Monday, February 01, 2010

Special Foodventure #150: Wine Detective (Pasadena)

While Pasadena may still have its work cut out as a food destination, it definitely has carved out a nice niche in the wine sector, with a slew of wine tasting rooms, stores, bars and restaurants surrounding Old Town and the Lake Shopping District. Just when I thought the market may be fully saturated, in comes another place to learn, taste and appreciate the millenia old beverage.

Interior
The most recent addition to quench Pasadena's seemingly insatiable wine-thirst is the Wine Detective in the Lake Ave Shopping District, and Gourmet Pigs and I were lucky enough to invited by one of the co-owners to check the space out (and taste some of their food and wine.)
Bar Counter
When I asked co-owner Lev Gerstik what compelled him to open a wine bar in this (already pretty wine-filled) district, he simply replied "There's nothing else like this place" noting that the other Pasadena wine offerings are more like restaurants than a wine bar, or wine stores with a tasting room. Indeed, based on the offerings it does offer an experience unlike a wine store or a wine-focused restaurant, with wines described in careful details, a pretty knowledgeable staff, a cozy-chic urban vibe (custom woodwork furniture, concrete walls with projected artwork and loungey music) and a rather small-and-tight menu of wine-friendly foods (cheese and charcuterie, mini open-faced sandwiches.)
Enomatic Machines
Another notable aspect of Wine Detective is its Enomatic wine machines, featuring approximately 50 wines available by the taste (1 oz. pours) for $2-9 each (most of the wines in their selection are around $3-4 when I went.) Of course, you can also get the wines by the glass (5 oz. for price of 4) and by the bottle too. It was definitely a fun way to try out and compare different wines, but I imagined it can certainly run up a bill quite fast too, especially for those curious about the pricier options. But hey, it's great to know that I can taste a little bit of the expensive stuff before dropping a serious chunk of change to commit to a bottle.
Cheese Plate
But for more affordable drinking, I'm digging their Happy Hour (Monday to Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.) with house wines for $5 and 25% off entire food menu. Gourmet Pigs and I had the chance to check out a few of their items, extra-special tastes there include the buffalo mozzarella and roasted tomato pintxo and the duck trio plate (duck proscuitto, duck salami and gelee-topped-foie gras mousse,) I'm particularly surprised that the salami and proscuitto from a fowl tasted better than the pork variants, which I attribute to its fattier texture and being less salty than usual. In any case, it definitely leaves me optimistic for the rest of their wine-friendly snacky menu, and for those looking for heartier fare -- there's always The Counter Burger right across the street!
DSC09138
Overall, I had a nice experience at the Wine Detective, and I really think it has appeal for both casual wine sippers and the serious oenophile, without being intimidating for the former or willy-nilly-whatever with the latter. And as someone who likes to comparison shop, it never hurts to have another option so close to home.

What Do Others Say?
- My tasting partner in crime loved it, and "not only could I walk home after drinking wine, they also offer a 10% discount for those with Caltech or JPL ID!"
- Mattatouille liked the "Enomatic system that'll delight everyone from novices to connoisseurs."
- Pasadena Now observed that "a lot of thought and care is put into the choosing of the wine and the food."
- Hometown Pasadena declares it a "fine addition to Pasadena's wine community and café culture"

The Wine Detective
146 S. Lake Ave, #109,
Pasadena CA 91101
(626) 792-9936
Website

2 comments:

Diana said...

Now if only this were closer to MY home. :(

BTW... spotted firecracker bar at Whole Foods at 3rd/Fairfax...

Exile Kiss said...

Hi H.C.,

Thanks for the report on this place. I'll have to keep it in mind, the next time I visit my Pasadena Hounds. :)

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