The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro

Last night we went out to dinner at The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro. We made a reservation (because we absolutely HATE waiting), and I'm glad that we did, because when we got there at 8 pm on a Thursday night the place was pretty full. Our friends had gotten there a couple minutes before us, and they had already been seated. We got a nice little booth tucked away in a quiet corner of the restaurant.

Despite the fact that we are usually all whiskey drinkers, we felt obligated to have wine (come on...we were at a WINE BAR...it's in the name...), so we told our waitress (I believe her name was Kat) what we liked and she suggested a modestly priced bottle of Gobelsburger Riesling for $38. I'm usually skeptical of Riesling because they can be super sweet, but this one was pretty dry.

I started with the lamb potstickers as an appetizer. They were quite good, but looked more like shumai than pot stickers. They were served with a tamarind "ketchup" which was just the right amount of tangy without being overwhelming.

We ended up finishing our bottle of wine with the appetizers, so we decided to switch to whiskey for dinner - we were all having different things for dinner, and couldn't find a specific wine that "fit" with all of our main courses. I had some 12 year Glenfiddich...which was yummy...and Bashar tried Dalwhinnie, a single malt scotch whiskey. He liked it, but I prefer my Glen...

For dinner, I had the filet of beef with a truffle butter sauce. I also had a side of garlic fries, with a little extra truffle butter on the side to dip the fries in. This in theory would allow me to have truffle fries, which is one of my absolute favorite types of fries. I forgot to take a photo, so no image here to make you all salivate...I think the chef used garlic salt to make said "garlic fries" and some black pepper, but it ended up making the fries overly salty.

We decided to forgo dessert because we had donuts waiting for us at home...but because Kat, our waitress, wrote down someone's appetizer order wrong, and put ice in her whiskey when she ordered it "neat," brought us out a complimentary dessert. She brought us her favorite,Vanilla Bean Pot de Crème with chocolate sauce. It was surprisingly light and refreshing, and garnished with blackberries.

We kind of destroyed it...and then went home for homemade donuts...

All in all, Metro was a hit, but it won't be our go-to place...it's a tad bit expensive for a weekly trip...but definitely good, and didn't disappoint!

I have had several great meals here, and to be honest, this is one of my favorite spots in town.  Wonderful ambience, a solid wine list, delicious apps, specials that keep you coming back for more, and terrific desserts.

I know a lot of people knock on the ambience, mainly because of the clientele.  I suppose one has to expect the fact that Nichols Hills is going to be one of the main suppliers of clients for a restaurant located just outside of Nichols Hills, but maybe that's just me.  Either way, get to know some of them, you never know who you're going to meet.  The rest of the restaurant is wonderful.  It's low lighting provides just the right feel for a cozy date.

Now, the food.  Oh, the food.  I try to get something new every time I go, especially since they took my favorite thing off the menu (duck), so I've been forced to shop around the menu.  Not that I'm saying that's a bad thing, at all!  Quite to the contrary actually.  I easily had the best meal to date during my last trip in.  The chefs had cooked up a beautiful 8 oz. filet with a port wine reduction sauce, served over a bed of whipped garlic potatoes, roasted asparagus, and potato wedges, with a piece of seared foie gras to boot.  If you're salivating right now, don't be concerned, it's totally normal.  If you finish that terrific meal off, make sure you save some space for the bread pudding and a hit of espresso, it will be the perfect way to close out a great meal.

If I could give the team at The Metro one piece of advice, it would be to keep up the great work, and keep creating terrific dishes.

I've found the fountain of youth. Well... err... I've found a way to make yourself FEEL young, if you so desire. That's right, it's as easy as heading over to the Metro Wine Bar because you'll be surrounded by individuals at least twice your age, instantly making you feel young again... unless of course you happen to be one of those older individuals, in which case, have you ever considered the osteology museum? Bazinga.

Ok, that may have been a bit harsh, but in all reality, the atmosphere at the Metro is quite lovely. It's clean and intimate vintage style at it's best. It can get a bit crowded, but that's merely a sign that you're in the right place because the food is just so good.

I'm a sucker for smoked salmon, and their smoked salmon appetizer hits the the mark. The delicious smoked salmon is accompanied by toast, grainy mustard, a dill sauce, and a boatload of tomatoes, onions, and capers. When I say boatload, it's meant literally, as the toppings come in perfect little lettuce boats. Nice touch. We've also tried the saffron risotto with shrimp and scallops as well as the parmesan risotto with braised beef, and I'm happy to report that they've got their risotto down pat. Both risottos were rich and creamy, cooked perfectly. If you're in the mood for seafood, the Spanish inspired flavors of the perfectly cooked shrimp and scallops would be the choice for you. And if you're leaning towards more of a rich, tender stew of beef that melts in your mouth, you can't go wrong with the burgundy braised beef. No complaints in the flavor department here.

The Metro also has a solid selection of wines to choose from (hence the "wine bar" classification in the name, ooooh). The prices are a bit high to make this a once-a-week restaurant, but the food is absolutely tasty enough to merit going that often. If you haven't already, try this place out - keep it local.

Overall Grade: A+