Michigan Wine Month Inspires New Menu at Vinotecca

Boredom, along with a desire to amp up the "fresh" factor, inspired Executive Chef Robert Young, 35, to change ’s menu.

The timing couldn’t be better at this Royal Oak wine bar and restaurant, as April is Michigan Wine Month. 

Manager Brent Stevens, 31, has been working with wine experts to offer favorite vintages with Young’s fresh, tasty offerings. 

“I was bored with the former menu and wanted to put more emphasis on presentation and get the quality up from where it was,” said Young, who is originally from Wales and now lives in Hazel Park. 

Here, you’ll find everything from Euopean-style cheese-by-the-ounce offerings and small plates of hors d’oeuvre-style meats to Young’s expanded entrée menu, including enticing beef and seafood components. He's most excited about a beef dish with a jalapeno polenta side, as well as scallops and tuna entrees. A bone-in filet features a potato croquette, marinated olive relish and braised fennel.

New Michigan items on the menu for the month of April include a house duo of Ludington smoked trout mousse and Mackinac chicken liver pâté with house-made crackers; a Traverse Bay duck dish with Michigan cherry sauce; and Iron Mountain lamb served with potatoes and rutabaga puree. 

Fresh and local are big “ingredients” for this chef, whose first American cooking stint out of culinary school was at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. He has been with Vinotecca and its adjoining restaurants for the past 18 months.

“We like to get fresh ingredients from the ,” Young said. “And I’ll hopefully be harvesting food from a small city farm in Royal Oak as well.”

Popular wine-pairing choices include M. Lawrence "Sex" Sparkling Wine from L. Mawby Wines in Suttons Bay. This pinkish, salmon-hued beverage boasts red fruit aromas. This is available not only in April but is a permanent wine-menu offering. 

Left Foot Charley’s Dry Rosé from Old Mission Peninsula also is a winner and will be on the menu throughout April.

“I’d enjoy that with our potato-encrusted walleye from Lake Superior,” said Stevens, who lives in St. Clair Shores. Another excellent wine choice this month is the Fenn Valley Cabernet Franc. “It has a nice spice to it and a bit of sweetness, so a good balance,” he said.

Sean O’Brien, 43, of Pleasant Ridge recently sampled some tuna and curried shrimp dishes.

“We had two tuna plates and a shrimp sample that was to die for,” said O’Brien, who creates online games and launched pickmidate.com in September.

As for wines, O’Brien is a die-hard fan of reds, he but decided to try a Bonafide chardonnay from the Northern United Brewing Co. in Traverse City.

“I usually turn my nose up at white wines, but this was good, perfectly chilled and really tasty,” said O’Brien. The unoaked wine, which was a bronze medalist in the Michigan Wine & Spirits 2010 Competition, boasts sweet spices, with hints of cinnamon and ripe green apple in the background, along with a crisp finish of ripe pear. It is a permanent fixture on the menu. 

Not sure which of the several Michigan wines to try? A “flight of six” is available for $25 and allows patrons to sample a variety of flavors. 

Of note: Join the Drink Michigan crew at Vinotecca from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday to celebrate Michigan Wine Month. Vinotecca will offer its Michigan wines by the glass for 50 percent off and select appetizers for 25 percent off.