Morevino in Ocala

 

We ventured up to Ocala and had lunch.  Man you have to go to this place.  Morevino’s is best described as a Manhattan restaurant on the square in Ocala.  This is a small quaint place full of a great vibe, great food, and great wine.

The owner is Brian Morey.  He has a long and storied career as a wine rep for numerous companies and places.  His wine knowledge is second to none.  He has a great palate and his selections show it on the wine list.  His passion for cooking has always taken a back seat to his passion for wine.  He moves here and opens this place.  Well I am very happy to report his cooking is as good as his wine knowledge and maybe even deeper.

Everything is farm to table.  He shops the local farmers market and gets the foods of the day, then heads to the kitchen to wow his guests.

On our recent visit we had the Sausage sandwich, the Rubén, Chinatown Nachos and Quiche Lorraine. 

Let’s start with the Ruben. 

I ordered it. Everything is made in house from the Corned beef to the sauerkraut.  Brian explained to us that he ferments this in house and during the summer it takes only a few days and it a bit stronger. This batch was fermented during the winter so we were to expect a slightly darker version not as tart but more flavors.  He killed it, it was so good.  The sandwich piled high with the corned beef was a perfect mixture of fat and lean.  Topped with that amazing sauerkraut and the house made dressing I was the best Ruben I’ve had in years and years.

The sausage sandwich, this sandwich is huge!  My friend couldn’t eat half.  The bread is fresh made in house every day. The sausage large covered in peppers and onions this sandwich isn’t from around here for sure. A must try

The China Town Nachos

A large bowl of nacho’s covered in sweet Thai chili sauce and large perfectly cooking shrimp.  Green onions garnish.  The chips are all nice and warm and crisp.  The shrimp perfectly cooked and another large portion left overs for sure if it’s for one or a great table app to share.

The Quiche and Salad

The Quiche Lorraine was the quiche of the day on this visit.  It was a nice slice creamy and wonderfully seasoned with plenty of cheese and ham.  A nice crust flaky and homemade for sure.  The salad greens and fixing were from the Ocala farmers market and fresh as can be.  Perfectly dressed with a house made vinaigrette the salad was not an afterthought on this plate.

This place is a must visit if ever in Ocala.

Morevino Restaurant & Wine Bar

11 East Silver Springs Blvd. Ocala Florida 34470

Call: (352) 304-5100

As a PS if you follow them on facebook you can see all the wine events they do.  Here is the link

https://www.facebook.com/morevinowinebar

Sierra Del Mar

 

Sierra Del Mar

Talk about bang for your buck.  Today you get four wines for the read not just ne. Ran across these wines as house wines at a restaurant.  I rarely drink house wine but the server was very encouraging so we gave the chard and pinot a chance.  After that we gave the SB and Cabernet and these wines are not to be missed.

These wines are made by Vinum cellars.  The grapes for this wine come from various cool climates in California such as the Clarksburg Delta area near Sacramento known for its cool afternoon breezes from the San Francisco Bay which moderate the warm days allowing for ample sun light into the canopy by day and a cooling off period well before sundown. We pick the grapes when very ripe. When fully developed, we pick the grapes in the morning when the vineyard is cool and the grapes are cold. This makes it a little challenging to sort them at 7am on the crush pad, but worth the effort.

 

The brand comes in Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet. Those are the ones we will be talking about today.

 

The Sauvignon Blanc

This wine carries a Central Coast designation.  I am not a big Sauvignon Blanc fan most are to green for me and tart. Here is my assessment Aromas of lemon, and citrus fruit.  On the palate tart and acidic.  Very clean finish.  As I said not a fan of SB.  But I could drink this if I was at your home and you served thi.  It is drinkable  I have had many that were not… $20

The Chardonnay

Ok his is the wine that started this party.  The wine carries a Central Coast designation.When we tasted this wine for the $10 a glass price we were simply blown away. For me a nose of vanilla, baked apples, and a small sniff of lemon curd.  In the mouth; nice and full, nice fruit / acid balance.  Tangerine, Passion fruit, Honeycomb, baked apples. Soft creamy Latic acid gives the wine the amazing texture.  Wonderful finish of tart apple and apricot.  This a a very good example of Chardonnay  $20

The Pinot Noir

This wines carries a California Designation. 

The grapes for this wine come from various cool climates in California such as the Clarksburg Delta area near Sacramento known for its cool afternoon breezes from the San Francisco Bay which moderate the warm days allowing for ample sun light into the canopy by day and a cooling off period well before sundown. We also use Monterey County Pinot Noir grapes whose mornings are dotted with coastal fog which balance the days with cold mornings. We pick the grapes when very ripe. When fully developed, we pick the grapes in the morning when the vineyard is cool and the 

Medium garnet color with pretty ripe cherry notes and classic Pinot Noir aromatics. The palate is generous with creamy vanilla and French oak flavors which envelope the silky cherries elegantly. This silky little Pinot then coats the tongue with smooth crushed, ripe raspberry flavors and textures and finishes dry again with ripe bing cherry and subtle clove flavors. This wine is another example of over delivering at the price this is a buy by the case wine for sure. $20

The Cabernet

The grapes for this wine come from cool climate grapes grown in southern Monterey and northern San Luis Obispo County including Paso Robles.  Mornings are dotted with coastal fog where the cold mornings balance the warm days.

The color of this generous Cabernet is medium plum with brick red tones. The aromas are ripe with deep blueberry followed by black cherry notes. The palate enters with rich cassis and vanilla and backed by plush plum and spice notes with black pepper and clove. This is a true bottle of cabernet.  You just do not expect this from a $20 cabernet 

All wines were purchased at Two Old Hags unless otherwise stated.

Jolete Le Verre Cuvee

 Joleté - Old French for “Happy Gathering”

 

I have to admit there is a little history here with me and this winemaker.  I sold Tom Mortimer’s wine while I worked in Memphis Tennessee.  Tom is a mild mannered man who talent with wine vineyards is very good.  He found his place in Oregon and I was blessed to find him.  When we first met he only had the Le Cadeau brand which was an all pinot line.  All very good and all moderately priced.in that $35-$50 retail in Memphis.  I retired and moved here and drank my last Le Cadeau wine.  History lesson over let taste this new wine. 

The central theme in all Joleté wines is “QPR”(Quality, Price, Ratio).   Quite simply, with Joleté we offer handcrafted, varietally correct, small production wines that typically perform at a level well above their price point. It is a simple but challenging goal.

 The 2019 Joleté Le Verre Cuvee, meaning “The Glass” is a beautiful glass of Oregon Pinot Noir.  Enticing aromas of spiced raspberry and sweet tobacco lead to a medium-bodied palate with subtle notes of black cherry and ripe Oregon Hood strawberries. An underlying hint of orange peel brings a crisp drive of acidity to the finish. 421 cases produced.

This is a definite buy.  The wine is a pleasure to drink and goes not only with the cheese I was eating while tasting, but also with the horseradish encrusted grouper we had for dinner.  Highly recommend $25.99

All wines reviewed purchased at Two Old Hags unless otherwise stated

The Waterfront Restaurant and Craft Bar

 

Day two Lunch

We love this place as well.  Right across from the water you can see the Anna Maria city pier from the patio seats.  You can also see the Sunshine Bridge which crosses Tampa Bay from those same seats.

Today’s choices were:

Tuna Sashimi The dish arrived, rare tuna over seaweed salad, black sesame seeds, and soy sauce side.  The portion here is larger than we are used to.  Four thick slices fanned across the salad.  Wasabi and pickled ginger aplenty for the amount of tuna.  The dish was great but really got left behind by the other choices. Very good and recommend ordering

Fish Taco’s  These were the best fish taco’s our group has ever eaten.  The fish today was grouper and it was grilled perfectly. Fish was tender and tasty we all agreed what set these taco’s apart was the way the fish stood out in the flavors.  They came with Jicama slaw, cheddar jack and pico de gallo. We choose the pineapple coleslaw as the side here and were not disappointed.

Truffle – Gouda Mac and Cheese OK I consider myself a mac and cheese ninja.  I love the stuff always have always will.  This was worthy of the choice.  Creamy and cheesy.  The bread crumbs toasted golden brown.  The dish was just a bowl of comfort which al great mac and cheese should be. And of course the side we choose?  Truffle fries!!  Crispy crunchy salted to perfection and just exactly what a good mac and cheese needs, right?  This is a must get if you go to the waterfront.

Fried Green Tomatoes OK who doesn’t love a fried green tomato?  These were amazing. Large Beefsteak green tomatoes fried golden brown. The Pimento cheese they served to accompany was house made no doubt.  Creamy and spicy with chopped Jalapeño peppers in the mix.  These were like your granny used to make.  The order came with five slices of tomato and a large scoop of that heavenly pimento cheese.  We all fought over that last tomato it was simply wonderful. A must order if you go…

What a place.

The Waterfront Restaurant and Craft Bar

111 S Bay Blvd

Anna Maria, FL 34216

941.778.1515

Sand Bar

 

The ole Wino is taking a little R&R on Anna Maria Island one of me and my wife’s happy places.  So we will be doing a little reviewing while we are over here. 

 

Our first stop is always the Sand Bar for lunch.  Located right on Holmes beach the views are spectacular and the food is just as good.  We are here with friends and we enjoy getting a lot of appetizers and sharing everything together.  So on this trip here is what we had.

First up. The Amazing Clam Chowder.  The first thing you taste is clams, in a rich not to thick broth.  The clams are not tough but so tasty.  We order house made Ciabatta bread to dip into the soup.

Octopus Escabeche The Octopus is brined in a sweet brine and then they add house-pickled Gamble Creek Farms vegetables, herb oil, fried green plantains.  The presentation is simply elegant and the flavors are just as classy.

Calamari.  This is an item we order everywhere we go.  We are looking for the perfect Calamari.  This is a good rendition for sure.  Nice and crisp but not brown crisp more white which at first was something that concerned me.  But once tasted it proves to be nice and crispy.  What made this dish was the Thai Chile dipping sauce wonderfully spicy and peppery a perfect accompaniment for the crispy Calamari.  Very satisfying

Fried Shrimp Platter.  Got this to round out the lunch.  A very generous 8 large shrimp fried to perfection. The basket was rounded out with great fries and two really good hushpuppies.  The shrimp were cooked spot on not rubbery at all.  Fries were hot and crunchy.  A welcome addition to our lunch.

There is a reason we always start here the Sand Bar never seems to disappoint.

Highly recommended

 

The Sand Bar

100 Spring Avenue

Anna Maria, FL 34216

(941) 778-0444