Review: D.O.C. Wine Bar and Bistro
Words such as "Lincoln Park Export" may have inspired some snickering in days past - what could you possibly export from that place but snobbery and shameless gentrification, right? But look no further than D.O.C. Wine Bar and Bistro located in the Shops of Butterfield in Yorktown mall. You may very well be converted into a Lincoln Park believer.
The scene
At first glance the floor-to-ceiling windows occupying the length of the restaurant reveal only the vast mall parking lot, but you may be inclined to curb your middle-distance gaze and look at the interior, which is lit up by an incoming flood of light. A row of booths along the bar ends where a loungy area begins, featuring half-circular/half-square tables surrounded by plush benches on one side and chairs on the other. Very high ceilings and wooden floors frame a burgundy-clad decor, which is completed by two grand, wine-filled square columns on each side of the bar that climb to the gods. It' s a sort of minimalist lush - just the way it should be.
The food
We start off with a small butcher's plate, which is a nice combination of several choices of bruschetta, cheeses and cured meats. Up to four of any of them will make for a smaller two-to-three person appetizer; up to 8 will obviously cater to more. The bruschetta boasts a combination of asparagus, prosciutto and reggiano, among several others, as well as our choice - the ricotta cheese, pistachio and honey. The cheeses include such delicacies as cypress grove "Humboldt Fog" and bucherolle, a thin, round slice of semisoft cheese that caught our eye along with the King Island Roaring '40s Blue, a definite for the blue-cheese lovin' crowd.
D.O.C.'s cured meat selection includes a yummy country pate, lomo embuchado (very thinly sliced marinated pork loin) and sopresatta, a type of salami. We chose the first two to round off the four-piece appetizer, as well as a glass of Paul Hobbs Malbec and Masi Valpolicella, two beautiful reds. The wooden, cheese-laden board also offered crushed salt, pepper-covered toasted flatbreads and sweet homemade cranberry-apple jam - which goes perfectly with the pate, hint hint. It made for a sweet and savory starter that earned a place in our hearts quicker than you can say "cholesterol."
A midday Saturday shopping trip at Yorktown Mall also makes this a convenient lunch destination, since they've just added a lunch menu.
The gnocchi, for example, makes an appearance in both the daytime and nighttime menus and proves itself to be a pasta dish with just the right amount of food (and maybe a little to take home). It does well with its creamy basil sauce and chopped reggiano over sticky gnocchi and small bites of delicate chicken, with a bit of fresh basil on top.
The lunch menu is dominated by paninis and mini sandwiches, like the roasted filet with reggiano crema and roasted red peppers. Two small sliders piled with filet cooked medium well (we were not asked as to how we wanted it), made for a couple of precious bites along with the tiniest-cut french fries topped with a touch of green.
For the hungrier bunch - rest assured, you will be well fed at dinner too - Maryland crab cakes, pan seared salmon and Bluegrass pork tenderloin should feed your desire.
The experience
Impressively competent service is punctuated by a laid-back soundtrack: easy like a rainy Saturday afternoon.
The plentiful wine selection, available for sale by the bottle, as well as in multiple flights and diverse batches of red and white, ensures you'll be wining and not whining, no matter how established or new your affliction to the magic nectar.