California Wine Merchant & Amelie: Not Your Father's Wine Bar!

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

California Wine Merchant

(photo right: Amelie)

Once upon a time, a wine bar had a bad reputation. It wasn't a real bar, it was just a "wine" bar, a, to use the 70s term, a "fern bar"! And, that was not a term of honor.

So, I never really thought to much about wine bars, that is, until a few years ago when on a trip to San Francisco, I stopped in at the California Wine Merchant (CWM). A snug little spot on Chestnut Street, it is not only a bar, but, as the name implies, a wine store.

The CWM is one of my favorite spots on Chestnut. The friendly and knowledgeable staff are more than happy to offer suggestions from the extensive wine selections and the crowd - though often pretty noisy - is always friendly. If you can, snag the small table by the open front windows and watch the Marina District crowds flow by while sipping your favorite wine. And if the window seat's taken, grab a barrel and just get comfortable.



On my last trip, Chris, from MOBOT, and I stopped in and got the window seat, asking the other person there if the seats were free or at least not expensive. Geeking right into a discussion about digital object identifiers, we took a breath to move over to the bar and made a passing comment to our table mate. This being the CWM, we and Helen (our table mate) were soon in a deep discussion about food, restaurants and everything. Next thing you know, we were headed in a cab to ...

La Cave D'Amelie

I don't really think I can write a fair review of Amelie. We arrived just near closing, but our new friend Helen - a regular - had us seated and the focus of the staff. Juan quickly set us a table and brought us a variety of quatre frommage. Not sure what wine to have - other than wanting to focus on a pinot - Juan brought a tasting of four different pinot noirs.

The Spanish cheeses were fabulous and the service, in the word of the night, fabulous!

I had the sense that the attention we received was a little above that of the average diner, but at the same time, the knowledge of Juan and other staff of wine and cheese was also clearly above average.

A spot that needs to be revisited!

California Wine Merchant
Meal: Drinks
Rating: *****
Date: Regular and Frequent!
Address: 2113 Chestnut St., San Francisco, CA 94123-2708
Website: http://californiawinemerchant.com

La Cave D'Amelie
Meal: Drinks
Rating: *****
Address: 1754 Polk St., San Francisco, CA 94109-3617
Website: http://ameliesf.com

Sasha's on Shaw: Fierce Prosciutto and more!

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Sasha's on Shaw

There's not really too many places to eat around the Missouri Botanical Garden. Well, there is World's Fair Donuts, but, you can't really make a meal of out donuts - well, I suppose you could, but it probably wouldn't be a good idea.

So, the neighborhood's local foodies were pretty pleased - so they told me - when the owner of Sasha's Wine Bar (in Clayton) opened an outpost on Shaw.

Located on a corner lot, there's a nice outdoor seating area (filled on the night I was there), and two nice spacious dining areas and two bars.

The decor is 21st wine bar. Lots of wine bottles everywhere, including hanging lights made from bottles. And lots of granite. Lots of granite!

We ordered a bottle of Cosentino Sangiovese (2006) which was just delightful and started with the prosciutto and Parmesan platter. The prosciutto was from the local (and nationally known) Volpi Foods. The Parmesan was shaved thick and served along with cornichons, French bread toast and a nice spicy mustard. A good start!

Around the table were ordered a pepperoni pizza, a prosciutto crepe, and the brisket French dip (me).

Before we get to the Dip, a note on the other two dishes. The savory crepe was nicely done and served with the same mustard at the prosciutto and cheese platter. The pizza was quite interesting (I got a taste of both dishes). A very thin crust, a good spicy sauce, and generous pepperoni slices. Though a round, it wasn't cut into the usual pie-shaped wedges, but rather into
squares. I've seen this every now and then and thought it was interesting. Little did I know, this cutting style is a St. Louis tradition!

So, what about the Dip? Nice thin meat, a very chewy and slightly toasted French roll. The dipping sauce was also spiced to compliment the meat. Served with a side of potato salad and pickle, it ranked as a very good French dip.

Service was good with our waiter offering wine suggestions (when our first choice wasn't available). Some reviews have noted that the service was below par and verging on surly. I asked my companions about this (they're regulars) and they said that the first round of
staff hired were a bit problematic, but that they hadn't noticed any problems lately.

Here's to hoping that Sasha's on Shaw will stick around!

More photos.

Meal: Dinner
Rating: ****
Date: 11 May 2009
Address: 4069 Shaw Ave., St Louis, MO 63110
Website: http://www.sashaswinebar.com/ (not working 13 May 2009)