Great Wine and Superb Food at Uncorked!

Casa by Lapostolle Carmenére

I have spent the last few blog postings focusing on Austin restaurants I love. This posting is no different. The next post is a travel edition – New York City! But for now I want to write about Uncorked. Full disclaimer we are good friends with Uncorked Owner Ron Wight. Ron could be a complete stranger to me and I would still write a glowing review of his baby. I think Uncorked is one of the most underrated fine dining experiences in Austin and most definitely has the best wine list in the city. Bold words you say. Yes, they are and I stick by them.

Fresh Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Uncorked has a seasonal menu. So we decided to go check out their new Summer options. Our wine choice – Casa, a Chilean red was a lush, earthy wine with a lot of dark berry flavors. And it was not too shabby on the pocketbook either. I think it was approximately $23 for the bottle.

For our starter course we opted for the super summery tomato and cucumber salad. What an excellent warm weather option. It’s a superb melange of tomatoes and cucumbers topped with light and tasty basil vinaigrette. A few pieces of  baguette grilled with olive oil are  served with the salad.  I highly recommend this salad for these hot Texas summer months.

Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chop With Summer Corn Succotash

For Chris’s entrée he chose the seasonal pork chop dish served atop a delicious corn succotash. The Uncorked pork chop usually starts with a brine base making it the most tender pork chop in the world. At least in my world. In the past they served a pork chop with a chopped pecan coating. That was the best pork chop I have ever eaten. Therefore this one is the second best pork chop.  What I am trying to say is that Uncorked Chef Patrick Deschner knows his way around pork. The succotash was a perfect accompaniment to their summer pork dish. It was full of squash and corn and perfectly seasoned.

Hazelnut Brown Butter Potato Gnocchi with Arugula and Mushrooms

For my entrée I chose the gnocchi topped with a hazelnut infused brown butter with sautéed mushrooms and arugula. Pretty much the only thing missing from this is truffle oil. And it could then have been the dish with everything in the world I love.  I mean seriously, talk about flavor. The gnocchi was cooked perfectly, a little chewy – which I love. And all the flavors worked so well together. But what was so great was that it was not overwhelming. A perfect summer entrée.

While we did not get dessert this time, we highly recommend their almond macaroons topped with fresh strawberries and citrus creme fraiche!

I would be remiss if I did not mention the spectacular view from Uncorked’s massive deck. Just check out their website homepage to see what you are missing!