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Serving: Monday-Wednesday, 4:30-10 p.m.; Thursday, 4:30-11 p.m.; Friday, 4:30 p.m.-midnight; Saturday, 5 p.m.- midnight; closed Sunday. Cuisine: Wine bar/American Prices: $$ Visit the Dining section of NewHampshire.com to read previous Our Gourmet reviews listed by town. |
No longer content with letting me interpret his impressions of the places at which we dine and then review, The Dining Companion has demanded his own voice, making this a more collaborative effort with a bit more give and take.
At the same time, we’ll change our scoring system, hopefully making it more precise and helpful to readers. Here’s how it will work: Restaurants will be rated in five categories — ambiance, appetizer, entree, dessert and service. Each category is worth 20 points — 10 from me and 10 from The Dining Companion, adding up to a possible 100 points.
No two diners are alike, so hopefully this system, with the opinions of two different diners, will give a more complete picture of the restaurants we review throughout New Hampshire.
Give it a few weeks, then let us know how you like the new format. Send comments, kudos or criticism to: gourmet@unionleader.com.
Ambiance
Our Gourmet: Union Leader wine writer Jim Beauregard mentions UnWine’d occasionally in his column as a place to get a great glass of wine. But what a lot of people don’t realize is that UnWine’d serves food — and more than just bar snacks. The pairing of fine wines and good food is really an unbeatable combination.
The seating at UnWine’d is a mix of low tables, high tables and couches. It’s all low lighting and intimacy, but in a very comfortable way, so that whether you’re on a first date, out with your spouse or even out with friends, it seems to work. Score: 8
The Dining Companion: UnWine’d is a place that I have enjoyed as a “romantic date place” for many years. The thing I have always liked is that you are never rushed. You sit, you relax, and enjoy. When you want attention, just take the flower out of the vase on your table, put it down on the table and your server will appear.
Back in the early days, they had their outstanding wine list and food just to nosh on. However, the demand was there, and now they serve full meals and they do it well. Score: 9
Appetizers
OG: Coincidentally, we arrived on an evening when the restaurant’s summer menu had just been rolled out, so while we took some time to peruse the new offerings, we each had a flight of wine.
Being in the mood for something on the lighter side, I started with the house soup, which that evening was a cold strawberry champagne lime ($6). This was a just slightly sweet soup, with a little bit of tartness, a champagne kick and a lingering flavor of lime. It was topped with a mint garnish. The soup was a very nice choice for a hot summer evening. Score: 8
TDC: My appetizer was a mixed green salad, which consisted of a bed of baby greens topped with sliced apples, gorgonzola cheese and dried cherries drizzled with a nice vinaigrette ($7). The salad was very light and refreshing, with the vinaigrette supplying a nice touch of tartness to complement sweetness of the apple and cherries. Score: 9
Entrees
OG: I opted for a salad, albeit a relatively substantial one: the duck breast salad ($16). It was a very flavorful combination of a medium-rare duck breast, pan seared, with sliced almonds, dried cherries and goat cheese served with a raspberry vinaigrette over greens. The duck was nicely done, sliced and with a light brown sear on the outside that wasn’t crunchy, but it was flavorful. The vinaigrette gave a nice tang, the almonds a bit of texture and the cherries a slight sweetness. But the goat cheese … somehow I overlooked the fact it had goat cheese. While I know it’s gastronomically incorrect, I loathe goat cheese – even when it’s relatively mild as it was here. I should have paid more attention to the menu and less to the Pinot Noir, I guess. Still, the dish gets an 8.5 score.
TDC: I will admit, I nibble off OG’s plate, especially when goat cheese is present, because I do like the taste and the goat cheese with the duck was delicious. I was in a seafood mood, so I ordered the shellfish sauté, which consisted of mussels, bay scallops, shrimp, and a lobster garnish over a bed of linguini ($19). Especially good were the mussels, which melted on the tongue. The sauce served with the pasta was a light tasty mix of garlic, fresh herbs and Roma tomatoes; a cream sauce that perfectly matched the seafood served. The Bordeaux in my wine flight worked well with this dinner, much to my delight. Score: 8.5
Dessert
OG: I ordered the chocolate mint dessert ($6), a layer of mint chip ice cream and a layer of chocolate ice cream with a whipped cream-type filling and topping. I don’t often order ice cream desserts, but this one was really quite good. What made it even better was the after-dinner drink I ordered with it, a Rosenblum Desiree Chocolate Port ($8.50), which was heavenly. The port was lovely and sweet, with a very natural chocolate taste that went quite well with the mint/chocolate concoction. Score: 8
TDC: I had the seasonal crème brulee, which was an orange cream brulee ($7). It had the distinct taste of orange zest with a delightful creaminess that reminded me of a decadent version of the creamsicle from my youth. My only criticism was that the sugar layer on top of the brulee was a bit too thick, but it is something I could overlook. I also joined my dining partner in having port with my dessert — a Churchill LBV ($8). It is a lighter-tasting port with light notes of dried cherries and berries. I did sneak a taste of my dining companion’s chocolate port, and loved the subtle chocolate notes. Score: 8
Service
OG: Our waitress, Kim, was pretty busy on the night we were there, but she was very friendly and she attended to our needs quite efficiently. We were neither rushed, nor did we spend much time waiting between courses. I have to give high marks to the service at UnWine’d. Score: 8
TDC: I also felt that we were well served by Kim. When we needed attention, she was there, when we didn’t, she was not hovering. All in all, it was a pleasant dining experience. Score: 9
Total score: 85 out of 100
