O-swinging plonk

ohn Moore
WINE SPOTS

Eichart Cabernet
Sauvignon 1992 $10
(Argentina)

WHEN the first

Argentine wines

arrived on local shelves

a few years back,

response was under-
“whelming.

Critics expecting’ another,

Chilean-style bonanza of
great wines at knock-down
prices complained of clumsy
rustic plonk, obviously the
products of less than state-of
the-art winemaking tech-
nicuies.

The logical Argentine
response would have been to
hire a mob of French or
Californian troubleshooters
to modernize she industry
and open another pipeline of
profitable “laboratory cab”
—~ wines made in what has
become the “internarional
style” with most of their dis-
tinctive local character bred
out.

Sure enough, the scions of
the J&F Lurton Bordeaux
dynasty and Bordeaux wine-
maker Michel Roland have
been spotted galloping across

te pampas in gaucho drag,
bur though they may have
taken the bay our af the
country, they laven’t taken
the country out of the boy,
This $10 bottie expiains
why Robert Parker has called
Arnaldo Etchart “rhe most

promising wine producer” in

South America: good caber-
net alright, but with all those
little character quirks you
used to find in small chateau
wines that made then per-
sonal favorites (i.e. strong
hints of cedar, licorice and
leather underlying the
grape).

Even the empty bottle still
smells good and above all,
distinctive.

Time to ride into your
local LDB, swinging your
bolos.

impressive dining room

= From page 18 -

and linen napkins. ;
Its wine list ($22.to $90)
most exclusively Italian. .

Interesting Chianti,

«Barbaresco and Barolo

-Unfortunatel y the. only

wines available by the glass oF

‘are a quartet of house wines
(two red and two white), ©
leaving. the curious budget
wine enthusiast with little

opportunity to expand his or
her appreciation of ftalian
bortles.”

Service is provided by u
staff of professional and
obliging waiters outfitted in

“formal black and white...
_ Their attention to detail is

Beyond the dining room,
however, Mirabelle needs
improvement.

The restaurant’s menu, atic

ninitial Mirabelle sampling,

Avas limited (eight main selec-

‘tions ranging from Chicken
t Venezia'and Deboned

Quail to Broiled Snap er and
Fresh Milk-fed Veai Ehop)

“and its entrees. ($14 to $20)
‘Pricey.

- Seven appetizers were

. offered (Duck Liver Pate
with black currant onion
‘compote 'and brioche toast;
Antipasto Mirabelle, ‘Tomato

basil tart; Caesar Salad) along

~ with a half dozen | pasta and

risotto dishes ($12.50 for. the
latcer; $6 to $8 for the for-
mer).’

A sampled Prosciutto and

~ Bresaolo (7, 50) combined
. sli¢es of the fine cured Italian
" meats on a plate with black

olives, marinated mushrooms
and a lightly oiled radicchio
slaw.

Good accompaniment for
Mirabelle’s excellent crisp-
crust Italian bread. ;

Main entrees sampled
were uneven.

Mirabelle’s bowl of fresh
shellfish included a generous
selection of ruussels aad
clams with artichoke hearts.
But the broth — advertised
as sundried tomate and saf-
fron — «vas little more than a
thin chicken stock. No sign
of sundried tomatoes at all,
&+ The Grilled Lamb Chop
dish was better.

It featured four lamb
chops topped with gorgenzo-
fa cheese soubise (onion
sauce) surrounding a central
square of filo cake, a light
Mediterranean version of

“lasagna, with filo taking the

place of the pasta.

Roasted potatoes, carrots
and green beans filled our the
plate.’

The chops were cooked to

Ambleside

Lunch or Dinner

- Wiener Schnitzel, Onion Spatzle
Cabillaud, Clams and Mussels,

Au Francaise

Baby Beef Liver, Glazed Onions

9.95

9.95
9.95

medium rare specifications,
and the gorgonzola soubise
provided a savory foil for the
rich lamb flavors.

Chocolate Terrine round-
ed out the meal. At Mirabelle
it comes criss-crossed with a
refreshing mint creme
fraiche.

Mirabelfc has a wonderful
dining room that cries out
for high quality Italian cui-
sine.to complement its
sophisticated decor.

Thus far however the
front end outshines j its
kitchen.

The restaurant is still in its
infancy, though, and, as of
this week, Mirabelli promises
that a new chef, or Mirabelli
himself, will take over the

Mirabelle’s kitchen.

Anew menu will also be

unveiled.
_ Half this haute cuisine

house is built.

The other haif is under
construction. ‘

If completed with care, it
will be a formidable addition
to the local fine dining scene.

5 Ar ety donee

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