The Shumrick family opened Chateau Pomije in 1975 as a wine store. It quickly became a comfortable spot to peruse unfamiliar wine labels with friendly, non-snotty staff. The wine tastings offered by Tim Shumrick have been informative and fun, if not raucous. Particularly memorable was a champagne tasting I attended to celebrate my birthday, which included a surprise birthday cake and song for Tim (another April baby) from his sisters.
Several years ago, the Shumrick family branched into serving food to patrons with the addition to the original store in O’Bryonille and opening their New Alsace, Ind., winery for meals and wine tastings. It’s been a popular and winning combination of sensory pleasures.
On the night of our visit, there were a few smokers in the bar, which is the access to the restaurant, a flurry of activity in the kitchen tucked behind the mirrored wall of the bar, and a full crowd in the front room for a wine tasting. We were led to the back room, which feels much like a man’s den or clubroom. With deep burgundy walls and brown painted wood trim, the honey-colored oak benches, booths and tables stand out in contrast. Suspended from the dark ceiling were “wine country” flags: Italy, Germany, France, New Zealand … and Ohio.
Teal placemats and carpeting provide a needed accent to this dark room.
We received prompt and efficient service from our waiter, who neither hovered nor disappeared. He told us of the soup, pizza and entrée specials and offered us the listing of wines being spotlighted for the month. You are free to roam the wine store and select your own special bottle, then bring it to the table for an additional $4 corkage fee. This is a wonderful, non-threatening way to learn more about how wine complements food with the assistance of enthusiastic staff.
We chose an Herbed Flat Bread ($6.95) topped with an abundance of roasted garlic cloves, Gorgonzola, olive oil and herbs. The bread was thicker than expected and presented on a large white plate, choking with garlic and cheese and dusted with dry parsley. The bread was crisp outside, dense and spongy inside. While I love garlic and Gorgonzola, and the aftertaste was good, this just missed the added spice or flavor that would make it memorable.
The House Salad ($2.95) is large enough for two to split, and the staff accommodated us by taking care of that in the kitchen. The tossed mesculun came with the house Dijon vinaigrette on the side, a lovely kicky dressing with a pepper bite.
The Cioppino ($16.95) arrived in a large white bistro soup plate, with a seafood fork, soupspoon and nutcracker nestled between the lip of the bowl and the plate. This classic dish was a lovely jumble of fresh mussels, shrimp, monk fish, calamari, stone crab claws and whole garlic cloves in a flavorful tomato broth with grilled, buttered baguettes slices. It was a very pleasing and satisfying choice.
The Chateau Chicken ($13.95) was another good selection. Nicely sautéed, boneless chicken breasts were topped with sweet and mild caramelized onions and mushrooms in a finely flavored sherry cream sauce. Served with tepid Artichoke, Feta Mashed Potatoes (with the red skins left on) and perfectly steamed cauliflower, broccoli, and string beans this was a great new twist to comfort food. But the potatoes need to be served piping hot, like everything else.
For dessert we sampled Strawberries with Sabayon ($3.50). The six strawberries sat in a pond of sabayon, dotted with dark chocolate syrup and a small fluted mound of whipped cream and light chocolate mousse. While it was good, the presentation was a bit much. The Bread Pudding ($3.50) was an enormous slab of dense bread topped with golden raisins and sitting in a pool of nondescript beige sauce. At 3 inches high and 4 inches square, this would get a prize for size but not for taste — there was little.
This friendly, neighborhood restaurant is one of the best small wine shops in the area. The menu changes twice a year (a new one began on Valentine’s Day), and the porch in the spring and summer is delightful. While we were not dazzled by dessert, we’d come again for a good meal. ©
Go: 2019 Madison Rd., O’Bryonville
Call: 871-8788
Hours: Lunch: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Monday-Friday; Dinner: 5:30-9:30 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday; 5:30-10:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday. Closed Sunday.
Prices: Moderate
Payment: Visa, MasterCard, Discover
Vegetarian Friendliness: Seafood and vegetable options for appetizers and entrées.
This article appears in Feb 17-23, 1999.