The Red Newt Bistro

The first time I tasted Red Newt's 2005 Cab Franc was about a year ago. There were undeniable notes of chocolate on the nose, and upon tasting the wine, said chocolate just washed over you. I ordered it eagerly when we went to dinner at The Red Newt Bistro. It was pleasant enough, but not the ecstasy I remembered. I'm afraid this wine has come and gone, which particularly disappoints me because I have two bottles at home. Such is the game we play when we save wine, hoping it will improve. This didn't spoil our dining experience.

It was a Thursday night (Half Price Wine!), and we sat at the bar. (I apologize for the poor quality of the photos in this post. The lighting was low, and I was trying to be subtle.) The server was warm and knowledgeable. The roll they brought us (baked in-house, I'm sure) to munch on while looking at the menu, with some olive oil for dipping, was a nice touch. I chose the White Lasagna for which Chef Deb Whiting is locally renowned. The menu describes it as "layers of seasonal vegetables, organic spinach, ricotta cheese, roasted garlic cream sauce." It was a delicious, creamy dish that epitomized comfort food. 

Pat had the Beef Tenderloin Tips, which came with woodland mushrooms, onions, bordelaise sauce served over basmati rice. This was a beautifully seasoned, simple dish that we'd both recommend.

Dinner was flavorful enough to entice us into ordering dessert to share. There were lots of good choices, but the plum cobbler stood out. It's interesting that, despite my sincere love of all things chocolate, at restaurants most of the time I will choose fruit-based desserts.
This was obviously the right choice. The gingerbread that topped this cobbler was an inspried complement to the plums, and a lovely end to a lovely meal. The Red Newt has a reputation around here as being snooty and expensive. Our experience there was anything but. The meal was a good value for well thought out dishes made with quality, local ingredients. We'll go back, and I look forward to a special occasion when I can splurge on the Chef's Menu with the wine pairings.