3505 Country Club Road, Lake Charles
Entice me with a dish, and I’m all yours. Don’t get me wrong, I have my favorites. I definitely have a restaurant or sandwich shop where I order one thing and one thing only. It’s usually a deep craving, and I go right for it, because it’s done so consistently well each and every time. I just don’t stray.
But when a kitchen creates a special dish that piques my interest and sounds absolutely enticing, I’ll make an exception. And Bodega Wine Dive has done just that.
More often than not, when discussing where to eat, I will offer up a couple of choices and my wife chooses from those. Not this time, I simply told her that we were going to Bodega.
Bodega just has a relaxing atmosphere. With several seating areas, including an outdoor patio, the traditional bar and the chaise lounge section, you’ll find something comfortable.
As we most often do, we chose to be seated at the bar. As I’ve often stated, the bar is arguably where you have the most interaction with your server. Our barkeep/server, Steven, played the part perfectly.
With an impressive wine list created by sommelier Ryan Kennedy, the wine flight matched our mood that night. A trio of 2-ounce pours were placed before me. To start, there was an unoaked California chardonnay (unoaked is really just a fancy way of saying aged in stainless steel). That was followed by a cabernet sauvignon varietal from Spain, and a California blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Malbec.
Shyla and I agreed that we’d start with the robust flavor of the duxelle stuffed mushrooms. For some reason, I also ordered the mushroom and brie soup, without fully realizing that I had ordered two mushroom dishes.
Luckily, we are both fond of the fungi. The silky texture and earthy flavors of the mushroom soup certainly helped me forget my faux pas.
Bodega’s brick oven pizza is one of its most popular and talked about items, making it an easy choice for Shyla. She opted for the Bodega Pizza, topped with house made marinara, pepperoni, salami, mozzarella, basil and truffle on hand tossed crust. I ordered the dish I had come for, the pan seared redfish.
Chef Lyle, a true asset to Southwest Louisiana’s culinary scene, helped perfect this dish for Bodega, and it’s amazing. It starts with a bed of diced tender new potatoes. Then there’s a meaty, firm, yet flaky redfish filet with a perfectly seasoned buttery sear. That’s topped with a creamy lemon sauce and accompanied by a side of roasted asparagus.
Truly, we had a wonderful time. Steven was an integral part of our experience. Between the conversation, the bits of random information and trivia, and his mixology skill, he made the visit a pleasure. And the food was impressive, to say the least.
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