Every town, burg, or community - however large or small - should be the proud possessor of at least…read moreone... Bistro, that is. A cozy little restaurant that serves up delightfully delicious food in a decidedly casual setting. And in Havre de Grace, The Vineyard Wine Bar fills this niche with a subtle sense of style.
As the name suggests, wine has played a significant role in Vineyard's obvious success. So much so, in fact, that not only does the restaurant sport a superb compendium of vintages by the glass and bottle, its lunch and dinner menus are also divided into categories - Light Bodied, Medium Bodied, Full Bodied - that correspond to specific types of wines.
Yes, wine is definitely the name of the game... But don't let that fool you. The kitchen also has a great deal to say... and all of it good. The food here is excellent in every respect, as is the service. If I lived in HdG, I have absolutely no doubt that I would be tempted to dine here every day of the week. The Vineyard is everything a great bistro should be - and then some.
But I begin to digress... As you have undoubtedly surmised from the above remarks, our dinner here was an extraordinarily satisfying experience.
My dining partner and I began by sharing the Bruschetta Trio. Bruschetta is an Italian appetizer that begins with grilled bread topped with garlic and olive oil and then adds a variety of toppings. In this case, the finishing touches consisted of a luscious garlic spread, sundried tomato and basil pestos, melted mozzarella, and house marinated tomatoes with a balsamic glaze.
While most incarnations of bruschetta may be consumed manually, Vineyard's substantially succulent variations on the theme (as you will note from the photograph above) demanded the ministrations of both knife & fork and were well worth the effort... Incredibly and unforgettably delicious.
As we moved on to what would be considered the entrée or main course, options were numerous and varied... from Cornish Game Hen to Crispy Skin Duck... Venison to Dakota Steak... Lamb Vindaloo to Pesto Bucatini...
... On this particular evening, however, matters piscatorial appeared to take precedence. My dining partner was absolutely ecstatic with her Tuna Bites. Which is precisely what they were... diminutive squares of blackened tuna luxuriating in a Creole remoulade (a creamy, mayonnaise-based sauce originating in France). A definite "wow" factor at work here.
On the other hand, my Mango Glazed Salmon was equally up to the mark... First of all, it was wild caught, which I much prefer (with rare exception) to the farmed variety. Secondly, as with most species of fish, salmon tends to be prone to both over and under cooking. Here, however, it was perfectly prepared - cooked through but still moist and succulent at the core - superbly complemented by a slightly smokey red pepper coulis (a smooth sauce made from puréed and strained fruits or vegetables), and companioned by lemon & herb risotto and roasted asparagus spears.
On to the wine... With regard to both taste and texture, tuna and salmon are certainly among finny fare's heartiest representatives. Thus, despite the oft-quoted dictum, "Red wine with meat, white wine with fish," and the gentle urgings of our server in that direction, I have always found that salmon and pinot noir are - somewhat akin to lamb and red Bordeaux - a match made in heaven. And, in this instance, the 2022 Lundeen Mon Père Pinot Noir from Oregon's Willamette Valley proved to be a perfect match for my companion's blackened tuna bites as well.
Dessert was a special treat. Naturally, many of the usual familiar sweet endings were present and accounted for. And, given the superior quality of the cuisine thus far, I had no doubt whatsoever that they would have acquitted themselves with suitable aplomb. For some reason, however, my dining companion and I were both drawn to the Crème Brûlée Cheesecake (pictured), which we decided to share... and, which, as it turned out, proved to be one of the high points of our evening.
This was an intriguing amalgam indeed: The sweetness of taste being more influenced by the former; the firmness of texture by the latter. It is - if you will pardon the seemingly psychological digression - what we might consider a type of "gastronomic Gestalt," in which the whole is greater than the mere sum of its parts. In other words, the components of Crème Brûlée and Cheesecake have been combined... and from this fascinating combination there has emerged a new dessert that is even more desirable than the components have been individually.
Well... call it what you will. I just know that it was so incredibly delicious that I would return at a moment's notice just to indulge my taste buds once again.
