Noble Food & Wine

I wanted to love Noble Food & Wine but it was a case of the whole being less than the sum of its parts. We went on Saturday night, and I loved the decor, the sunken dining room with sleek wood paneling, loved the idea of reserve wines available by the glass but ultimately, I was underwhelmed.

The restaurant was strangely uncrowded for a Saturday night but even so, I was alarmed to see that there was (from what I could tell) one server attending to the entire room (which is small and beautiful, like sitting inside a jewelry box), and honestly, the pacing of the service was awkward: we ordered drinks by the glass but our first glasses of wine arrived well before our appetizers (I had ordered a sparkling wine from - no lie - New Mexico to pair with the tuna tartare appetizer but there was a long lag between receiving the drinks and the first course) and I was done with my entree before the pinot noir I had requested was brought to the table.

That said, the wine and food were all very good. The first wine I tried - the sparkling, from Gruet - was crisp and had pear and peach flavors, but not so much to overpower or clash with food. My first course was tangy and fresh: diced tuna and hamachi with grapefruit and watercress. Kevin started with a glass of oaky zinfandel and the crab cakes, which were thankfully not too bready (as a crab fanatic, too much filler is a cardinal crab cake sin in my mind). I had the lamb shank special which was served with exceptionally creamy polenta and sweet roasted tomatoes; Kevin had an excellent rib-eye steak with fingerlings and creamed spinach. The pinot noir (Roger, maybe? I can't recall the name but I think it was a Sonoma pinot) I ordered to have with my entree arrived too late to drink with the meal, but was delicious and chocolate-y.

Still, the overall experience didn't quite gel, and maybe it's a service issue more than anything else, but there was an...awkward vibe in the room. Also, and this might be nitpicking, but there was a large aromatic candle burning in the bar area, and while I couldn't smell it in the dining room (and it didn't smell BAD), I strongly dislike scented candles mixing with food; it's just too much. But, as I was waiting for my coat, I overheard the bartender waxing on about oyster varieties which gave me pause and might mean a return trip is warranted, even if just to sit at the bar and have some Blue Points. As long as that candle isn't burning.

Noble Food and Wine is located at 7 Spring Street and accepts all major credit cards. The menu is seasonal/new American, and the most noteworthy thing is their reserve list of wines by the glass (for instance: a glass of Silver Oak cabernet. For $55. A glass.)