Susanne Park, store owner, has been baking goodies for over 10 years professionally and opened her first store front in December 2008.

I recommend the coconut or red velvet cupcakes, two of my favorites.

We’ve stopped by last minute to select wine for dinner, and have lost track of time while wandering in and out of the aisles, which are decorated with wines from all over the world. One Sunday afternoon last spring, we enjoyed a bottle of Sinister Hand on the patio with some friends and Harry (our little white shaggy dog) in tow.

Focused on being “more than just a wine store,” owners Penny Sweet and Larry Springer, longtime residents of Kirkland, pride themselves on a reputation for good service and knowledge stemming from serving the Eastside for over 20 years.  Their no-nonsense approach to the world of wine makes for an approachable and interested staff.  If you’re in need of a recommendation or education on wine itself, TGC is the spot.

They also offer drop-in tastings on Wednesday and by-reservation tastings on Saturday.  For folks with little room to expand their personal cellar, TGC offers climate controlled wine storage open to the public.  

The Grape Choice

7 Lake Shore Plaza

Kirkland, WA 98033

Phone: (425) 827-7551

We hung out in the bar for a bit and I started off the evening with a strawberry-rhubarb margarita, which was amazing- not too sweet, but with an ample fruity and quenching flavor. We were overwhelmed with the variety of choices on the menu, after being seated in a cozy booth in the dining room. Amidst talk of summer plans and the nasty weather we’ve have in Seattle, the four of us debated on what to ordered (the menu featured a variety of things and it all sounded SO good). The wait staff was friendly, knowledgeable and didn’t rush us through the meal.

Without going into too much detail, below is an overview of our meal:

Wine: Luna Canto 2003

Appetizer: Wine Country Platter featuring hand-crafted Fra’mani salumi, accompanied by Jasper
Farms farmstead cheese, red onion & thyme
marmalade, grapes, rosemary crisps.

Sides: Broccolini with blue-cheese sauce and Asparagus with pine nuts and shaved parmesan.

Liz’s Entree: Beef Tenderloin tips on a bed of steamed red potatoes, shitake mushrooms, carrots and asparagus, with a “savory essence” poured on top.

Sean’s Entree: Brook Trout served with Pan-roasted with zucchini, oven-dried tomatoes & fresh basil.

Dessert: Deep-dish Apple pie with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream (this is worth the trip itself!)

Sarah ordered the Pan Seared Chicken with pistou mashed potatoes (which I debated on getting) and it turned out the mashed potatoes were served in a personal-size Le Creuset dish- a very nice touch in my book.

According to the web site: The Trellis culinary team is dedicated to serving only market fresh cuisine featuring products from local artisan producers. From the fruit and vegetables gathered daily at Executive Chef Brian Scheehser’s garden to hand raised livestock and seafood just off the boat, your dining experience will celebrate the bounty of the Pacific Northwest.

Whether your in the market for Sunday brunch on the outdoor patio, or a late-night dinner, check out Trellis and Chef Scheehser’s mouth-watering dishes.

According to A to Z: Clear and vibrant, this wine has a beautiful dark color and aromas of mixed berries, earth, smoke, violets, Asian spices and minerals. In the mouth, the wine mirrors the aromatics with a succulent texture and good acidity. As the finish unfolds, the individual characteristics of the wine unify and augment one another. Beautifully balanced between richness and power, the wine possesses amazing depth and purity. Classically proportioned while being built with long term potential, the concentrated 2005 A to Z Pinot Noir will be perhaps the longest lived wine we have made.

According to Sean O’Connor: Once again, the story behind the wine is more interesting than the tasting notes.  Not only did I find out that the Spurs coach – Gregg Popovich is a partner in the venture, but also that they are now the largest, by volume produced, winery in Oregon.  I also read that they recently purchased an Oregon favorite of my own – Rex Hill. It’s also most interesting to note that most of their wines are blends from sometimes as many as 40 different wines. From A to Z’s website:

“Even now as we more and more are sourcing grapes as well as wine, we still build our blends to craft balanced wines that aim to be the essence of Oregon rather than reflect a specific single vineyard or A to Z style.”

All that said, I enjoyed this young pinot but found it a little more tart that I would have liked. As the wine had time to open up a little bit on the table it really mellowed out and was able to stand up to the rather spicy, and excellent Indian food.  I’ll be buying this again.

According to them: The grapes are from the Wahluke Slope of the Yakima Valley. The bouquet is musty, earthy, and even a bit like wet wood; that is to say, it is a delightful fall wine. No light fruits are prancing around here. It has a pleasing finish and beautiful ruby color.

According to Sean O’Connor:  The more wine I drink the more I feel that wine is more about the expereinces associated with a particular bottle and less about the nitty gritty tasting notes. I’m always curious to see how Sangiovese’s made outside of Italy hold up against the Chianti’s of Italy which harken back to my days roaming the streets of Firenze and enjoying dinner in the ristorante’s like La Spada, which has the best food in Firenze by the way. I have had some very nice California Sangiovese’s in the past – Benessere Sangiovese 2001 and Luna Sangiovese 2002 and Seghesio, and another from Washington – Tsillan Cellars Sangiovese 2003.  This wine comes from 100% Washington grapes and is different from any Sangiovese I have had before.  The color is light ruby red and similiar in clarity to a pinot noir and less like the dark ruby red Chiant’s that leave your teeth in need of an after dinner brushing.  I enjoyed this wine as the cherry aromas gave way to the dry yet tart finish.  It’s intersting to note that I couldn’t find much in the form of a website for Cavatappi wines, but did find that Peter Dow, the owner of Cafe Juanita, also owns this label.