Dark Room Dinner

Since the Dark Room is in between the Fox Theater and Powell Hall, we normally stop by for an after-show drink. Every single time, Chef Samantha comes out and asks if we wanted something to eat and we just weren't hungry so late at night.

So we promised to make a date to go there JUST for dinner and to try her handmade, gnocchi of the week. Luckily there were a few other goodies on the menu as well!

We were greeted by a cute, little sign at the bar and Kelli was right there to start pouring for us!

Our reservation waiting for us...

The Dark Room is known for their wine list so we each picked out a favorite in addition to trying the Featured Wine from the special dinner menu for the night. The wine list is quite lengthy so I actually recommended just telling the sommliers your preferences and have them narrow it down for you.

Wine selection

Of course we had to have some cheese to pair with all that wine! We usually order the cheese plate as a late night snack, but ordered it as a starter this time.

Cheese plate

To make things simple after that, we just ordered one of everything off of the featured menu. The first course was the Chef's Soup Bowl, vegetable beef that came with fresh bread.

Vegetable Beef with bread

Of course the main course was the weekly gnocchi...they're huge! These are Zucchini Gnocchi with roasted brussel sprouts, crimini mushrooms in a creamy gorgonzola dolce sauce. I wish I had room for a second order....

Zucchini Gnocchi

Dessert was no joke either...we each got our own S'mores Pie a la Mode! Serendipity's Tahitan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream was served on top of a cake with marshmellow "stuff" on top. So filling!

S'mores Pie a la Mode

The featured menu changes weekly, but they do have a few staples on the menu such as hummus and a couple of flatbread pizzas that are great as last night snacks. While there is a weekly gnocchi, the flavors change frequently.

Featured Menu

In case you haven't heard, the Dark Room will be moving inside the Grandel Theater at the beginning of February, and the menu will be expanded even more!

Hopefully, a future blog post from the new location will happen in 2017!

Resources:

Dark Room = http://www.thedarkroomstl.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

Dark Room: Slow Down and Indulge

Since I have a connection to The Dark Room, I signed up for their mailing list and follow them on social media. Just last week, I got a slew of Facebook Event invitations for a new dinner series at The Dark Room called "Slow Down and Indulge".

This new dinner series is a four-course dinner that will take place on Thursday nights, each night with a theme. The first two Thursdays start with a French theme and next up will be a Moroccan dinner. Surprisingly, I happened to have a Thursday night open and could finally try out one of these dinners.

I have been to The Dark Room before for a late night glass of wine as well as a Wine Girl Wednesday with STLwinegirl, but not for a four-course meal! I was curious how this would go...

I immediately received a printed menu as soon as I sat down and everything sounded elegant, especially the wine pairings. (Of course there are a wine pairings at a wine bar!)

Menu

The dinner started off with a small appetizer and bubbles to help clean the palate. The cheesy biscuits were two bites of cheesy goodness! Since the main course was a heavier dish, I was happy to start off light.

Thyme & Gruyere Gougeres with Fig Marsala Jam and
N/V Domaine Baumard "Turquoise" Brut from Loire Valley

The second course could have been an entree for me. A little larger than a side salad, a healthy piece of tuna came with the Salad Nicoise, I was already quite happy as this is one of my favorite salads. Perhaps they could add this to their regular menu???!!! (Write-in campaign starting NOW!)

Salad Nicoise with Tarragon Vinaigrettte
2013 Domaine Lafond

The salad was paired with a very light, but slightly dry blend from Lirac, France. There was actually a choice between this and a fruitier white from the Alsace region.

For the main course, I was really looking forward to the classic Boeuf Bouruignon and the meat was so soft,  you didn't even need to use your knife!

Boeuf Bourguignon with Yukon Potatoes and Carrots
2013 Domaine Laporte

Extra special was the side of bread, which I don't normally eat, but it is the owner's grandmother's recipe and has a touch of sweetness to it. It was sturdy enough for butter or jam, but was perfect for sopping up the gravy afterwards!

A rich dish like this needs a big red so out of the four choices, I selected the 2013 Domain Laporte Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley. My friends let me try their Merlot from Bordeaux and it was too dry for my taste so the Cab Franc was just right.

The big red was also a good pairing for the dessert course, a Flourless Chocolate Cake with Tawny Port Whip and Ghiradelli Caramel on top. You know how I feel about chocolate. Perfect meal.

Flourless Chocoalte Cake with Tawny Port Whip, Ghiradelli Caramel, and Fleur de Sel

My friends opted for a glass of Tawny Port to go with their dessert and it got to star in the photo above.

Hopefully, The Dark Room will keep coming up with unique food and wine pairings!!

Resources:

The Dark Room = http://thedarkroomstl.com/

Wine Girl Wednesday at The Dark Room

Wine Girl Wednesdays are back in 2015 and we kicked off the new year at The Dark Room, a wine bar and art gallery combined. I had been once before for a glass of wine over my birthday weekend, but this finally gave me the chance to try some of their small plates.

This month's pairings matched up a "pizzeta" with a half glass of wine for $10. In addition, there was a wine flight you could pick for $20. Check out the menu by clicking on the image below to see an enlarged version:

Menu

Even before we ordered, we started with the "Welcome White", a dry Muscat from Jumilla, Spain, to help clear the palate. Quite refreshing and dry whites are my favorite because they are so food friendly.

Anyway, the first pairing was the simple Roasted Tomato & Balsamic Glaze pizzeta, which included a four cheese blend and shaved Parmesan. With this much cheese, you know it was my favorite. Even though this was paired with a big jammy red Dolcetto, I found this one went well with the dry Muscat as well as the light and crisp Fiano for the second pairing.

Roasted Tomato & Balsamic Glaze pizzeta

That light and crisp Fiano still went well with the second pairing since the high acid in the wine helped to cut through the richness of the salmon and the goat cheese on this pizzeta. Maybe this one was my favorite because I love smoked salmon so much!

Smoked Salmon & Heartland Goat Cheese pizzeta

While I didn't have too many bites of the last pizzeta, the Prosciutto & Fig rich and meaty flavors demanded a big red, and the Cabernet Franc did it's job.

Prosciutto & Fig pizzeta

Since we didn't know how many pairings we were going to do, I also ordered the house hummus as well.

Smoked Paprika Hummus with Toasted Pita

This is a great place for a late night snack and glass of wine after a theater show!

Resources:

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com

The Dark Room = http://thedarkroomstl.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon