The food was very good.  I started with the  butternut squash soup which turned out to be the highlight of my meal.  Rich creamy soup with fried goat cheese balls and a drizzle of olive oil.   I came close to licking the bowl on that one.  I also sampled the sheep’s milk agnilotti, the heritage pork belly and the Border Springs Farm lamb flatbread.  All three of which were delicious.  I cannot stand overcooked pasta and I am happy to report that the agnilotti was cooked perfectly.  The pork belly had a nicely crisped exterior and a juicy inside.   The menu is not huge, but there is plenty to choose from.

Of course, like the name implies this place is about wine.  The best way to enjoy this is get one of their flights.  These are groupings of three wines, thematically tied together.  They come in high quality glassware and each flight was accompanied by a little set of cards explaining the three different wines.  I ordered the Italian Renaissance, which was the only flight that had both white and red wine.  I had the white (Fuso Verdicchio) with the soup, which made for a terrific pairing.  The other two were reds.  The only down note was that I felt like the last wine of the flight, the Marabino Noto Nero D’Avola, was a little old and flat tasting.  I always have a little bit of a concern about freshness in places that have a lot of wine by the glass available on the menu, yet just keep the partially full bottles out on the counter with the corks  stuffed in them.  On the plus side there are lots of interesting flights to try:  Pinot Evil and a flight of three bubblies caught my eye.

The service was good and the lunch with appetizer, entrée and a flight of wine each came to about $40 each including tip.  All of us agreed that it is well worth a return trip.  On the way out we noticed a nice set of leather sofa surrounding a fireplace.  That would be the spot to while away some time while sampling their wines!!

I also really like the ambiance of the restaurant.  It struck me as one of those neighborhood places you find in Boston or New York.  I think it’s due to the fact that when you look out the front windows all you see are trees and residences and no other commercial property.  It really makes it feel like a cozy neighborhood joint, which is exactly what it is!

Il Porto:  200 South Market Street, Frederick, MD 21701-6527 Phone: (301) 620-7480

I paid $14.99 for this from the Frederick Wine House.  I rate it a solid 90.

They make a lot of this so you should be able to buy this almost everywhere for about $10.  Just make sure its the 2009.  Also don’t confuse it their other Reislings: Dry Riesling  and Harvest Select Riesling which I haven’t tasted.

To all those who inquired thanks! I am fine. Sorry for the light blogging.  I’ve done a bunch of fun food and wine related things this Summer and Fall but just been too busy to write about them.  Life just keeps getting in the way.  I fully intend to let you guys know about some of them.

The owners have made some changes and the eating area is stylishly decorated with muted earth tones, pictures by local artists and a zinc bar.  They also have a four table outdoor dining area overlooking East street, but on the day we went it was just too darn hot to sit there.  They are serving a limited menu right now, but their website indicates that they plan to expand it in the fall.  We had a cheese plate, the crostini, a caprese salad special and the vegetable flatbread.  Plenty of food for two moderately hungry people.   The food was quite good.  They have a nice selection of cheeses to choose from and the three spreads that came with the crostini were excellent.  The flatbread was nice and I really appreciated that the vegetable topping had not been cooked into mush and was still crispy and flavorful. The service was also very attentive.  They had about 40 wines by the glass and Mrs. F and I had fun picking and sampling a variety.

While I thought the food prices were a little on the expensive side the wine prices were excellent.  Everything they had by the glass was available in 2 or 6 ounce pours and the wines by the bottle were really a good value.  Most restaurants sell wine by the bottle for double or even triple retail.  Shab Row’s prices were significantly less than that.  Furthermore they have a wine store in the back and they will pour you anything there for a $9 corkage fee.  I didn’t explore the wine store as we were having too much fun with the wines by the glass.  Their website also lists their happy hour times which look worthwhile. 

Bottom line:  If you think of this as an excellent place to drink some wine with some decent finger food on the side you won’t be disappointed.

UPDATE:  went back to get a few more bottles and they were sold out.  Note to self:  must buy the bottles BEFORE I blog about it.  The owner said he thought they would get some more in.

Saturday was putting up the Christmas tree day.  Nothing but a real tree will do in the Fred household, so after a wonderful time of cutting down the tree in the falling snow and bringing it back home I had to deal with the dreaded task of sorting through the lights.  After about fifteen minutes I had one full string and two halves of  two other strings  operational with no clue how to fix them and the Christmas spirit was draining out of me like a ruptured radiator.  Luckily  Mrs. F could  see the gathering storm clouds on the horizon and suggested some bottled cheer for the rest of the tree trimming.   A splendid idea that immediately boosted my morale.   The wine we reached  for was Willm Cuvée Leon IX Crémant d’Alsace.  A non-vintage bubbly from the Alsace region of France.   According to Willm’s website (now this may be inaccurate since it is all in French) this product is made up of a blend of 67% Pinot Blanc, 18% each of Chardonnay and Riesling, and 12% Pinot Noir.  Amazing huh?  You’re getting a 115% wine for the money!  Anyway  as a rule all Cremant d’Alsaces must be made from one or more of the following grapes: Auxerrois, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay or Riesling so you know its some combination of those.

On to the wine itself.  I really try not to be a sucker for marketing, but the first thing that struck me was how beautiful the bottle and labelling were.  As you can see from the picture it’s a truly elegant package with an embossed bottle and clean, classy label.  I felt better just looking at it.  Luckily the bottle was just the beginning and not the high point as is the case with other packaging experiences. Lighter than most Champagnes, but a little more complex than most proseccos this wine was a delight.  Great nose of apple, pear and hints of yeast/bread.  On the mouth it was slightly more than light-bodied, with gobs of green apple flavor, hints of pear and some lime/lemon acidity on the finish.  A very good bubbly.

I rated it a solid 89 but in looking at my rating you have to factor in that I was drinking it during a terrrific afternoon with the Christmas music and roaring fire and the whole family trimming the tree.  I’ll certainly revisit this wine again as it strikes me as a strong value.  If my assessment differs I’ll let you know.  Purchased for $13.99 at Frederick Wine House.

PS FNP:  How about the cost?

 Continuing in my never ending quest for good wine at a good price I want to pass on a decent value that I had the other day.  Its a Spanish Non-Vintage Cava called Cristallino Cava Brut.   Cava is Spanish sparkling wine and has a reputation for having some great values.  Under Spanish law, it can only be produced in six wine regions (mainly in the Pendes region to the West of Barcelona) and is made according to the same methods as Champagne is (i.e. with second fermentation in the bottle).  It can be made from a blend of any of six grapes: Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel-lo, Chardonnay, Pinot noir, and Subirat.

I picked it up for $9.99 at the Spirit Shop on 7th street.  It had lots  of fine bubbles with nose of pineapple and orange. Very crisp with lots of great acidity and flavors of lemon and orange. Hint of bread on the finish. Had worse Champagnes at eight times the price.  Looking online I saw that some people elsewhere in the country had seen this on sale for $6-7.  It would be a terrific value at that price.  Great with a variety of food and decent just to drink alone.  We had it with a Kabocha squash- pasta recipe and it turned out to be one of those phenomenal wine-food pairings that makes me all geeky as the tart acidity and citrus really played  off the sweetness of the squash.  Rating:  a solid 88.

As a follow up to my October 31st  post:  on election night I had a bottle of  N.V. Mumm Napa Blanc de Noirs ($18, Spirit Shop) a rose California sparkler, which I gave an 86+ to.  Was decent, if it had any flaws it was just that it was on the plain side.  You can do as well if not better for less money.

This wine is very good.  As mentioned the Spirit Shop has it for 10.99 a bottle.  It’s got lots of red fruit and pepper and a surprisingly long finish.  Its medium bodied and pairs really well with the red sauce in pizza.  I give it a solid 89.  As an aside I was at a family reunion this past weekend and the aforementioned Uncle showed up with a case it.  He manged to pick it up in NJ for under $8 a bottle which would make it a screaming value!