The Barrel Wine and Tapas Bar

The Barrel Wine and Tapas Bar, located at 15201 S. Padre Island Dr. Ste. 110 (361-949-4813) on the Island, sits right next door to Black Sheep Bistro, and as a matter of fact, is part of Black Sheep. Any dish that Black Sheep Bistro is serving can be had at the Barrel, but they also have their own menu of wonderful tapas and sushi. Now, when I think of a wine bar, I think sleek elegance with light jazz playing in the background. Not this wine bar - not to say it's not nice, it is, but it's a much more relaxed and comforting atmosphere, fitting right in with the Island lifestyle, with warm colors and casual seating.

We arrived just before 5 p.m. and were immediately greeted by Angela. It was obvious, from the chairs turned onto their seats on the tables, that she and the crew were just setting up for service. Angela assured us that, "if the door is open we are ready to serve." She helped us choose from a wide variety of wines and even poured samples of a couple of them for us to try.

Once our wine choices were made we talked menu. Angela suggested we try the Lamb Dunk, a fondue dish featuring three perfect medium rare lamb chops atop roasted broccoli and butternut squash and toasted bread. The fondue consisted of Jack, Cheddar, and Gruyere cheeses. All components were nicely seasoned. The cheese mixture was creamy, and not as rich as expected. It worked equally well with the lamb, vegetables, and bread. Our only complaint was that there should be an even number of chops on the plate to make it easier to share. Angela promised to pass the suggestion along.

While we waited for the Lamb Dunk, which Angela had told us would take a little while, we asked about the sushi. She told us that Carlos, the sushi chef, came there from the Sushi Bar. His creation for that evening was panko fried shrimp and spicy crab, rolled in rice and topped with escolar, tangerine, avocado, and a sweet chili sauce, with pickled ginger and wasabi on the side, and garnished with fresh cantaloupe. The great thing about this roll, other than the delicious blend of flavors, was the textures, particularly the little bit of crunch around the shrimp. Very nice.

Having eaten so light there was still room for dessert. Angela ran down the dessert menu with a list of luscious confections, but I lost my adventurer's spirit when she mentioned the brownie and vanilla ice cream, topped with whipped cream and nuts, then drizzled with a rich caramel sauce. The brownie was dense and chewy, not dry or crumbly, which allowed it to hold up well to stacking the elements on a spoon. A truly rich and satisfying dessert that finished the meal perfectly.

We are happy to have found the Barrel, and recommend you give it a try. We promised them that we would certainly be back. Friendly staff, good food, what more could you ask for? Visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/TheBarrelWineAndTapasBar

Geronimo -- Santa Fe, NM

Geronimo (724 Canyon Road, Phone: 505.982.1500) is located at the upper end of Canyon Road in Santa Fe. If you're not familiar with Canyon Road, about a mile long swatch is lined on both sides with art galleries, with a few artsy boutiques, tea houses and restaurants mixed in. Geronimo offers the finest dining experience of any restaurant we've enjoyed.

To play it safe we made our reservations before leaving Corpus Christi, almost a week before our visit, and we had been saving up, because we knew this would be an expensive meal. Plan to go into the triple digits. But, as I stated, we saved and went prepared for the extravagance -- having checked out their menu online first. We were not disappointed. This is a gourmet experience, after all, not just a meal.

We walked into sheer elegance. We were seated at a booth type table. The bench seat was padded with pillows scattered around it. The fully set table was smoothly pulled away by the hostess to allow us to be seated without having to scoot around the bench, then pushed back into place once we were seated comfortably. We were greeted almost immediately by our waiter, Steve. Geronimo is not a restaurant where you feel comfortable pulling out your cell phone and taking pictures, and their menu changes seasonally, so you'll have to bear with me as I did not take pictures of the menu, and I'm sure I'll not be accurate with the names of the dishes.

Now, on to our meal. Our shared appetizer was a beautiful Fried Lobster Salad. Here's where the class comes in. We told Steve, that we would be sharing the appetizer. Rather than bring it on one plate, it was split for us and we were served small individual salads, dressed and perfectly arranged on the plates as though we were having full portions. The nuggets of lobster were beautifully fried, cut in half and seated upon a nicely corralled mound of mixed greens. Three red dots of vinaigrette decorated the plate. Just enough to enhance the natural flavors of the salad. The lobster was tender and sweet beneath the crunch of its crust.

I had the Grilled Salmon. We both decided to allow the chef to determine the doneness of our dishes. For my salmon he choose to serve it on the rare side. I normally would not have asked for my salmon rare, but it was delectable. It was grilled beautifully and served over a sweet pea Israeli couscous prepared in the style of risotto, meaning it contained plenty of Parmesan cheese; so creamy and delicious! The peas were cooked perfectly and their sweetness came through. I could have been satisfied with just a bowl of the couscous, seriously. But to top everything was a pineapple chutney that just tied the whole dish together. It was simply amazing.

Rob had the Peppery Elk Tenderloin and Apple-wood Smoked Bacon. I was allowed a bite. The elk was also on the rare side and melt in your mouth succulent. It was served over garlic mashed potatoes and sugar snap peas that were fresh and wonderful, with a savory brandied mushroom sauce, another delicious layer of flavor. Where my dish was sweet and delicate, this one was full of bold flavors, harmoniously combined. There are just not enough adjectives.

Geronimo's dessert menu offers a choice of sweet dishes or an assortment of ice creams and sorbets that are served in a trio of your choosing. Well, Chocolate Cake was on the menu, so you know that's what I had to have, but I was looking at the ice creams as well. We asked Steve if we could customize the dessert and have our choices served together on one plate. He very politely explained that the ice creams/sorbets are served in small, individual bowls, so problem solved. Wanting to share our desserts we chose Mocha, Coconut, and Vanilla Bean ice creams, flavors that play very well with chocolate. We also ordered a divine Tawny Port that paired perfectly with the dessert.

A little aside here. Rob left the table to visit the men's room, while we waited for dessert, and it seems that if any waiter spots a napkin on a table where a guest is absent, he or she will stop and fold said napkin while asking if everything is too your liking. Pure class.

Dessert arrived beautifully presented. The cake was about a three inch round stack of three layers of chocolate cake with a chocolate mousse in between, all encased in a coating of ganache. The ice creams were served, a small scoop of each in three tiny bowls, lined up on a rectangular plate. The presentations and the flavors were rich. We scooped a small amount of ice cream onto the ends of our forks and dug into the cake mixing the flavors in different combinations with each bite. Our taste buds were delighted!

We thoroughly enjoyed Geronimo. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Every penny. Do we spend money like this often? Absolutely not! There is no way we could afford to, yet we would save up to do it again. For a truly elegant, gourmet quality experience, we highly recommend Geronimo's.

For sample menu and pictures of the restaurant and food, visit http://restauranteur.com/geronimo/menu.htm or their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Geronimo/290337600063.