Leaving Neon Behind for Balzac

I’m not proud of this, but the truth of the matter is, I’ve been watching a lot of Miami Vice reruns lately.  There’s just something about the synth-soaked soundtrack, Sonny Crockett’s pastel suits, and the glow of neon lights that sucks me right in.

In an attempt to redeem myself, let me say that I did finally manage to pull myself away from the Sleuth network long enough to finally finish reading the aforementioned Blue Like Jazz and to make my way over to Balzac. 

Balzac is a hipster hangout located right off Brady Street, and if you want to sample a stellar selection of wine it’s THE place to go, boasting its very own Master Sommelier.  They offer preselected flights, or you can make your own.

But I wasn’t in a wine sampling sort of mood the evening we went.  Instead I decided to keep it simple with a nice glass of Chardonnay.  Trouble was, I couldn’t really tell what was on the wine list. 

Our quiet corner table was really dark. The kind of dim light that would’ve been perfect for a meeting between two criminal kingpins setting up some covert deal à la Miami Vice style, but not quite so perfect if you are trying to decipher a mulit- page wine list.

We finally tossed the list aside and decided to rely on the expertise of our server. She recommended one of the smooth Chardonnays for me and offered to move us to a more brightly-lit table.

That sounded good to me (the table and the wine).  Since I liked her wine suggestion so well, I thought maybe I’d just rely on her wisdom for small plate suggestions as well.

Upon her recommendation, we sampled the mussels, pan poached in a spicy broth with small crusty slices of a baguette, then followed those with the spicy battered “firecracker shrimp,” complete with dipping sauce and a tasty cilantro pesto garnish.

Still feeling like we needed a little something more to nibble on, we asked our server to bring us the petite filet with a sun-dried tomato and porcini demi-glace which also came with some whipped Yukon gold potatoes.

Although I was tempted to have some of the Valrhona chocolate for dessert (you know my penchant for that stuff), I thought maybe I should try a cheese platter instead. 

Our server swore by the Tellagio, but they were out so we had Pepper Capri Chevre instead. The creamy goat cheese with zesty pepper positively melted in my mouth; served with thin slices of green and red apples, baguette, walnuts and grapes, it was the perfect ending. Almost as perfect as the final moments of the Miami Vice episode I managed to catch once I got back home. . .

Comments

[dim]

I too liked Balzac, but also like you find Swig to be more evenly paced and comfortable. I just get the feeling that Balzac tries too hard. Sort of, "see how cool and hip we all are". Not sure if you picked up on that vibe, but it turns me off.

[rose]

We tried Balzac a couple weeks ago and we liked it too. Sat at the bar and the lighting was dim there as well but it didn't bother me.
We had the prelude: smoked pit ham wrapped manchego cheese (YUM YUM YUM), sauteed shrooms (okay), marinated artichokes (tasty) and some baguette w/herb butter (I'm always a sucker for good bread/butter). We also tried the firecracker shrimp - we were disappointed by it but we thought the accompanying sauce was good. My DH selected some wine tastings for us and his picks went nicely with the food.
All in all, I liked Balzac and I think we'll be back.
BTW, love your blog - keep up the good work!

[Matt]

So, Balzac is the place to go for some wine, mariscos, and cheese in between old episodes of Miami Vice. What would you recommend for a Magnum P.I. sort of day in Milwaukee?

Love your blog! Keep up the good work.

Your friend and old Dallas neighbor,

Matt

[Audra]

Hey Matt! Thanks for the compliments -- that means alot coming from a fellow writer.

Not sure where to head after a Magnum marathon but the search is on for some place you can wear Hawaiian shirts, sip good Scotch and get a doggie treat for the rottweilers all at once!