Oak Wine Bar & Cafe

Last night, after Joe and Denise scoured Williamsburgh for reservations, we ended up at Oak Wine Bar & Cafe (http://www.oakwinebar.com).

Initially we sat inside, it's a small warm-looking front dining room. But Michael noticed a large umbrella outside in the back and beckoned Denise and I to check it out.

It's a small outside patio, sandwiched between other homes and backyards -complete with bathroom windows facing the tables :).

And we loved it! There were blankets on the back of each chair (which Denise and I put across our laps) and a very large heater (which we positioned closest to our table), all under a large umbrella.

The waiter plugged in an ipod and speaker just near our table which played jazz-fusion-new age music softly in the background. Kevin, one of the owners, was extremely solicitous concerning our wine selection. He brought glasses and four bottles of wine and had us taste them all and choose the bottle we wanted for dinner. Exemplary service! Which we truly appreciated.

Dinner consists of small or large plates. We are crazy about ordering several appetizers and passing on dinner, or just ordering one or two dinners to share. And that's what we did:

Soup of the Day was Shrimp Bisque (which had a carrot-sweetness) that was great! Followed by:
Bocconcini with Olives; Queso Fundido-Mini cheese fondue (Denise cannot get enough cheese-which is not a bad thing); Garlic Shrimp (wow); Crostini alla Romana (with mozzerella, prosciutto and sage); Seared scallops with chorizo and caramelized fennel (wow); and the Baked pear, goat cheese and spinach salad. All were terrific!

Dinner was two large plates: Spinach gnocchi with Gorgonzola and walnut cream sauce (wow) and Baked polenta with mushroom truffle cream and arugula (wow again).

We can honestly say everything was really good. Ambiance, service, food and wine. What more could you want? Okay, good company!! And we had that too :)

Denise wanted coffee (cappuccino) and dessert, so we ordered their Tiramisu, that comes in a tall glass and which you pour a small cup of espresso over to soften the lady fingers and combine the mascarpone and espresso ice cream (that was wow too).

However, the evening was not over yet, Joe wanted to take Michael to a special place for coffee (The Blue Bottle) also in Williamsburgh. So we hunted around for that, then hunted around for a parking spot, then discovered that the place closes at 8pm (which we all decided was not in their best interest for business). And then we drove home.

A fun, yummy evening. Thanks Denise for texting me while I was napping and making the suggestion for dinner, and thanks Joe for finding our new restaurant!

First Time Polenta

There's a first time for everything and last night was my first time making polenta. Michael has mentioned his curiosity with polenta at various times over the years and eventually I get around to everything, so last night was Polenta Night.

The recipe came from THE BOOK, of course, and as usual I played with it based on my culinary Americanism (or vice versa), however, it was a success.

Lenny liked it too. The Wisners get to be guinea pigs when I cook, hopefully, that turns out well for them :)

To the polenta I added parm-regg and hot Italian sausage, then baked it. The recipe says to bake "until golden brown" no time is given, mind you. Took about 45 minutes.

Tonight is pizza (I am not cooking and I LOVE pizza). Tomorrow is My Moon in Williamsburg with Dina and Dmitry. Sunday is Valentine's Day and anyone who knows me will not be surprised to hear that Michael and I are going to my favorite store FAIRWAY (in Red Hook) to go food shopping :).

Before that, however, we are checking out EGG (http://www.pigandegg.com/) in Williamsburg for breakfast.

Details to follow.....

Have a lovely Friday!