In another nod to the changing times, sushi and Chinese cuisine are now enjoyed where Woburnites once enjoyed a slice from the old Woburn House of Pizza. It's taken me two visits to get a chance to write up this fairly new addition to Downtown Woburn; I think I was really just looking for an excuse for a return visit to sample their tasty fare and chat with Woburnite.com's founder Fel Medeiros.
Cafe Escadrille recently launched a new Tuesday Night Wine Club, and we couldn't pass up the chance to be at the first dinner. The promise of a four course meal with excellent wine pairings for just $45 was an easy sell.
Cafe Escadrille is located in Burlington, MA, convenient to the highway and better yet, our home. They position themselves as providing options that allow those of us in the northern suburbs to experience fine dining without contending with Boston traffic or parking options. Adding a regular wine meal like this to the mix--they are running these every other Tuesday night--buttresses their claim to be a premier dining spot in the area.
Shortly after greeting our friends in the bar area, we were warmly greeted by our host for the evening, Wine Director Stephane Colinet. He proved to be a truly gracious and fun host sharing the passion for wine and food developed in his native France. Stephane also peppered in colorful stories from his stint at one of LA's top eateries. In other words, you can get some good stories about Brad Pitt and the like along with sampling some wonderful food.
Stephane escorted our group of seven over to our table, by a sweeping window that afforded a nice view of a small flower garden. He explained we'd be sampling wines from St. Supery, a well-regarded producer from the heart of Napa.
The '07 Sauvignon Blanc with the Ahi Tuna that we started with was perhaps my favorite pairing. The wine had a good balance of New Zealandish grapefruit taste along with minerality more typical of Californian Sauv Blanc. This combination worked well with the tuna's Asian flavors of sesame and wasabi creme fraiche, and that of the accompanying grilled shrimp.
The '07 Chardonnay did not appeal to me as much as the others we tasted. It seemed to be made in the naked Chardonnay style, tasting of melon with a slightly bitter finish. The accompanying soft shelled crab was pretty tasty, deep fried but not too heavy and balanced by the vegetable slaw.
The main course of roasted veal tenderloin was absolutely delicious. Very tender, cooked just right and served with a red wine glaze that enhanced the meat flavor nicely. The garlic mashed potatoes side was good too and a very generous portion. The '02 Merlot paired with this course was a big, full bodied red with a bit of leatheriness along with the fruit. Defintely not the fruit juice only merlot disparaged in Sideways! I was surprised it was an '02 as it seemed like it could benefit from more cellaring or decanting, though is certainly enjoyable at this point.
We finished with a cheese course, very savory local Vermont cheeses that paired nicely with the star of the wine lineup, the '02 St. Supery Elu. This one was primarily cab but also had a bit of merlot and petit verdot in the blend. Nice structure, balanced fruit and a big long finish.
Well, that finished the official dinner lineup. But then we decided to share a tasty fallen chocolate souffle along with a bonus glass of St. Supery Moscato that Stephane generously through in. One more treat in night full of them! Hmm, Tuesday Night Wine Club, how do we become card carrying members?
I didn't grow up eating seafood, so it has been a gradually acquired taste in adulthood. I have come to enjoy many types now, salmon and scallops being among my favorites. Yet I've still been a bit reticent about the raw fish--sorry, sushi--thing. 
We started with a cup of miso soup. A light broth with bits of scallions and seaweed, the soup had a fresh, clean taste that made for a good beginning. We then shared an order of pork gyoza, the Japanese version of the ubiqitous dumpling appetizer. It was flavorful with its ginger soy sauce and just a bit of crispiness on the outside.
Then we delved into the sushi. The nigiri sush has the slice of fish served over a bit of rice, while the maki sushi are the rolls where the fish is wrapped in rice and seaweed. I was surprised to find that I liked the eel nigiri best, not something that sounds intuitively appealing but I thought it was very flavorful. I also really liked the delicate fresh taste of the salmon and tuna. And I've always loved the heat of wasabi paste, so that combined with a bit of soy and fresh ginger is a great flavor combination.
From the outside, the silver metal cylinder looks like a classic diner. Opening the door, though, the fresh aromatic curry smell quickly tells me this is not my father's diner.
Earlier this winter we visited and enjoyed the new Masa Southwest Bar and Grill in Woburn. Somehow this review was the victim of a very busy stretch at work and remained stuck in draft format. But I was back for lunch yesterday and that reminded me to post this! It's a nice spot for lunch as well as dinner, in fact. For about $7, I had a bowl of Southwest Onion Soup and a sampling of 5 tapas, a good way to get a variety of tastes.