A good year

The economy is a mess, but people still have to eat. Tana Rekofke, owner of the newly opened VINTAGES AT 611, says she “always wanted to have a restaurant” — although she admits that her timing may be less than perfect. Still, her mission is simple: “Keep prices moderate so that people can enjoy eating here [frequently] — not just for special occasions.”

The lunch menu features sandwiches and burgers — like the Signature Vintage Burger ($9), Kobe beef served up with jalapeno peppers, smoky cheddar cheese, and all the trimmings — plus pastas, soups and salads. Manager Deborah Rathburn suggests the Greek orzo and shrimp salad ($9), and its colors, textures and flavors blend brilliantly: Large slices of crisp cucumber, strips of red and green bell pepper, and slices of purple onion join grape tomatoes and pitted Greek olives to give texture and depth to the simple bed of spinach topped with orzo and feta in a delicate vinaigrette. Four large shrimp and a garnish of fanned perfectly ripe avocado complete the dish.

Dinner appetizer choices vary in from $14 for the cheese platter to the cheesy Gorgonzola Frites ($5). A selection of steaks, seafood, pastas and entrée salads rounds out the dinner choices.
The dining space is large and beautifully appointed. The kitchen, however, is small — meaning, Executive Chef Mike Dodd explains, that everything is ordered and delivered every day.

“We try to stick to the prime ingredients,” says Dodd. “We want those beautiful natural flavors to come through.” And they do, in entrées like the 16-ounce bone-in ribeye in a wild mushroom demi-glace, served with garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetable ($27).

There’s a relatively small cocktail list, but the real draw is the wine. Extensive and continually changing, the wine menu is amazing: 67 by the bottle, with prices for every budget from the $90 Cakebread Cellars Merlot on the high end to the Quarra Chardonnay ($15) and La Palma Cabernet ($17) on the low end. By the glass, 18 choices range from the 2007 Mionetto II Prosecco ($5) — Italy’s favorite sparkling wine — to the big and beautiful 2006 Nelms Road Melot ($9), produced in Washington.

Basking in the afterglow, I overhear a group of women complimenting Rekofke, saying they’ll return. A month in, her “mission” seems to be working.

— M.C. PAUL

Vintages at 611, at 611 E. 30th Ave. (in the Manito Shopping Center), is open Tue-Thu 11 am-10 pm, Fri-Sat 11 am-midnight. Call 624-3202.