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Bonnie and Chip Delsener, left, of Grosse Pointe and Jerome Smith of Royal Oak enjoy dinner at Grape Expectations.

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Grape Expectations Wine Bar & Merchant

Grape Expectations Wine Bar & Merchant

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Wine bar exceeds expectations

Upscale spot in Plymouth serves pizzas, panini that are pleasing

February 2, 2007

BY SYLVIA RECTOR

FREE PRESS RESTAURANT CRITIC

Some friends had scouted out the place for me a couple of weeks earlier, and as I drove over to Plymouth to meet them there, I wondered whether I should even be planning to review it.

The menu was small, they said, and it seemed to be more a bar and wine shop than a restaurant.

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Grape Expectations Wine Bar & Merchant didn't even include "restaurant" in its very long name, I was thinking as the car turned onto Forest Avenue, so how much of a food place was it likely to be?

I'm so glad I gave it a chance.

Grape Expectations is upscale but casual, stylish but totally unpretentious. After visits with two sets of very different friends, we all declared it fun, interesting and relaxing. And yes, the menu is small -- but in a good way.

Chef Nina Scott and owner Lisa O'Donnell have kept it simple but focused on good quality and style, with tapas, salads and creative little pizzas and panini. The flavors, ingredients and food styles are designed to complement wines, and virtually everything on the menu can be shared easily at the table.

Turn the menu over and you'll find 81 wines grouped by type and style, from light-bodied whites through full-bodied reds, plus dessert wines, bubblies and premium wines. Twenty-five are available by the 6-ounce glass or 2-ounce taste. There are flights and a Big Six collection with a taste of one wine of each major type.

O'Donnell says organizing the list by flavor profile rather than grape variety or geography helps customers figure out what wine style they prefer, if they don't already know, as well as guiding more knowledgeable wine drinkers to new bottles they are likely to enjoy.

The arrangement of the list matches the organization of the retail wines that line one entire wall -- the merchant part of the business.

Diners as well as people waiting for tables like to wander over and read the labels and descriptions that accompany each one.

In addition to bar seating, there are tables along a banquette opposite the wine wall, a handful of round tables and one booth large enough for six or eight guests. More tables are in a loft-like space overlooking the main floor.

On our first visit, our friends and we were so involved in conversation, we decided to simplify ordering and speed up service by each ordering a different flight of wine.

For food, we chose two kinds of bruschetta, sun-dried tomato pesto and herbed goat cheese, each $4. I hoped there would be at least one piece of each kind for each of us.

And we also took our waiter's recommendation and ordered the Cutting Board. For $9, it included slices of Serrano ham, prosciutto and chorizo, marinated olives, roasted peppers, cheese selected by the chef and baguette slices.

Soon the wine flights arrived, and our small, marble-topped table seemed covered in glasses, all sitting on printed papers with wine names and details so we'd remember which was which.

The bruschetta arrived as a make-your-own appetizer, with bowls of toppings and many slices of crisp, toasted baguette. It was great for sharing, and the spreads were full-flavored and delicious. It wasn't classic bruschetta at all, but we liked it, and for $4 per order, it was a great deal.

The Cutting Board was so laden we were all able to have some of everything. It was a bargain at $9, and every ingredient, from the house-roasted red peppers to the spicy rounds of chorizo sausage, was full-flavored and seemed to be top quality.

Our little table was much too small for all the glasses and plates we ended up with, even though our waiter did his best to take empty ones away as soon as he could. The squeeze didn't ruin our fun, but it wasn't very comfortable. Guests at the square tables along the banquette had more room and were more comfortable.

A couple of weeks later, with other friends, we tried a different ordering approach.

We each started with a taste-size wine, and we ordered smaller dishes, one or two at time, starting with a generous bowl of very good marinated nicoise, picholine and Moroccan olives ($5).

We decided to go for an all-Spanish course: two kinds of empanadas ($7) and mini-skillets of tortilla Espanol, the classic Spanish omelet of potatoes, onions and eggs. The house-made empanadas were flaky and nicely filled. The omelet may have been authentic -- O'Donnell learned about tapas while living in Spain -- but the flavors were dull.

You can't miss with the panini and pizzas, especially priced at $6-$7. Try the goat cheese panini with roasted red pepper, arugula and chicken. Of the thin-crust pizzas, the chicken, sun-dried tomato and brie is a nice combination. For something different, go for the pear, gorgonzola and walnut.

A serious wine drinker who came along on the second visit observed that Grape Expectations wouldn't impress wine snobs for several reasons, though he found some interesting bottles and thought the prices were generally good.

But wine snobs aren't O'Donnell's target audience.

She wants to reach the people who are just learning or who know what they like, but want to keep trying new things. And if they enjoy sharing a glass or two over good food, so much the better.

I'll stand in that line anytime.

Contact SYLVIA RECTOR at 313-222-5026 or rector@freepress.com.