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

Dragonfly Restaurant & Curacao Blues -- Corpus Christi, TX

The Dragonfly Restaurant, located across the JFK bridge on Padre Island, at 14701 S Padre Island Dr,(361-949-2224) has been a favorite of ours for some time. Not to say that they don't have their off days, but those are rare. This particular night they were spot on. We like to eat early -- to avoid traffic and crowds -- so we arrived just a few minutes after 5:00 p.m., which is opening time for dinner. Of course, we were seated promptly.

Our waiter, Romeo, introduced himself and recited the special, which sounded wonderful -- Grilled Tuna Steak with a Garlic Potato Flash. We ordered our wine, and kept the special in mind as we looked through the menu. The dinner menu is divided in two sections -- World Tour by Land which features beef, pork, lamb and chicken dishes of various countries, and World Tour by Sea, featuring, you guessed it, seafood dishes from around the world. We opted for our favorite menu items. For Rob, the Shrimp Skewer with Coconut Sambal Sauce (Malaysia -- $19.95), and I ordered the Crab Cake with Remoulade (USA -- $18.95)

Curacao Blues, the bar, as you enter Dragonfly

Rob's shrimp were tender, smoky and flavorful. Topped with a spicy Coconut Sambal Sauce, the one bite I got of these plump, juicy critters made my mouth very happy. The Coconut Peanut rice contrasts the shrimp with a light, delicate, but distinct coconut infusion with bits of peanuts scattered throughout. The Sweet Potato Plantain cake rounded out the dish. It is deep fried creating a not quite crispy shell around a creamy sweet center. And, as if that's not enough, a healthy salad of mixed greens, dressed with a Soy Honey Sauce creates a beautiful bed on which to display the shrimp. Delicious!

My plate held two 6 oz. Crab Cakes with the remoulade on the side. The crab cakes at Dragonfly are made a little differently than what I've had in other places. First you don't get lumps of crab mixed with filler. It seems as though the crab is blended with  the spices and accompaning flavors, then pan fried. They have a more creamy consistancy than most crab cakes I've had. Now, if someone said to me, "try this crab cake, it has a creamy consistancy," I probably would have turned them down, but trust me on this, they are so good! Crab is the main flavor you get with the other flavors complimenting and submiting to the crab in a most pleasant way. The romoulade is tangy nice, but little goes a long way and could easily overpower the crab cakes. Maybe that's why it's served on the side.  And as good as the crab cakes are, they are served resting on a bed of the best french fries that I have ever tasted. These fries are so good that I refuse to ruin them by putting ketchup on them! I literally told the waiter, "no," when he offered it. These fries aren't flavored or exotic in any way. They are normal fries from normal potatoes fried, in I don't know what kind of oil, to perfection. They are not greasy, yet crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, seasoned with just enough salt. Think original McDonalds fries, but oh so much better. (I would make the trip to Dragonfly just for the fries!) I also had a salad of mixed greens, but mine was dressed with a Garlic Vinaigrette, which was similar to a Caesar dressing, but with a little more punch. Great meal!

Spicy Jalapeno Martini

While we waited for our food to arrive, Rob noticed the signature drink menu and the Spicy Jalapeno Martini caught his eye. So, rather than have dessert, we ordered one of those. This is a tequila drink that is a little bit reminiscent of a margarita without the salt. It's sweet and spicy, but not too spicy, with a slice of pickled jalapeno in the bottom. Of course the closer you get to the bottom, the spicier it gets! We thought it was a great end to our dinner.

As I've mentioned, Dragonfly is a favorite, and although the food is consistantly good, this night's dinner was better than usual. We always recommend Dragonfly. It's worth the drive out to the Island. You can view their menu and even order online at http://www.dragonflycuracao.com/. Several items, such as their soups, wing sauces and salad dressings are packaged and available for sale.

Oh, and so sorry there are no pictures of our plates. We dove in before we thought about pictures. It was that good, but you can find plenty of pictures on the website gallery, and yes, the food really looks like that!

Atrisco Cafe & Bar - Santa Fe, NM

After arriving in Santa Fe we thought we'd see where our cooking class was located and stumbled onto the Atrisco Cafe & Bar. It's located in the DeVargas Mall on Peralta St., just inside the entrance. It's a small but lively place serving up New Mexican dishes. The staff seems to take care of each other's tables, so we weren't sure who our actual server was.

We both ordered the Lite Plate which is described as including one rolled chicken enchilada, rice, beans, posole and a choice of sauce. Well, of course, we both ordered "Christmas" since every place has their own sauce recipes. The plates arrived and I was surprised to see hominy on the plate. Evidently, hominy is considered posole, at least in this establishment. I thought posole was more of a soup/stew that often contains hominy, so I looked it up in the dictionary and found I was right. I love when that happens!

Lite Plate

Anyway, the flavors were all there, and it seems that sopaipillas (that's how it's spelled here) are to New Mexico cuisine like flour tortillas are to Tex-Mex -- served with every dish. Both sauces were pretty high on the heat scale and we were not warned about it. Even Rob commented that the heat was more than expected. He loved it, but recognized that most people might not. As a matter of fact, I asked about the heat factor when ordering and was told that the green sauce was hotter. Fortunately, we like heat, but this was almost too much. I don't normally suffer with stomach problems after eating spicy foods, but I carried this one with me for several hours.

We liked Atrisco and went back a couple days later for a glass of wine. The atmosphere is comfortable and colorful, the prices moderate, and the staff are friendly. The food was really good, but if you have a low tolerance for heat order carfully!