Trezo Vino

One thing about us is that we love to share dining experiences! Notice, I did not just say that "We love to eat", or that "We love to go out to dinner". Although those statements may be true, they do not capture the essence of that which we enjoy...a pleasurable dining experience. Carmen and I were blessed with a truly pleasurable dining experience on Monday night at a restaurant in Leawood, Kansas called Trezo Vino www.kctrezovino.com.

The place has been in a location just north of Town Center (I believe it is called Park Place) for about 8 months, but this is our first experience, and quite frankly the first time I had ever even heard about it. One of my sports rehab therapists, Gini, told me about it when I mentioned that I had a date night scheduled with my wife and was trying to decide where to go. It was an outstanding choice, and dining there on Monday night allowed us to get a real flavor (pun intended) of the atmosphere without the typical weekend crowd. They have a small (30-35 people) room in the back where parties or special events can be held, and there was a group of about 20 people enjoying what appeared to be tapas and adult beverages. Other than that group, there were 6 other tables occupied and 2 couples at the bar. So, all in all, we had a nice, quiet relaxing experience where we were able to carry on conversation with each other without feeling like we needed to shout to be heard. Also, we were able to speak with the waiter and manager about various aspects of the meal, positive and negative (of which there were extremely few!), and come to the conclusion that this is definitely a place to visit again and again.

I am going to let Carmen blog on the essentials of the meal experience itself, but I do want to mention the bar and wine list. First, I took note of the "classic cocktails" that were offered. Carmen had a Plymouth Gin martini and I had a Grey Goose martini (Gin has an interesting affect on my...uh...mood, which is a story for another day), both of which contained Lillet Blanc (or white or blond Lillet), which is the classic way to make a martini. In this day and age with all of the apple martinis, peach martinis, brixtinis, and various other wimp-tinis, it is great to find a bartender or mixologist who knows how to make an actual martini whether it be a vodkatini, or the true classic gin martini.

I know, I know, there is a major battle among the cocktail purists about that which a true martini consists (prior to Prohibition they were made with London dry gin, French vermouth, and a dash of orange bitters, but I digress), but suffice it to say that the slightly dry, crisp, quick finishing Grey Goose martini that I was privileged to imbibe at Trezo Vino was outstanding, and started the evening out on a note of hopeful anticipation. The wine list is not extensive, but has some great wines at moderate to high prices depending on the vintage and vineyard. Compliments to the Somme because the list includes some outstanding wines from not only Napa, Sonoma, Alexander Valley, and Oregon in the USA, but also from France, Argentina, Italy, and a nice Shiraz from Australia.

We enjoyed a 2006 "The Show" which is quite different from the 2005 vintage of which I have partaken in the past. Still an excellent Cabernet (it is actually made up of 42% Monterey County Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Monterey County Merlot, 6% Napa Valley Cabernet Franc, 3% Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah, and 3% Napa Valley Petite Verdot), the 2006 is much more fruit-forward, with less of the leather and dark cherry notes than the 2005. The Show 2006 nicely paired with the tapas-styled meal we enjoyed and was particularly enjoyable with the Foie Gras Duet. All in all, it was a fantastic evening and we intend to visit again to try the entrees.