Right now, al fresco dining is the only safe option in New Jersey. In fact, it is the ONLY option. Fortunately, there are quite a few good ones. A number of them have gone to great lengths to creatively fashion a setting that doesn’t look like a parking lot. Annata Wine Bar does a nice job incorporating the sidewalk in front of and alongside of their building. Directly behind the building there is a patio with an attractive pergola and several tables. They do have a few tables on their parking lot, as well. There is even an elevated patio in the back of an adjacent building that Annata uses as a stage for live music. On Friday night we sat in the landscaped alley that leads to the Pergola.
The Music
On the stage on Friday was Jen Camillo. She played keyboard and sang some memorable cover songs. Among them were: Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide; Elton John’s Your Song; and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. She has a beautiful voice and though we could not see her from our table, her tunes provided a wonderful background for our evening dinner.
The Wine
My wife and I have enjoyed tasting wines and dining inside Annata on previous trips. They have an excellent selection of wines from around the world. I hasten to add that they have the largest selection of New Jersey Wines of any restaurant I have frequented. I counted 24 NJ wines on their menu. These included wines from Amalthea Cellars, Bellview Winery, DiMatteo Vineyard, Plagido’s Winery, Sharrott Winery, Tomasello Winery, White Horse Winery, and Valenzano Winery. Most of these wines can be ordered by the glass or bottle. More evidence that New Jersey wines have arrived!
I chose a bottle of White Horse Winery Barrel Fermented Chardonnay to accompany our meals. While I still prefer dining at BYOB restaurants, I must say I was pleased that I had so many wines to choose from. I had a hard time choosing even from the New Jersey wines offered-an abundance of riches (without spending a fortune). The Chardonnay was as good as I remembered-Subtle oak notes complementing the fruit, without dominating it. I love the rich, mouthfeel of this wine.
The Food
The food offerings are also diverse, with a variety of seafood and meats, many with a choice of small or large plates. My wife and I chose a meat and cheese plate as an appetizer. While it did not seem like a lot of food, the cheeses were rich and very good. The olive tapenade was great with the bread.
I chose the Chilean Sea Bass. It was pan roasted and arrived in a large bowl with two fillets served over a tomato and basil broth. My wife chose the small plate of Tuna, served rare on a bed of greens and topped with a flavorful bruschetta. We selected Brussel sprouts and spinach for our side dishes.
We did not have room for a dessert, though they looked and sounded very tempting.
Cheers!
Still Time to Get Your Copy
Summer is almost over. You’re running out of time to grab a copy of my book, New Jersey Uncorked: A Snob-Free Taste of NJ Wine for $19.99. Just use the discount code: Summer20 here:
store.bookbaby.com/book/New-Jersey-Uncorked
You can also get the ebook version for $9.99 at Apple’s iBook app. Just use the same coupon code. These coupons are not available at Amazon.
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