Jump to: Reviews | Wine Posers
Our world has given rise to countless pairings, both inspired (buttered peanuts and jam) and unfortunate (construction sites and Optional Helmet Day). Today’s Groupon offers one of the better ones: $35 worth of local, organic bistro fare and beverages at Thirst Wine Bar and Bistro for $15. Thirst was Citysearch's Best of 2009 pick for wine bars.
The minds behind Thirst Wine Bar and Bistro are learned in the noble art of wedding wine with food, as demonstrated by the constantly rotating selection of 25 to 30 wines by the glass and more than 60 by the bottle. Thirst Bar's bistro, meanwhile, has concocted a fully edible menu of meals to accompany these vinos. With local and natural ingredients and a menu that’s nearly 90% gluten-free, guide your palate through a selection of entrees and small-plate dishes and play matchmaker to your libation of choice. If your cabernet sauvignon doesn't feel any chemistry with the cheese-plate trio of artisan imports and domestic cheeses ($14), it might hit it off with an order of toasty spinach, artichoke, bacon, and gorgonzola dip ($12) or a robust sesame-crusted seared ahi tuna (with asparagus and mandarin orange, $17). Keep eating until you taste wedding bells in your mouth.
Now that Thirst has opened its River Room (made entirely out of fully operational rivers), you can pair your pairings with fine paintings, sculptures, and other artwork, as well as up to 70 to 80 of your closest oenophiles, wedding guests, or fellow Shriners. Every four people can use today's Groupon, so getting an extra will make sure no one in your barbershop's quartet feels left out from this year's holiday gift.
This deal is not valid on New Year’s Eve or Valentine’s Day, because no one drinks wine on those days.
Reviews
Citysearchers have made Thirst Wine Bar and Bistro a Best Wine Bar of 2009 with 4.5 stars, and Urbanspooners give it 92% approval:
- This was my first time down at Thirst and it was one of the better restaurant experiences I have had in Portland. – wluv, Citysearch
- I don't know that much about wine, but the staff is always helpful in guiding me towards a selection that is exactly what I am in the mood for. – katiesong, Citysearch
- This is a great place to unwind after work. The atmosphere is very laid back but the service is attentive and friendly. – bree22, Urbanspoon
Wine Posers
Have you ever seen someone smell a glass of wine and remark upon its “lemony overtones” or its “essence of plum,” and doubted that they had any idea what they were talking about? Usually you’re right, and they’re pulling words from the 2009 Unabridged Wine Libs Dictionary. Just pull one word from the Obscure Fruits and Woods chapter and another from the section on Vague Concepts, and you’ve got a smart-sounding wine description. How many times have we heard a Wine Libs poser foolishly declare that a wine resonated with "cedar echoes?" Too many times to count on one seven-fingered hand. Eight times, to be precise.
But it turns out there is actually a science to smelling wine, and a corresponding aroma wheel with a full spectrum of scents in categories both familiar (fruity, floral, spicy) and odd (microbiological, oxidized, pungent). A few smart people actually aren’t making it up when they talk smart about wine. They understand the aroma wheel. They’re tasting those amazing things they’re talking about. And that’s because a few smarter chefs know how to pair wines perfectly with food to make you taste undertones you’re embarrassed to admit vocally. Those mahogany cinnamon hues are real my friend. They taste exactly like the time you put cinnamon on your mahogany bannister and went to town. That great moment can be relived, and even topped, by the food and wine available at Thirst. Thirst understands the Aroma Wheel, Occam’s Razor, and the Pythagorean Theorem. That background has enabled it to create a simple, isosceles triangle of wine, food, and thirst-reduction.
Follow @Groupon_Says on Twitter.
-
1
