Robust Wine Bar

My husband and I have been wanting to try out Robust Wine Bar at its new location in Edwardsville, IL since it opened earlier this year. We finally had our chance for a late bite on Saturday night and were not disappointed.

We were seated in the back of the restaurant in a cozy booth and greeted by our waitress, Mimi(hope I’m spelling that correctly). Her first task was to familiarize us with the extensive menus. Wines on the menu are categorized by their “robust factor” which is based on the body style of the wine. With such an extensive wine list, the robust factor helps you narrow down a wine that is just your style. Wines are separated into eight categories:

• RF1:  Bubbles
• RF 2: Crisp White
• RF 3:  Mellow White
• RF4:  Luscious White
• RF5:  Soft Hearted Red
• RF 6:  Generous Red
• RF 7:  Robust Red
• RF8:  Sweet & Stickies

And when it comes to the food you have choices that range from cheese and charcuterie plates, soups and salads, flatbreads and small plates, all the way to full size entrees. Each food item on the menu is also given a RF rating to help the diner in pairing their wine and food. After an excellent overview of the menu by our server, my husband settled on the salmon special and I chose the mushroom flatbread. We were thrilled to see a MacPhail 2009 Pinot Noir on the menu and selected that as our wine. What an excellent example of a California Pinot! We both loved it. And the food – fantastic. Mike let me try a bit of his salmon. It was perfectly prepared-just melting in my mouth. My flatbread was a hit too. Both dishes were a match made in heaven with our wine.

   

On my next visit I definitely want to try out one their many wine flights offered, like, Run with the Bulls Spanish flight or Platinum Blondes Chardonnay flight. They also offer special pricing on wine flights on Wednesday evenings and other specials through out the month. Check them out on Facebook or at www.robustwinebar.com. 

Cheers,

Beth