The perfect food and wine pairing is like the fateful meeting of destined lovers, best celebrated with a tiny mock wedding presided over by a curmudgeonly mockingbird. Savor the combination and bring a friend with today’s deal: for $15, you and a guest get to attend a Wednesday-Night Wine Flight (a $30 value) at Cassis, a swanky North Side lounge and restaurant. Choose from any Wednesday night, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., between now and May 26, 2010.
Wednesday-Night Wine Flights merge science and education, two ideas that have been divided since a series of high-school chemistry teachers was arrested for dancing on laboratory tables in 1987. Sample three wines that have been hand-selected to complement three Cassis appetizers. Small-plate possibilities from the menu of French-influenced American fare include dumplings, baked brie on toasted baguette slices, and black-olive tapenade with sliced radish dippers. The owner and head chef selects wine and food pairings a week prior to each flight, so if you'd like to know what comestibles are coming, check the Cassis Facebook page on Tuesday evening, or simply call ahead.
An accompanying seminar on wine and food engages the body's primary stomach, the brain. The secondary stomach gurgles in delight while gaining an appreciation of the culinary arts, and visitors leave ready to explore pairing possibilities. The beautiful, Victorian-influenced building that houses Cassis is a chic spot with an interior dappled in cranberry reds and browns that echo the rosier wine selections. Reservations are required.
Reviews
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Northside Chronicle have featured Cassis:
- ...a cozy sort of hideaway, the kind of place that looks much smaller from the street. The decor has a slightly mismatched quality, like that of an English tea room, from the walls painted in shades of warm red, blue and green, chintz-patterned upholstery and homey vases of flowers. A real fireplace casts a cozy glow on the well-shined wood floor. – China Millman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Porter has managed to blend her childhood adventures in cooking and Paris vacations into a new escape for hungry North Siders. It's a journey worth taking. – Laura Lenk, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
- ...try the black olive tapenade with slices of radish...Like much of the menu, this glorified olive dip won me over with its subtle, salty sophistication. – Northside Chronicle
Six OpenTable diners give Cassis four stars, and 78% of Urbanspooners like it:
- From the galette to the peanut butter and bacon, this restaurant takes creative cuisine to the next level. – yum, Urbanspoon
- The menu is interesting, wanted to try everything. I had the linguini with shrimp which was excellent. Others at my table raved about the fish. Everyone enjoyed the wines. – OpenTable user who dined on 1/29/2010
Groupon Says
Other Wine-Adventure Pairings
Learning to pair the right wine with the right cheese, meal, or Sandra Bullock film can be an adventure, but once you've got the basics down, you might need to know which wine to pair with your next actual adventure. Here are just a few suggestions:
- Dow's Vintage Porto 1977 paired with scuba diving
- Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 1999 paired with American Gladiators obstacle course
- Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Echezeaux Grand Cru Vieille Vigne 1996 paired with lion-hunting safari in war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo
- Chateau Haut-Brion Graves 1975 sipped with arena football
- Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Vigna San Giuseppe 2000 paired with scuba baseball
Comment on our feelings board
