Wine & Spirits - June 2018 - 12

FINED&

filtered

Appreciating
Oysters
EcoVessel
When you're on a hike, or a picnic, or, for that
matter, anywhere, there's no need to limit
yourself to boxed wine or cans. EcoVessel's
stainless-steel Vine holds a full 750 milliliters
of wine, and its triple insulation technology
keeps it cool for over 36 hours. Chill down a
bottle of assyrtiko or Vinho Verde and funnel
it into the Vine. Then, transport yourself to the
beach. -DEanna GonnElla
$35 at ecovessel.com

Dana Deskiewicz doesn't
shuck around. Before writing
Appreciating Oysters: An
Eater's Guide to Craft Oysters
(Countryman Press, NY;
$25), he founded Oystour,
an app dedicated to bivalve appreciation. His new book details not only
how to choose, eat, shuck and pair, but walks you through the crafting of
an oyster-similar to crafting beer or wine. An oyster newbie will be ready to
start slurping by Part III, which lists 85 oysters, complete with tasting notes,
flavor profiles, texture, meat-to-shell ratio and pairings. Chelsea Gems with
fresh horseradish and a glass of chenin blanc? Bald Points with gingerscallion sauce and a chocolate-tinged porter? Six of each, please. -D.G.

SF: EIGHT TABLES
Eight Tables occupies the top floor
of China Live, George Chen's
culinary center on the border of San
Francisco's Chinatown and North
Beach neighborhoods. As the name
suggests, seating is limited in this
sumptuous space, where Chen offers
Chinese "private chateau cuisine."
The tasting menu begins with the
"Nine Essential Flavors of Chinese
Cuisine," a sort of table of contents
for the gastronomical roller coaster
ahead. Wine director Anthony
Kim's pairings prove as inventive as
the food, running the gamut from
Clarksburg pét-nat to Madeira. Of
equal interest is the cocktail program,
where beverage director Anthony
Keels imparts a Chinese aesthetic to his masterful concoctions. Don't miss the ginbased Lily Pond. Served in a porcelain cup, garnished with nasturtium flowers, it
yields the same calming effect as tea. -BrycE Wiatrak
Eight Tables, 8 Kenneth Rexroth Pl., San Francisco; 415-788-8788, chinalivesf.com

NASHVILLE:
BLACK RABBIT
The drinks are the draw at Black Rabbit, enough to draw you
past the broad fireplace in the lounge, where you can catch
live local jazz acts on weekend nights. Farther back, you'll find
a sprawling bar and a small dining room. Nashville native,
owner and chef Trey Ciocca is known for his farm-to-table
ethos, and turns out sharable plates with a Southern flavor
(boiled peanuts in barbecue sauce, chicken fried rillettes,
and rabbit-loin sandwiches). He brings that same ethos to
the glass, with seasonal shrubs and juices to flavor cocktails,
like the Josephine, tangy with strawberry-plum pickle juice
and strawberry cider, or the spiced, rum-based West Indies,
sweetened with citrus marmalade. -Erin ByErs Murray
Black Rabbit, 218 3rd Ave. North, Nashville; 615-891-2380;
blackrabbittn.com

There are 22 Sherries on offer at Oloroso, from fresh, crisp Hidalgo La Gitana
Manzanilla to a dense, sweet 1987 Toro Albalá PX. And Sherry provides a saline
theme for the cocktail list: Gordana Kostovski offers drinks like the Pata Blanca, a
pear-scented combination of gin, Atxa Blanc vermouth and Amontillado; Hyde &
Oakes is a fruitier mix of Fino and Spanish brandy, which goes particularly well with
the charcuterie plate. Stay for dinner and explore the wine list, which reaches into
the lesser-known corners of Spain. Los Bermejos Rosado, from the Canary Islands,
is a highlight to match chef Townsend Wentz's octopus stew with chickpeas and
chorizo, or a paella that overflows with shellfish. -allison Bart
Oloroso, 1121 Walnut St., Philadelphia; 267-324-3014, olorosophilly.com

WINE & SPIRITS

JUNE 2018

photo of Black Rabbit by Joseph Woodley

PHILADELPHIA: OLOROSO

http://www.ecovessel.com http://www.blackrabbittn.com http://www.chinalivesf.com http://www.olorosophilly.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - June 2018