Bob and I unexpectedly got stuck down in the Alderwood area on the northern edge of Seattle last night at an hour at which we thought we'd already be back home (90 minutes away), so decided to have an Asian dinner of some kind. In a strip mall, we spied a Chinese restaurant with the name 'Yuey Liu' in stylish script over the building, which implied some taste and class, and from the drive-by we could see Asian people inside (always a good sign to me when certain ethnicities patronize their own) in what looked like softly pleasant lighting. So we parked and walked in: and found out that it was a photography studio.
We staggered back to our car laughing, and rather than spend any more time hunting for an alternative we caved in and went to the PF Chang's on the next block. I truly make a point of avoiding chain restaurants, but I have to admit that if I'm stuck in some suburbia where chain or fast food is all there is, where I'd grab a bag of pretzels and a Dr. Pepper at a 7-11 before I would ever again eat at a Red Lobster, a PF Chang's can be an oasis. At least what they do involves fresh ingredients prepared to order, and the few I've been to have always been stylish and humming with activity. And too, in some places like Houston circa 1999 or so where I encountered my first PF Changs, it might be the only place for miles around you can actually get a decent glass of wine.
So when I say decent, I mean something a little more interesting than the ubiquitous low-to-medium supermarket stuff. Something you order by both name AND vintage. Maybe a few imports, like the Zenato 'Lugana' I ordered that long ago night in Houston, my first acquaintance with that wine and one I've bought many a bottle of since. What my few visits to PF's past did not prepare me for, though, was to find a bottle of boutique California pinot noir from a producer I admire, a great vintage and one of my favorite Cali pinot vineyards--priced at little more than retail.
Lo and behold: the 2013 Siduri 'Rosella's Vineyard'. K&L price: $49.95. On PF Chang's list: $60.
Talk about exceeding expectations! Vivid ruby color, medium-plus body, exuberant red and black fruit, spice and that warm, rounded minerality that I so love about this vineyard. Perfectly balanced with smooth, easy tannins. It was August West's Rosella's that I first fell in love with, and this Siduri is every bit it's equal. What an amazing, and welcome, thing to find on a chain restaurant wine list.