wine snob

One of my favourite restaurants in Canada is Treadwell's Farm To Table Cuisine in St. Catharines, Ontario. In February, the Treadwell's opened Snob Wine Bar & Plates located in the main restaurant's lounge area.

Why the name Snob? Well according to sommelier-owner James Treadwell, it's a “tongue in cheek” thing. People may find wine bars, or even wine in general, somewhat pretentious. James hopes to change that by offering a casual and affordable experience with knowledge, passion, and warmth.

"I’ve always enjoyed the concept of the 'modern' wine bar – a spot where people could enjoy a great glass of wine with some delicious, inexpensive food. I feel that Snob is that type of place," said James in an email earlier this year.

Last night, my mom and I had the pleasure of stopping by Snob for for a bite to eat. Not only was the food perfectly fabulous, we enjoyed listening in on all of the wine commentary between the "wine-tender" and his patrons.

Our menu choices:

• Fries and Mayo (combined with malt vinegar and fresh chives) to start with a glass (or two!) of "Cuvee 13", 13th Street, VQA Niagara Peninsula
• Snob pizza topped with smoked ricotta, bacon, oregano and tomatoes with a glass of Pinot Noir, "Red Paw", Coyotes Run, VAQ Four Mile Creek
• "Treadwell's" Steamed Mussels in a delightful fennel and cream sauce with toast with a glass of Gamay Noir, "Old Vines", 13th Street, VQA Twenty Mile
• Rosemary Creme Brulee with a sugar salted rosemary cookie and homemade rhubarb ice cream

I should mention that Snob's menu includes a wine recommendation for each of the plates. We didn't take advantage of that offering but rather decided on our own selections based on the restaurant's extensive wine-by-the-glass listing.

Open from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. every night except Saturday and Monday. They have a great menu priced between $6 and $14 featuring pastas and fish and chips (among other things) with an extensive wine-by-the-glass and beer selection.

*** In case you're wondering how affordable this really was, our $85 meal included three 6oz glasses of sparkling wine, one 3 oz glass of sparkling wine and two 3oz glasses of red wine plus the food listed above and tax. And, it was worth every penny!