Chocolate, cheese and Pinot at ENO

Varietal-style seating at ENO (courtesy of LikeMe.net)

When Scott Harney, Wine Director at ENO in the InterContinental Chicago Hotel (505 North Michigan Avenue), was part of a panel discussion on wine lists at Just Grapes Wine Store a few weeks ago, I sat in utter disbelief as he described his venue. Fresh, hand-crafted artisan chocolates, a dizzying array of cheeses, a wine list that goes on for miles, and expertly paired flights with cheeky names like "Bad to the Rhone"? How had I not heard of this place? How had I not been to this place?!

When I arrived at the InterContinental a short week later, I found my way to ENO's front door (you'll know it by the mouthwatering, well-lit glass cheese pantry). Forget a kid in a candy store. I was like Augustus Gloop in Willy Wonka's Factory. The display of handmade truffles and chocolates were hypnotizing.

Before I could even view the wine list, ENO had me at "Chocolate Dipped Bacon."

Wine bars, especially those with addresses within prestigious hotels (ENO also has locations in several Californian Ritz-Carltons, Chicago's Fairmont Hotel, and plans underway for construction in the Mexico City Four Seasons), tend to earn an undeserved reputation as "snobbish"; but ENO couldn't be further from it. Wine flight costs at this cozy Mag Mile spot compete with (or best) those of north and west side wine bars. The wines by the glass list goes on for pages, as opposed to the "page" (if that) wine lovers have come to grudgingly expect at their favorite spots.

The bottle prices are astonishingly reasonable, with more than 700 to choose from, many priced below $40. Of course, there are the occasional decadences, like the $400 1982 Chateau Margaux Bordeaux. But for those on a budget, a delightful Spanish sparkling Brut Rose can be bought for only $29 (not a far cry from retail, my friends).

For me, one of the most pleasant surprises about ENO, apart from it's utterly comfortable atmosphere-- painted in chocolate browns and burgundy reds--was the items on their wine list that I had not seen anywhere else. For instance, wine geeks know Pinot Meunier is one of the only three varietals allowed to be used to make Champagne (the other two are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir). I had never had Pinot Meunier outside of its bubbly incarnation. ENO features not one but two still Pinot Meuniers: the bright, slightly sweet Franz Karl Schmitt Pinot Meunier Rose from Germany and the velvety, elegant and ripe Chandon Pinot Meunier from Carneros, California. I was especially impressed by the latter when paired with ENO's four-year aged gouda, which was smoky and decadent all on its own.

The chocolates are simply the icing on the cake. As I mentioned before, the Chocolate Dipped Bacon is a major success. The salty, perfectly crisp bacon is coated in quality dark chocolate, a flavor explosion of salt, sweet, and bitterness. The Strawberry Balsamic Caramel was made with such exceptional caramel that we experienced none of that "sticks to the roof of your mouth" gunk. This was creamy, flawless caramel.

If, like me, you haven't yet experienced ENO, and you consider yourself any combination of wine, cheese or chocolate lover, give into your better demons and go. And when the Chocolate Dipped Bacon calls, answer. You only live once.