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Dining at Bin 36 in Chicago - Printable Version

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- dananne - 12-20-2004

Certainly not "wine country," especially when the temps are in single digits, but certainly qualifies for "dining," hence the location of the post.

Just returned from a brief visit to Chicago to see family before the holidays, and Anne and I treated everyone to dinner at Bin 36. Lovely meals all across the board. The mussels were fantastic as an appetiser, as were the pumpkin-stuffed ravioli. Went off the vegetarian diet for the night to have grouper. Again, tasty. Anne had monkfish -- very rich and sweet, almost like lobster. I wanted to experiment, and since everything in the Italian red flight was new to me, I had that, despite the fact that it paired better with the appetisers than my main course. Anne went with an Italian white pairing. We tasted each other's flight freely.

Her flight:
'03 Zenato Pinot Grigio, delle Venezia -- Fresh and light, with citrus flavors and floral nose. She liked this better than I did, as I found it somewhat nondescript.

'03 Argiolas "Costamolino" Vermentino, Sardegna -- Heavier, with fennel notes and a tart apple streak.

'03 Maculan Pinot e Toi, Veneto -- A blend of Pinot Bianco/Grigio/Tocai Friulano. Very pronounced grapefruit, good acidity that cut into her richer monkfish dish. My favorite of her flight.

'01 Vignalta Sirio Muscat, Veneto -- Floral nose, but the flavors were a bit dilute. Would have been better as an aperitif.

My flight:
'02 Spadina Nero d'Avola, Sicily -- Red cherries, earth, and fine tannins. I liked this one, though Anne found it "boring." I need to try more Nero d'Avolas.

'02 Luccarelli Primitivo -- Red fruits and black pepper, some heat on finish. Would go well with beef dishes.

'03 Vigna Corvino Montepulciano d'Abruzzo -- Plums, cherries, and dark spices, with some vanilla oak on finish. Tasted a bit young -- I'd like to try it in a few years.

'00 Umberto Cesari "Liano" Emilia-Romagna -- Plums and chocolate tones, with spicy black cherry fruit. 70-30 Sangiovese/Cab blend. This one was far better after sitting a while in glass -- needed to open up, but when it did, the chocolate notes came out and it began to feel "bigger." My favorite from the tasting.

For dessert, Anne had the "Sheepish, but Seductive" cheese tray -- Manchego, Brin D'amour, Pecorino Toscano Grand Cru, and Carles Roquefort -- with a Gruet sparkler.

I had essentially an apple crisp with a glass of '96 Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos Red Label -- Simply magical pairing, and a great finish to the meal.

Highly recommend Bin 36.


- wondersofwine - 12-20-2004

Thanks for the report.