The Wine Country Brought To Pasadena

From the moment you enter Vertical, you can see this is not your ordinary wine bar. The décor is elegant and understated, done in shades of mushroom, taupe and brown, Vertical is a delight to the eye as well as the senses with over 100 wines offered by the glass and more than 20 wine flights to choose from. The food is prepared tapas-style to complement the wines.

It was a Tuesday night and my companion and I walked into Vertical, fully expecting it to be a light night for the restaurant-wrong! Matt Lauer and the Today crew were filming in the Los Angeles area and choose Vertical for their evening respite. All tables were full and the restaurant was jumping!

Our host for the evening was wine director, Mike Farwell, late of Wine Bar and Bistro 112 in Restaurant Hallie. We asked him to be our lead in choosing the wine for the evening. My companion, Eric Laufer, felt that Vertical has an extensive wine list, both by the glass and in the bottle. Also, they have a fine selection of wine by their three wine flight! One can only appreciate the thought and effort that went into creating this eclectic wine list.  Many of the major wine regions in the world are represented, from the “unique” wines of Piemontes to the California Pinot Noirs.

My companion almost took a “vertical” leap out of the booth when he noticed Williams Selyem on the wine list. It brought to mind his honeymoon trip (1989) when he and his bride stopped along a dirt road near the Russian River in Napa Valley. It was eerily desolate, but they were fortunate enough to find the assistant winemaker and to their delight tasted what was to become one of the finest Pinots in the world.  It is an experience he will never forget. Kudos to this wine bistro for offering this special Producer!

To begin our meal we were served Haruss with fresh olive and sourdough bread from the La Brea Bakery. I could have happily stopped there. The Haruss was a wonder mélange of Ancho Chili, Lemon, Garlic, Olive Oil, Roasted Red Peppers, Cilantro, Parsley and Toasted Walnuts, very pungent and earthy when coupled with the divine bread.

Our first course was the California Cheese Plate which included a variety of sheep, goat and cow cheeses. With this course Mike served the Honig, Sauvignon Blanc. The wine was a crisp with fruity note lending itself well to the five cheeses. A San Andreas sheep from Bellwether Farms which I found to have a sour note, a Camembert de Chevre from Elk Creamery which was a fine example of a Camembert, a dry St. Jorge from Matos which was nutty and delightful, a full bodied Farmstead Blue from Point Reyes and a delightfully creamy Mt. Tam from Cowgirl Creamery. With the cheese was served bread, sliced apples, hazelnuts & fennel. Each sample of cheese was enough for one taste.

We were also treated to one of chef Sara Levine’s (of Zax and Opus fame) Terrines. It was a Rabbit Rilette and was served in a canning jar with lightly toasted bread, armagnac soaked prunes and apricots. The Rilette included a mixture of whole grain mustard, white wine and seasoned salt that nicely accompanied the Flowers Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. This was my favorite wine and it was named correctly. The wine bloomed on the tongue with a mixture of fruit, earth and mineral flavors.

Date Poppers were next, which I was told was one of the favorites of the restaurant. Dates stuffed with blue cheese, pickled jalapeños and surrounded by Serrano ham. They were referred to as Fig Poppers on the menu, but the figs had been substituted with dates. Perhaps the dish lost something in the substitution. I found the poppers to be overly sweet overpowering any other flavor that might have been present. With this dish and our next dish we were served another Pinot Noir, this time from Oregon, Ponzi Reserve. It is amazing how two wines can differ so dramatically and be made from the same grape. This Pinot was almost “harsh” at first, masking all other flavors. My companion and I allowed the wine to breathe and were rewarded for our patience. The resulting taste was somewhat spicy with a heavy cherry presence.

We also sampled the Fried Calamari which was served with a spicy aioli accented with lemon. The Calamari was tender and not chewy as it so often can be. The aioli was a delightful blend of mild spice with a nice finish of lemon which complemented the Calamari nicely.

The last dish we sampled was the All Day Long Pulled Pork served with a grilled polenta tartine, triple cream and prunes. With this we sample a Zaca Mesa Syrah from the Santa Ynez valley. The pulled pork was tender, the sauce was fruity and the accompanying polenta complimented it nicely. The Syrah, I found to be average, not outstanding but not disappointing either.

Vertical is the brain child of motion picture producer Gale Anne Hurd, probably best known for the “Terminator” trilogy, “Aliens”, “Armageddon” and the “Abyss.” Along with Mike Farwell, who serves as wine director and Sara Levine, executive chef, the team strives to bring to Pasadena an experience that would be similar to something you would expect to find in wine country.

Vertical is located up a flight of stairs reminiscent of a Paris Bistro at 70 North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena. Their hours are: Tuesday through Thursday, 5:00 – 11:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 4:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. and Sunday, 4:00 – 11:00 p.m. They are closed on Mondays.  For information and reservations call (626) 795-3999 or log onto www.verticalwinebistro.com.