Food Snob: Bao tacos and a glass of Merlot at Whiskey & Wine

We got a big glass of Robert Mondavi Merlot at the new Whiskey & Wine on North Main Street.  THE FOOD SNOB / Insider staff
We got a big glass of Robert Mondavi Merlot at the new Whiskey & Wine on North Main Street. THE FOOD SNOB / Insider staff
Here's our plate of bao tacos from Whiskey & Wine.  THE FOOD SNOB / Insider staff
Here's our plate of bao tacos from Whiskey & Wine. THE FOOD SNOB / Insider staff

It kind of snuck up on us, but downtown Concord now has a brand new bar and restaurant called Whiskey & Wine, and it’s in a prime location right as you turn onto North Main Street from Center Street/Loudon Road.

On the ground floor of the recently renovated Remi’s Block, Whiskey & Wine opened quietly a couple weeks ago, so we had to get down there to check it out.

As its name implies, the place is big on both whiskey and wine – in fact, you won’t even see any beer on the menu (which may be by design, as Whiskey & Wine is just a stone’s throw away from another established bar and restaurant called Barley House). As Monitor staff writer Caitlin Andrews reported last week, co-owner and chef David Spagnuolo said he and his wife, Stacey Murphy (the other co-owner), “wanted to create a restaurant we would want to eat at. I don’t like big meals – I like to have a bite of this, a bite of that.”

That’s why the one-page menu at Whiskey & Wine is full of tapas – small plates akin to appetizers.

Everything on the menu sounded really good and unique, but our eyes lit up when we saw “Bao Tacos.”

These tacos come with pork belly, hoisin sauce, pickled red onion and kim chi aioli, served in bao taco wraps.

We had no idea what bao was – we assumed it was just a name given to this particular concoction, but our waitress informed us that bao is actually a type of steamed dough, similar to what’s used to make the outside of Chinese dumplings.

We were sad that the serving only includes two, but that’s what you get at a tapas restaurant.

When the tacos were served, we couldn’t wait to dive in. They were steamy and pleasantly overflowing, and some cilantro on top served as an edible garnish.

The first bite was a joy. The tender, juicy, sort-of-sweet pork belly was cooked and seasoned to perfection, and the hoisin sauce was an ideal pairing. The second bite contained some of the pickled onions and cilantro and the dish really came alive.

With the soft shell, these reminded us a lot of Chinese dumplings, only fresher, meatier and way better.

Before we knew it the first taco was gone, and we aimed to savor the second one a little more. We took smaller, more deliberate bites of the second taco, each one more delicious than the last.

Being a huge fan of the tacos at Dos Amigos just down the street, we were thoroughly impressed with these ones – they can hold their own against any respectable taco joint.

To wash it down, we ordered a glass of Robert Mondavi Merlot. We were intrigued by the vast selection of whiskeys, but since it was mid-day and we were still on the clock, we opted for wine instead.

Not being true winos, we can’t say much with authority other than this wine was smooth, mellow and highly drinkable. By accident, it ended up pairing very nicely with the tacos and that hoisin sauce. It was a nice, big pour, too.

Next time you’re downtown during lunch or dinner hours, do yourself a favor and stop into Whiskey & Wine.

Author: The Food Snob

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