Doc's Food and Wine

I love food and pairing it with a great wine and romantic atmosphere makes it even better. This is what a trip to Doc's Food and Wine was like. The bi-level restaurant had a warm and cozy feel to it. I started off with a Papa Doble, which was rum, lime, grapefruit, and maraschino liqueur. Don't be confused like me and think that maraschino means red and cherry flavored. It is made of cherries, but doesn't taste at all like the cherry you put on a sundae. The drink was not at all sweet, which wasn't really my style but at least I can say I tried it. Since it was part wine bar, I figured that I should try some of their wines and I have never had a wine flight before, so now was my chance. I tried the "Old World Whites" flight, which included Domaine de Salvard Sauvignon Blanc, Salneval Albarino, and Eric Chevalier muscadet. I would have to say that the muscadet was my favorite because it had heavy notes of fruit flavor and paired well with the seafood we were eating.

They served the food tapas style, with one or two portions per plate so we got a few to share. The four plates were (starting from the top left hand corner) shrimp and grits, jalapeno calamari, crab cakes, and parmesan mussels. They were all delicious! The shrimp had a bit of a kick to it and the grits were creamy and cheesy. The calamari of the day had jalapenos in the batter and then slices of fried jalapenos served with the calamari. It wasn't too spicy, but did have a great smokey flavor to it. The crab cakes were well-seasoned, the crust had a nice crunch to it, and the sauce added an extra punch of flavor. I was cautious about the mussels because I didn't have a good first experience with them. However, when you add butter, garlic, and parmesan cheese, it will make anything instantly better! They were a great introduction to mussels and had a really great flavor. Plus, they have there own little forks that you use to get them out of the shell, so what's not to like about that?! (Ok, maybe that's just me)

Last, but not least we closed the meal with a heavenly bread pudding topped with a snickerdoodle ice cream. I know it sounds a little weird, but the other flavors were things like skittle, cotton candy, and fruit punch. (I am sure that they are delicious, but none of them seemed to remotely go with bread pudding.) Ayway, the snickerdoodle ice cream was amazing! The bread pudding had a great consistency and tasted like fall. I would have to say that it ranks up there as far as the best bread pudding list is concerned. If you are ever in the area, make sure you stop in because it's a great little place full of charm and great food and drinks.