Sommelier's Palette, a wine bar and cafe, opened in June on Oakland Avenue in Shorewood and we decided to pop in and see what it had to offer.
A cozy nook located adjacent to Sendik's, Sommelier's Palette has a small bar and about a half dozen tall tables with four bar stools. Another half dozen smaller tables seat two. Each table is covered in mustard and eggplant linens and has a vase with a fistful of fresh flowers. The walls are decorated with oenological ephemera (wine region maps, etc.), the best part being an apparently in-progress palette created with corks.
An extensive wine list and a selection of cheeses cataloged on a chalkboard augments a small but interesting menu that got smaller as soon as our server arrived and told us the blood orange salad was unavailable (the oranges are out of season, he said), as was a stuffed onion tapas appetizer.
We perused the menu and impressive wine list while noshing on three types of bread brought to table with a dipping dish of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and another with two pats of butter.
We opted for the seafood crepes ($15.95) and the crab cakes ($11.50), with grilled artichokes ($4.75) as a starter. We picked a 2000 Voerzio Roero Arneis from Piedmont ($9.50) to accompany the crab and a French Rhone reds wine flight ($7.50) featuring three Syrah blends (with Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache) in large goblets.
The wine arrived first and the Arneis was pleasingly chilled and had an alluring golden color and sweet aroma. The wine flight was interesting and satisfying with syrah blends that showed the range of this ever-more-popular varietal.
The grilled artichoke appetizer was heavenly, with soft pieces of small, tender artichokes seared to dark brown in places, adding a smoky flavor.
While we waited for our entrees we looked at the cheese board, which has about a dozen or so choices, and found the options curiously limited considering the huge variety of cheeses available right next door at Sendik's. For example, from Italy only two fairly pedestrian options -- Parmigiano Reggiano and Taleggio -- were available. Cheese plates start at $15 for two selections.
The menu described the seafood crepes as two crepes filled with shrimp, scallops and crab. We asked for them minus the crab and the waiter came back to say the crepes are pre-rolled and our request couldn't be accommodated. After revisiting the menu for an alternative, he returned, saying the chef had overruled his assistant and could make it without crab.
In the end, they were well worth the slight confusion, as the crepes were delicious and delicately flavored, with chunks of tender shrimp and scallops. The only disappointment was that they arrived covered in a thick cream sauce with a coagulated skin on top. Although the sauce itself didn't have much flavor the tasty garnish of fresh oregano did.
{INSERT_RELATED}Four small but dense crab cakes, lightly browned, were delicious and filling, with a sprinkling of parsley, chives and other herbs and a dollop of shredded beets.
Now that OnMilwaukee.com is becoming known for its expertise in Milwaukee rest rooms, we feel it salient to mention that both the men's and ladies' rooms were clean, well-stocked, attractively decorated and had vases of fresh flowers.
The wine bar and cafe concept is a good one and should likely do well in Milwaukee, where there aren't lots of similar establishments. However, Sommelier's Palette could use a few good Italian reds on the wine list (completely absent unless we somehow missed them) and a more tempting cheese selection.
Sommelier's Palette is located at 4011 N. Oakland Ave. For opening hours and other information, call (414) 962-9463.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
