Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/19027
THE TASTING PANEL recently met with two contestants in our ITALIAN WINE WRITE-OFF competition (see opposite page). Here are their entries. Get started on your own entries before the December 1 deadline! Stage Left Builds Community with Wine On Memorial Day 1992, the two former Rutgers University classmates opened Stage Left on a sketchy New Brunswick, NJ street adjacent to the city’s venerable State Theater. Within 18 months, Francis Schott and Mark Pascal scored three stars from The New York Times, and have received a continuous stream of accolades ever since. Along the way, the neighborhood gentrified and Pascal and Schott have hosted a popular radio show, opened a more casual restaurant upstairs and expanded Stage Left to four elegant dining rooms boasting one of the region’s best wine lists. To Schott, Stage Mark Pascal (left) and Francis Schott of Stage Left. Left’s contemporary American menu is central to its suc- cess, but the wine he assembles for its 1,000-bottle library—distinctive, estate-bottled labels from small producers (“wines that speak of a certain place,” he says)—take his establishment’s status to a different level altogether. “Wine occupies a unique place in Western dining tradition,” he explains. “In nice restaurants, usually you may have your own dishes, but what you share is the wine. That creates a remark- able bond. After all, a bar, a watering hole, a public house has been from the dawn of our country a locus of community.”—Michael Roney Barone Fini Pinot Grigio from Valdadige by Francis Schott Refreshing as aperitif, but also great with white-fleshed fish. The nose is bright with orange and lime peel and a hint of smoke. It’s full in the mouth, with certain a stony minerality and richness. It’s a great complement to our seared day-boat scallops. Chicago’s Personal Connection The only completely outdoor restaurant in Downtown Chicago and only 25 feet from the edge of Lake Michigan, Oak Street Beachstro is far more than a tourist-stop where one can merely grab a hot dog and a soda. Behind the hard work of husband and wife team Anthony and Kimberly Priola, this eatery produces some of the finest food to be had al fresco on some of Chicago’s choicest real estate, and this special eatery prides itself on making a personal connection with its guests. It is this personal touch that won over Giovanni Bonmartini- Fini from Barone Fini when he visited the Windy City a few years ago. “He was blown away that his wines Anthony Priola. were being sold in such a fabulous location,” says Anthony. “After an afternoon of talking, and enjoying lunch and some of his wines, we became friends and have kept in touch,” continues Anthony, who, along with Kimberly, reconnected with Bonmartini-Fini on a recent trip to Italy. The Priolas hope to pass on this intimate connection to their customers. “If I’m going to carry a wine on my wine list, it has to have some meaning. It all goes into the personal experience of what we do, along with the relationships we maintain with our suppliers.” —Rachel Burkons Barone Fini 2008 Merlot by Anthony Priola Like an Indian Summer, soft and smooth, so relaxing in the fall sun. A light breeze passes the crimson-filled glass and gently coaxes the red maple leaves from their majestic perch. A deep breath fills my nose with sweet spice and cherry. A passing flock of mallards makes its way south. Another taste puts velvet on my tongue, bringing thoughts of pan-seared duck breast with cherry glaze and shaved black truffle risotto. Certainly an invitation to dinner at my house. november 2010 / the tasting panel / 79 PHOTO: MICHAEL RONEY PHOTO: TORI SOPER