A Valentine’s Evening With the Love of My Life

We had reservations for 5:30 at Café Nouveau in Bangor, Maine; the only wine bar listed on the internet in the entire city. This quaint little nook contains ten tables three of which are two seaters, situated in an old brick building downtown. This would be our first visit.

The menu was simple and the wine list as quaint as the restaurant itself. It was clearly put together for the average working man or woman who has to pay his or her own meal tab—a refreshing change from the norm. In other words, the wines by the bottle were reasonable by restaurant standards (see earlier entry re: wine pricing in restaurants) and there was a modest, and again, fairly pricedwines-by-the-glass list as well.

For an appetizer my date ordered raw oysters on the half shell with a sauce of horseradish and balsamic vinaigrette accompanied by a glass of Seaview Australian sparkling wine. ($5.50)

I ordered the lobster brioche with a Chateau Bonnet 2002 from the Entre Deux Mers a blend of Sauvignon blanc, Semillion and a touch of Muscadelle. ($5.50)

For dinner my lovely girl had quail in a cassis and currant sauce accompanied by a glass of Dry Creek (California) Fume Blanc 2003. I believe it held up to the heavy currant sauce but had I known what the sauce really was like, I would have ordered a much bolder red like a Shiraz.

I had the “spicy mango shrimp” for which I ordered a Seghesio Zinfandel 2003 to beat back what I anticipated would be a hot spiciness. As it turned out, the shrimp was milder than I would have guessed although the wine was not distracting. I haven’t included a review of these wines because I ended up buying a bottle of each for subsequent review at a later time.

We had a wonderful time, in a casual and relaxed atmosphere and the entire evening with dessert and tip was around $90. These days, that’s a bargain. Pardon me now while I go raise a glass! (PB)