How do you select a restaurant? Is the wine important? Food, too? I'm willing to bet your answer to both questions is "yes". But do you prioritize one over the other? Writing on his Wine Zag blog, Adam Japko states:
"I pick new restaurants based on their wine lists first, food second, all the time. Any restaurant can add bratwurst, lentils, and bacon to their menu. Not just any restaurant, though, will have sparkling René Mosse Moussamoussettes rosé, magnums of Chidaine Les Tuffeaux and Clos de la Roilette, Clos Rougeard Les Poyeux, Ganevat Savagnin, and their likes on the wine list. I figure restaurants this wine astute will beat the odds and deliver a likewise special rendition of bratwurst and lentils."
(He's talking about Reynard, in Brooklyn, by the way.)
So would you choose a restaurant solely based on its wine list, with no regard for the reputation of its food or contents of the menu? Does an eclectic, interesting wine list predict cuisine that will be similarly satisfying? Have you been to a restaurant with great wine yet disappointing food? Sound off and let us know.
