Homework, homework…hard life, but someone’s got to do it.

Tonight, it’s a bottle that I picked up at my new favorite bottle shop in Minnetonka – corner of Hwy 169 and Shady Oak Rd, in between Eden Prairie and Minnetonka – a spot called Pairings Food & Wine Market www.pairingsfoodandwine.com   About the coolest couple of peeps that I’ve met in a long time – owners Mark Peregory & Holly Damiani – along with manager Anissa Gurstell.  Cool peeps and great, great competitive prices.  Check it out!  Friendly staff, fun wines PLUS you can pick up some food to go on the other side at their great food market for snacks, breakfast, lunch or dinner – just what we needed on the west side of town!

So, I picked up the Smith & Hook Cab, Central Cost, CA – price:  $25  

Notes of a lushy, herbaceous Cabernet grape reminiscent of mint tea, cocoa dust and dark chocolate covered raspberries. The oak is solid on the wine – not gooey, like coconut ‘Malibu’ rum, smelling of dark tanning cream, BUT sun-drenched & interwoven.  Fine for a ‘Hahn Reserve’, the Smith & Hook  www.hahnestates.com  is quite typical for a Central Coast Cali Cab $25 and under.  Big, bursting with fruit, but no real roots to outstanding Cab at its price point.  I don’t have much on this wine, because it’s not a ‘whistle blower’ for its category.  

I give it a B Rating for the product versus price point.  Good, but not outstanding.  $25 might be too high, and I’m talking winery price point, NOT the Pairings Market price point.  I think Pairings has some of the best wine prices in town, I think it’s the winery asking too much for this little puppy.  Tone it down guys, you’re still just Hahn.

Good for a date night, but not the best BUCK for BUCK value when it comes to backyard BBQs.

Just to be clear on this one, I am not the author of this review.  It was passed on by an anonymous writer, however, I thought worth the posting…

We may as well have duct taped the “gourmet cheese curds” and “exotic french fry sampler” directly to our thighs…  Although both were the highlight of the experience as far as taste goes, the greasy, non-beer batter breading was all that remained in the bottom of the bowl, as it had fallen off of the majority of the cheese curds. 

The fries were ‘kinda’ tasty – they had three kinds to choose from: waffle, sweet potato, and “normal”.  We opted for the sampler of all three.  They were alright; not quite good enough to keep the place open for very long.  In addition to the fry order, they offered a plethora of dipping sauces including: ranch, bbq, spicy chipotle, and six others (you get to choose three)…I mean, really?  Those are some pretty “original” dipping sauces…!?!  How long did it take you guys to come up with those? 

AND FINALLY…the burger.  Or should I say, “really, that’s it?”  I can make a better burger on my neighbor’s grill while it’s running out of gas…(inside joke)   The burgers were over cooked (on a grill…NOT A GRIDDLE –the secret to a great burger, the griddle).  They had a handful of cute burgers on the menu that 3 year old could have come up with….really?

Parasole, the company behind this restaurant (and many other ‘good’ ones mind you), didn’t get this one right.  I give it 8-14 months tops.  If you’re in the market for a good burger, as much as I hate to say it, go to Café Maude, order a burger done medium with fried onions and St André cheese with a pint of beer (all for $9 on Sunday!), you won’t be disappointed!  The fries alone at B.J. were over $9!

As for Burger JONAS Brothers, I have to say, “not worth the wait!”  Rumor has it you can wait up to 2 hours on a Monday nite for a seat anywhere in the joint…

Signed: Minneapolis’ newest Food Critic