Bin 36www.bin36.com
339 N. Dearborn St.
(at Marina City)
Chicago, IL 60610
312.755.WINE (9463)
The Background: Bin 36 was made for Fridays after work. Okay, the reality is that Bin 36 was made for everyday after work. The wine and food pairings are a delight to my palate. CYT and I were at Bin 36 on Friday, August 21, 2009 for dinner. It had been awhile since both of us has been there on separate occasions. CYT’s previous experience was not so great. My previous experiences (dining and wine tastng class) were good.
The Food: The food was excellent. I had the Applewood Smoked Bacon Sausage with the fried green tomato, sunnyside up quail egg, arugula pesto as an appetizer. I felt guilty about ordering such a fat-laden dish but that lasted all of zero seconds once I tasted it. I cannot remember what Cathy has as an appetizer but, for our entrée, we had the Seared Striped Bass with fingerling potato & green bean salad, “broken” red pepper vinaigrette.
Brian Duncan, the Wne Director, stopped by our table to say “hello.” When we ordered a dessert of a Cappucino Crème Brulée, we were positively delighted when Brian recommended the PX Grand Reserva Sherry. The two together were a flavor explosion with sweetness, cappucino, blackberries, and I am not sure what else because I my sensory palates were preoccupied with goodness.
Kudos to Chef Caputo!
The Wine: I started with and continued through dinner with the 2007 Viognier, Casa Silva, Colchagua Valley, Chile. It’s described on the menu as “[a] great sipping wine, it‘s all fabulous with minerals, white peach and juicy melon.” Okay. All I know is that I liked it while I sat at the bar waiting for CYT and it seemed to go well with dinner.
The Service: Our service was also excellent. Our waiter’s name was Chris and he was delightful; he was conversational but not chatty and attentive without being obtrusive.
The Ambience: I am very sensitive to light, so I thought it was well lighted. I generally like to dine around 6:00 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. so it was not crowded, which always adds to my dining experience.
A few more details: I was very early and decided to do valet instead of look for street parking. When I got
out the car something was not quite right but I could not put my finger on it. Well, I soon discovered it was because I had on mismatched shoes; one black sandal and one white sandal (While driving to Bin36, I started to change shoes). I tried running after the valet guy but to no avail. I was headed into the restaurant thinking this could be an interesting story to tell when I saw the valet guy and got the right sandal. I was a half-hour which almost never happens so I took a seat at the bar. So, I ordered a glass of wine and perused the menu. Of course, I was trying to stay distracted because I am want to become apart of conversation. It must be the wine.
By the time I started on glass number two, CYT still had not arrived and I thought I saw the part owner and sommelier engaged in conversation with his buddies. Either it was him or a clean shaven and cooler version of Darius Brook, and former member of Hootie and the Blowfish. Either way, I decided against any please notice me moments, and started wrting in my journal at the bar. I know, it was kind of a nerdy move. A nerd sexy (@danaglesson coined the term) move, I hope.
Mid way through my second glass of wine, CYT arrived. I paid the tab. The first bartender was not so attentive, the second bartender pretty attentive and kept things moving at thebar. The first was way too chatty with his buddies but if one of them was part owner. Well, I could kind of understand. Kind of.
Cathy soon arrived, the bartenders, the shows, and “Darius Brooks” were soon forgotten. Whenever I dine at Bin36, I am never disappointed by the food, the people, nor the other diners. I hope I have convinced CYT that her not-so-good experience serveral years ago was probably a fluke.
Tags: 2007 Viognier Casa Silva, ambience, American Cuisine, Comments, downtown Chicago, PX Grand Reserva Sherry, seared bass
