A nice pinot noir from new wine shop Red & White goes nicely with Irazu's grilled tropical chicken breast with rice, beans and plantains. (Photo: Gino Williams for Flickr)
Thank God for Red & White, a heavily wood accented wine shop that just opened last week in Wicker Park. Had it not been there, we would've been stuck with water and the non-alcoholic shakes (even though they are amazing!) during our dinner at Irazu that's right across the street.
Only two guys work the airy, cabin-like venue that's filled with pricey and not-so pricey wine and beer selections, but they know their stuff and can get you on your way within minutes. And for a balmy evening sitting on the Costa Rican restaurant's tiny patio, the moderately priced pinot noir for $14 they recommended was perfect.
The best thing about Red & White and Irazu being next to each other?! If you hit Irazu first and request a biz card for Black & White, you'll get 10 percent off your wine purchase. Now, you cannot beat that!
So Red & White Wines gets a good review? The closest and best wine shops to me are Cellar Rat and Wine Discount Center, but neither is as close as Red & White is so I'd love to make it my new shop. How does it compare to those places?
ReplyDeleteSame prices, good selections, but they just opened, so it's not fully stocked. They had a good vibe going on in there, but if you forgot your bottle of vino if you're heading to Irazu, they're mad convenient! ;)
ReplyDeleteYou enticed me. I couldn't resist so I stopped by Red & White over the weekend. Here are a handful of other facts about the place that bear mentioning:
ReplyDelete- Their hours are far better than any other wine store that I know of (open until 11am M-Th, 12am on F and Sat.).
- They'll soon be delivering via bike WITHOUT any surcharge (don't know what'll happen come wintertime when the biking is impossible).
- One of the guys who runs the place is also a bartender at Bluebird over on Damen. No real point here, just an interesting tidbit.
I bought a couple bottles based on their recommendations, but, in a confusing fit of restraint, I haven't drank them yet. So, no idea if their taste is any good.