Via Vino Traveling Table

Since I cheated and had already visited Via Vino on Mother’s Day, I knew this was going to be a fantastic Traveling Table with STLwinegirl, Angela Ortmann.

We started off the three-course dinner with Scallops that was dressed with peaches, arugula, and balsamic vinaigrette. I was definitely sad there was only one scallop on the plate. This was paired with an Albert Mann Pinot Blanc from Alsace, France, which was my favorite of the night. The crispness of the wine helped to cut through the rich and tangy sauce on top of the scallop.

I quickly forgot about the lonely scallop after the “main course”, Veal Carciofi served with Grilled Artichokes, Lemon, and Wine Butter. I don’t have veal too often so this was a real treat and the cream sauce on top gave it even more of a “melt in your mouth” flavor. My friends and I wanted to lick the plate but we decided to be proper and use a slice of bread instead. This was paired with Alexander Valley Vineyards Cabernet Franc from Sonoma, California. To me, Cab Franc is drier than regular Cab Sauvignon but STLwinegirl says otherwise. While I understand that you’d want a bold wine to stand up to the richness of the veal, it overpowered the dish too much for me. Of course all the red wine drinkers just loved it.

Dessert was also a huge success, Chocolate Amaretti Torte served with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream from Serendipity. Yet again, I could have made a dinner out this course as well, although it’s probably better than I didn’t. I actually was able to enjoy the dessert wine, Gerard Bertrand Banyuls from France, without it tasting too sweet! But it still needs to be sipped slowly.

Resources:

Photo by Angela Ortmann

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com

Via Vino = http://www.viaviavino.com/

Via Vino

For Mother’s Day, I finally got to try Via Vino, which is another restaurant by Michael Del Pietro. Right next door is Sugos Spaghetteria, but it’s a little more casual and I saw pastas and sandwiches listed on a chalkboard hanging on one wall. Via Vino on the other hand, definitely looks like it belongs in the Frontenac area. You can see what the inside looks like just by going to their website: http://www.viaviavino.com/

Studying the menu in advance, the small plates really called to me and again I had the usual problem of trying to narrow it down to just a few selections. On the cold small plates list, I was very tempted by the oysters and other seafood items, but since this was a Del Pietro Italian restaurant, I went for the hot small plates instead.

Actually, I decided to start with the Del Pietro salad and native St. Louisians understand that this is a must.

My first hot plate selection was the House Made Gnocchi with creamy blue cheese and shaved parmesan. I probably could have just ordered a few more dishes and been just fine for the evening. Not only is gnocchi one of my most favorite dishes, but covering it in a couple of cheeses makes it brilliant.

I couldn’t pass up all the seafood dishes so I selected the Seared Scallops with cauliflower puree, shitakes, and miso reduction. There were only a few scallops on the plate but it was a very rich taste and allowed me find some room for the other two hot plates.

My last dish was also as heavy as the gnocchi since I picked out the Tagliatelle Pasta with poricini mushroom broth and truffles. This dish also stood out with its rich and heavy flavors and I loved the thick noodles drenched in the creamy sauce. This was so filling that it definitely could be the perfect size meal by itself with the salad.

Both of my parents decided to go with the chicken entrée, instead of the fish like I expected, and the plates came out with two full breasts along with spinach gnocchi. This easily could have been a dish for two, which meant there was plenty left over for me to try. The entrée was very rich and filling, leaving me with comfort food warmness.

As for dessert, you know my favorite is anything chocolate so I’m biased towards the Chocolate Amaretti Torte, but we got to try a three scoop sample of Serendipity ice cream: salty caramel, dark chocolate, and vanilla bean. Again, I am incredibly biased to say that the dark chocolate flavor was just amazing.

Resources:

Via Vino = http://www.viaviavino.com/

Serendipity Ice Cream = http://serendipity-icecream.com