Berks Barrister Summer 2019 - 28

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winedown Café:
By Susan N. Denaro, Esquire

suspect no one would be surprised to read that the winedown
Café and Wine Bar, 622 Penn Avenue, West Reading, knows
how to host a righteous wine tasting. Almost immediately after
its doors opened eleven years ago, it became the place to go for a glass
of wine or two on the way home from work or on the way to another
establishment for dinner. Simply referred to as the winedown, it is the
brainchild of 1993 Wilson High School graduate, Ben Franco. The
addition of its adjacent whiskey bar helped it also become a place to
stop for a nightcap on the way home after a meal somewhere nearby.

Thanks to Franco's addition of Chef Michael Heinle, about a
year and a half ago, there is no longer a reason to go somewhere to
eat between one's first and last drinks of the night. Bringing his 30
years of kitchen experience to winedown's recent Spanish wine dinner,
Heinle dished up a surprise on each of the five plates he specifically
created to pair with the five wines being showcased.
Heinle's first surprise was an artichoke. While planning a wine
dinner years ago, I consulted with the wine expert at our local state
store about what to pair with my steamed artichoke starter. She
advised I ditch the artichoke because she believed artichokes do not
pair with wine; Heinle proved her very wrong.

winedown's first course was a salad featuring deep fried artichokes
that were so tasty one forgot the pale vegetable came out of a can.
Heinle's simple sherry vinegar and olive oil dressing did not overpower the artichoke's delicate flavor. The memorable salad was dotted
with cubed and fried chorizo and sprinkled with coarsely grated
Idiazabal cheese; both of which helped elevate it. Paired with the
Spanish version of champagne, Cava Brut, Avinyo Reserva, this salad
was a dazzling opening salvo.

winedown Café & Wine Bar
622 Penn Ave,
West Reading, PA 19611
http://www.winedowncafe.net

28 | Berks Barrister

http://www.winedowncafe.net

Berks Barrister Summer 2019

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