Magnolia Café (dinner this time)

I’ve written before about Magnolia Café but for various reasons have frequented the place more for brunch than for dinner, and this is only the second time I have been there for dinner. The place has a pleasing ambiance that has a timeless contemporary feel, with exposed brick walls and wood parquet floors. Its small space was intimate but not cramped.

First, I have to say hats off for its wine prices, and perhaps it has something to do with its Uptown location. The one that caught my eye was an unusual Spanish Basque white called Txakolina (the brand, I believe was Xarmant), which I’ve never tried before. (Try picking up a bottle of that at your corner liquor store.) A nice alternative to Rieslings that are hit-or-miss in the sweetness category, Txakolina was very light, dry, with a hint of fruitiness, and a subliminally sparkling quality that made this wine a hit with the table, and for a reasonable $29.

 

For starter, I had a lobster bisque seasoned with shrimp and a certain cardamom-type spiciness. The soup had a richness and depth that is missing from many lobster bisques, which strike me as very thin and dreadfully plan. The consistency was not unlike a butternut squash soup

 

My main course was a pork chop with jus, cranberries and twice baked potatoes with cheddar. It sounded like simple fare at first glance, but the pork chop was juicy and tender (as a pork chop can be) and the jus had a depth to it. The twice baked potatoes were more than sour cream, Kraft cheese, and bacon bits, and possessed a sophistication expected of a restaurant of its caliber.

 

To finish off we had a sundae of homemade ice cream and chocolate mouse that the server recommended. To be honest, I wasn’t too crazy about it, as there was nothing that stood out—neither the mousse, nor the ice cream. The sundae was quickly ignored whe I tried my friends’ delicious sorbet concoction of vanilla, strawberry, mango, and apricot—the vanilla was my personal favorite, possessing a rich vanilla bean depth I did not expect.  I also finished up the meal with a Warre’s 20 year port at $8, which was very reasonable for a restaurant price, though the portion may have been a tad meager. The port was also pleasantly fresh, unlike the all-to-common bottle that had been sitting on the shelf open for three weeks.  Bottles of young, sweet ports and sherries can be open for long periods of time, but dry or aged fortified wines are much more delicate and can taste like cardboard.

 

Magnolia fit the bill once again, and our service was adequate and generally attentive. The restaurant also just this month opened a back room to accompany its burgeoning business.  Open since 2001, an eternity for restaurants in its category, Magnolia Cafe hopefully will be around for another seven.

 

Magnolia Café

1224 W.Wilson 773-728-8785