Crush, on West Street in Annapolis, is a new little chic wine bar. Decor-wise, it has a little feeling of Pazo, with the circular light fixtures/exposed filament (mentioned just this week by the New
York Times as being a hot restaurant decor) and sofas -- but it's more casual, come as you are. It seems to be a popular spot for couples, as well as girls' night out. Crush has a wine dispensary (like Bistro Blanc in Glen Elg) and also do wines by the glass, 1/3 bottle, and full bottle.
The wines come from all over the world, from small boutique producers that the owner has met. The servers are well-trained to know what will go -- or, equally importantly, what will not go -- with the food that you order. There are some wines that are finicky, that go best with certain particular things... and other majestic ones that go with a broad range of pairings.
The menu consists of different categories of small plates. There are bruschettas, starters, salads, charcuterie, cheeses with bread, desserts and even a chocolate menu. For this evening, I went with savory pairings to try big, red wines with.
Their almonds are glazed with honey and really do complement Cab/Merlot blends. The olives plate is quite garlicky, so broader blends went well with that, as well as the Cab/Merlot blends.
For lots of fun, try the "four legs" plate with 4 cheeses and 4 meats. Crush has some unusual cheeses that you can't find at even the upscale grocery store -- such as Sottocenere with truffle and and Lamb Chopper (a domestic sheep's milk). Meats can include a very tasty sliced duck breast or even Pata Negro, the famous black footed acorn-eating ham. The plate is served with a thick, luscious truffle honey. Now, many things are labled "truffle," but this definitely has the earthy flavor of truffles, no doubt.
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