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IRON BRIDGE
WINE COMPANY My wife and I
had been to the Iron Bridge Wine Company once before, about three weeks after it
opened. We were told that we could
take our twin three year olds. When
we received the menu and found nothing suitable save a bib lettuce salad, we
left. (Don’t take your kids no matter how old they are.)
Last night was date night (we found a sitter for the three year olds), so
we opted to try it again. The wife and I
are fairly easy going, particularly when we’re not in a hurry.
As we drove up to the Iron Bridge, the parking lot was full and we ended
up circling for three rounds of the lot until a spot opened up.
Once inside, we saw that there was a wait so we opted to take over a
solitary seat at the bar (TIP: If
the lot is full, there ain’t no room at the Iron Bridge). The Iron Bridge
has a substantial (around 30) list of wines available by the glass.
They have an even more substantial selection of wines available for
purchase (and consumption) by the bottle. We
weren’t impressed with the wine list. Sharon
and I are familiar with most California wines and there were many on the list
that we were not familiar with. Strolling
around the bar looking for a bottle, I noted Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon
(didn’t get it) and decided that the wine by the glass list was probably a
margin thing. I picked a bottle of
Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 and did not regret the selection.
The Mt. Veeder was priced at $50 per bottle.
That’s about $10 per bottle higher than retail (in a store), but
substantially less than the usual restaurant price doubling.
With a $5 corkage charge, the pricing for a good bottle of wine did not
seem outrageous. Sharon ordered
a twin shrimp hors oeuvres and I ordered the three-cheese sampler. We had to
order the shrimp quickly since there were only two remaining.
The shrimp was good and so was the cheese, but I have to admit, I had
never heard of any of the three cheeses on the list.
Later, my appetite was getting the best of me, so I ordered the duck entrée.
The duck was perfectly prepared, sliced similar to a pork tenderloin and
very tender. Must have been raised
on a farm. A word of advice to
management: Find a way to store
more food. This was our second
visit and both times, we’ve either been told that an entrée was unavailable
or we ordered one of the last ones. If you’re
interested in trying a good bottle of wine in a decent atmosphere, the Iron
Bridge is for you. If your goal is
to add a substantial meal to the wine sampling, find another place. Wino Wally
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