Epicurean Encounters: Restaurant Review: Wine and Cheese Restaurant and Wine Bar at the Orchard Center

On the recommendation of my classmate, Jordan, who works at the Wine and Cheese Restaurant and Wine Bar at the Orchard Town Center in Westminster, Don and I gave it a whirl last week. We were thoroughly impressed. I'm not one to frequent shopping malls, open air or not, so it was with some hesitancy to drive out of our way to this suburban giant. Located near REI, the Wine and Cheese has two lovely and spacious outdoor patios. We elected to sit indoors so we can enjoy the Thursday evening live music: the requisite lone guy with guitar. The indoor space was cavernous with large floor to ceiling windows the better for people watching. The decor was elegant and inviting with a faux European appeal.
We ordered the cheese and meat platter since that is the house specialty. Since it was still happy hour (4-6pm), we also ordered the bruschetta. At $5, it was a steal! Generously portioned with 5 baguettes topped with a creamy and flavorful Prima Donna Red cheese with heaps of chopped tomatoes, basil, red onions, and capers, ad finished with a balsamic reduction, it is sure to be a favorite. We selected the porter cheddar cheese which was gorgeously marbled with Guiness and the spicy Italian Copocollo which is cured pork meat between the neck and shoulder that is aged for four months. It was beautifully presented as a "meat flower". The meat and cheese complemented each other superbly and there were plenty of accompaniments: more chewy baguettes with Black Mission figs, Granny Smith apple slivers, candied walnuts, three different kinds of olives, spicy mustard, and a sweet fruit jam. It was plenty for the two of us. We washed it all down with a glass of prosecco for me and a red Zinfandel for Don, both at the happy hour rate of $5 a glass.
For dessert, we went with Jordan's recommendation of the delicious Ghiradelli chocolate fondue for two. She designed a lovely dark chocolate fondue with white chocolate swirls. It came with a melange of apples, strawberries, pound cake and a cinnamon crisp. Much to our delight, they have French press coffee!
Overall, the Wine and Cheese is a serendipitous finding in an unexpected locale and a great place to enjoy a romantic and leisurely evening with excellent live entertainment.

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta