Cuvee

Stepping into Cuvée, you’ll find yourself in an inviting lounge area with a fireplace, ambient music, plush seating and a full bar at the rear of the room. Now, you can always just hang out there and have yourself some cocktails and appetizers—but there’s a world of delights just around the corner. The main dining room opens up (in warm weather) onto a courtyard patio. The room itself is intimately sized, with dark wood tables, flickering candles, an open-beamed ceiling and organically shaped sculptures on the walls. Larger parties can enjoy one of the two private banquet rooms or even reserve the entire venue.

My friend Halley and I started with two specialty cocktails (not each!). Mine was the grapefruit martini, which came in a sugar-rimmed glass with Charbay ruby grapefruit vodka and fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice. Halley had the Napa Tea, made with Charbay green tea vodka and a green tea infusion. Both were entirely refreshing.
   Our meal began with a delicious butter lettuce salad, which had halved cherry tomatoes, sliced radishes, toasted pumpkin seeds, avocado, shaved Mexican “queso fresco” (like a mild mozzarella) and a key lime vinaigrette. Immediately after, we had the crispy duck lettuce cups, which came with stir-fried vegetables, toasted cashews and a hoisin glaze. This sweet, crunchy dish had me wondering if I should eat it with my hands or not. (Kind of like that whole asparagus issue). I decided yes, and then went for it.

Cuvée’s wine list is quite extensive, with choices from all over the world, many by the glass and seven, in particular, on “tap.” (They’re housed in small, stainless steel tanks.) This being a new concept, restaurant-wise, for me, I went for the Roessler Cellars 2005 Pinot Noir (light in color, earthy nose, soft, silky, feminine). Halley chose a by-the-glass Pinot Noir offering from the same winery—and it couldn’t have been more different. It was deeper in color, with dark fruit and a little more of an edge in the mouth. We had fun comparing the two.

For an entrée, I ordered the Chianti braised short ribs, which were served with scallion and olive oil smashed Yukon gold potatoes. Definitely a “knife not necessary” choice, the meat was thick and practically fell off the bone. It had a dark, earthy, smoky, rich flavor that was complex but not too heavy.

Halley ordered the potato wrapped salmon. It came with herbed orzo pasta and a citrus butter sauce. The potatoes were thin-sliced and fried crisp, and there were whole wedges of oranges and grapefruits in the sauce. The fish was moist, cooked medium, and the citrus gave it a wonderful lift.

We tried a couple desserts, but the standout was the panne cotta. Served with fresh sliced strawberries, it had a creamy, custard-like consistency and an intense vanilla flavor. A reduced balsamic drizzle and a dash of sugar on the strawberries were an excellent touch. What a sexy, luscious dessert.