which allowed us to try multiple wines. Unfortunately, it was not available. This seems to happen to me very often, where from a broad selection of choices, I will pick the one, or the two or even three choices that are not available. 

Beyond that label, I was interested in these interesting, imaginative labels:
  • Mocali '15 / Brunello di Montalcino / Sangiovese
  • Chateau La Peyre '15 / Bordeaux / Cabernet Blend, and the
  • Domaine Corbis '19 / Cornas / Syrah 

I was also very intrigued with and hoping to try the Matthiasson, “Linda Vista Vineyard”, '21 / Napa Valley / Chardonnay. Our group opted for a Red, but I'll look forward to coming back and trying this label sometime in the future! 

 In the end, we selected the 2019 Domaine Courbis "Champelrose" Cornas Syrah which proved to be delightful. 

Domaine Courbis "Champelrose" Cornas Northern Rhone Syrah 2019

This is 100% Syrah from the Cornas appellation in the Northern Rhone river valley. Established in 1938, Cornas designated wines are only reds made solely from the Syrah grape. A contributing factor to their style is the distinctive terroir with its granitic soil and that the Syrah based wines are made traditionally and often spend two years in oak. The result is strong and powerful wines, a style we like a lot. Other Northern Rhone wine appellations that feature Syrah are St Joseph, Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie, with Cornas being a cross between them, but typically with slightly less finesse.

The Cornas appellation is small comprising a mere 370 acres. It is located south of St Joseph on the west side of the Rhone river. The name “Cornas” comes from an old Celtic dialect term, meaning “burnt land”, reflecting the fact that the steep terraces there, facing south, have temperatures that are significantly higher than those in Hermitage, which is just five miles away.

The soils of Cornas are a combination of limestone and granite, which are ideally suited to the Syrah grape, producing reds that result in a style somewhere between those of Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie which are strong and powerful wines, with forward acidity and a robust, rustic style with prominent tannins. 

Domaine Courbis has been in existence in the Courbis family with the estate dating back to the 16th century. Recently, the brothers Dominique and Laurent Courbis succeeded their father, Maurice, in the early 1990s. Since then they have established themselves as leaders of the modern school of winemaking in St Joseph and Cornas. The Courbis brothers produce some of the most compelling examples of St. Joseph and Cornas being made today. The Courbis style might be summarized as offering wines filled with intense aromas and concentrated fruit with great purity and length.

The Domaine Courbis estate covers 80 acres divided as follows: 20 in Cornas; twelve in St Joseph Blanc; 45 acres are of St Joseph Red, and 2 1/2 acres are Syrah Vin de Pays de l’Ardèche. The vineyards all face south and east on the slopes in the communes of Châteaubourg, Glun and Cornas. 

The wines are aged in barriques, some new and the rest up to three years old and they are bottled between 18 months and two years after harvest. 

This Cornas Champelrose cuvée label is 100% Syrah sourced from various vineyard parcels across the Courbis domaine, mostly from vines near the base of Cornas slope. They are blended to produce a wine ready for near term drinking upon release. It is subjected to 3 weeks of vatting to extract as much color and flavor as possible, then aged entirely in casks that are a mix of 25% new; 20% one year; and 55% 2-3 years of age for a barrel-aging for a period is 12 months. The wine is assembled in tank and aged for four more months before bottling, 

Dark purple garnet colored, medium-full bodied, with vibrant expressive intense concentrated sweet dark blackberry and black raspberry fruits accented by spice, black pepper, notes of violet floral, smoky minerals with bold acidity on a big long moderate tannin laced finish. 

RM 92 points.

This was awarded 93-95 points by Josh Raynolds, Vinous.com