Friday, August 5, 2016

Wine Spectator’s Best Wine Lists in San Diego

by Frank Mangio
Each year at this time, the world’s most renowned wine/food magazine Wine Spectator, selects restaurants in the U.S. and around the world, that earned an award for their wine lists.  There are 3 categories.  In order of importance, they are:  Award Of Excellence, Best Of Award Of Excellence and The Grand Award, their highest award, given to very few restaurants “that showed an uncompromising passionate devotion to the quality of the wine list which features a minimum 1,000 selections, with the highest level of service.”


 PAON Restaurant and Wine Bar in Carlsbad was awarded a Best Of Award Of Excellence by Wine Spectator.  From left, owner Mayur Pavagadhi, Master Sommelier Gino Campbell,
and owner Steve Barr.
 
There was just one in San Diego County that was selected for the top award, Addison , at the Grand Del Mar resort. It offers some 3,000 choices. The surprise of the list in San Diego was PAON Restaurant and Wine Bar in Carlsbad , which picked up a Best Of Award Of Excellence.  Wine Spectator presents this award to those “offering 350 or more selections and are destinations for serious wine lovers.”

Pavagadhi and Barr brought Gino Campbell into the operation over a year ago.  His wine credentials were one of the most extensive in the country, as a Certified Advance Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers and a graduate of the Cellar Master’s Program from the University of Bordeaux in France, one of only 69 in the U.S. PAON has over 1,000 wines on its wine list, including some vintage, collectors wines.  All wines are available in its retail wine shop.

Wine events are produced each day of the week at PAON and presented to customers who are made comfortable in love seats, leather chairs and tables. The list includes 3 pages of Pinot Noir, 2 pages of wines from Italy and 3 pages from Bordeaux France.

Other Wine Spectator awards went to:  Amaya, Argyle, Avant, The Barrel Room, BICE, Bistro West, Crab Catcher, Eddie V’s, Firenze, Fleming’s, Il Fornaio, Kitchen 1540, Mille Fleurs, Mister A’s, Morada, Ruth’s Chris, Sbicca, Seasons 52, Truluck’s, Veladora, West Steak & Seafood and the Winesellar & Brasserie.

Parc Bistro-Brasserie a New French Restaurant on Bankers Hill San Diego
Parc Bistro Brasserie, on 5th Avenue in the Bankers Hill District of San Diego, is a comfortable French Restaurant, created by veteran restaurateur Garo Minassian.  Minassian has been successful in previous local formats such as Bistro Bacco, Scalini’s and Harry’s Bar.


Parc Bistro-Brasserie owner Garo Minassian and new Executive Chef Donald Lockhart
display fine wines at the new Bankers Hill San Diego location.

Parc Bistro-Brasserie is the culmination of these, a restaurant that’s a French style village meeting and eating place, to meet friends and make future friends over a joyful menu created by Execuitve Chef Donald Lockhart, formerly from CUSP in La Jolla .  Lobster is the specialty, showing up in the entrée choices as well as an appetizer.  There is a raw fish bar with seafood platters including oysters, lobster and crab.  Parc Bistro-Brasserie is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner, with brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

1,400 wine choices are equally value and premium, with a few great treasures for the wine aficionado.   My choice was Whitehall Lane , a red blend from Napa Valley .  It was the 2013 Tre Leoni ($56. at the restaurant).  It fit nicely as a pairing with the Branzino  Mediterranean, similar to a Sea Bass in flavor, that had tomato, olive and garlic confit as garnishes.  Call 619-715-5101 for a table reservation.

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