Chef Chris Opsata's Rocking the New URBAN Enoteca

Photo by Leslie Kelly

Chef Chris in the Blanc de blanc room at URBAN enoteca.

​URBAN enoteca is the coolest place you've never been to. That's because it just opened in December. And it's way off the radar. Deep in the industrial guts of the southern reach of Sodo, this gorgeously rehabbed warehouse is part mega-tasting room, part special-event space, with a tasty restaurant on the side. After sipping wine from seven very fine Washington wineries--Five Star Cellars, Cave B Estate Winery, Côte Bonneville, Fielding Hills Winery, Fidelitas, Kiona Vineyards and Winery, and McCrea Cellars--head into the lounge and graze on bits and bites from the bubbly Chris Opsata. Before moving to the Northwest, he was chef and partner at Corkscrew Café in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

SW: URBAN enoteca seems like a dream project. What's the most exciting food/wine pairing you've discovered since starting?

Opsata: Yes, a dream project to say the least--I couldn't have asked for a better fit. I have the privilege of working alongside some amazing people on a daily basis. I have to pinch myself to make sure it's reality. As for food and wine pairings, I would have to say there are two that really stand out. The sweet-potato doughnut with maple glaze and tart cranberry paired with Cote Bonneville's late harvest Riesling. It was amazing, not overly sweet, held great with the maple and provided a great balance to the tart cranberry.

The second would be from last Thursday's special event called Terroir: Meat & Grapes. The Gleason Ranch tenderloin carpaccio with watercress granita, pecorino, olive oil, and river salt paired with Fidelitas' Semillon. It reminded me of the cool guy with the sun glasses and leather jacket. It was smooth and just flowed perfectly.

How can a chef help non-wine drinkers take that first sip?

Well, I think there are obviously lighter, more "intro" wines to start out with. And, as a chef, I can help by thoughtfully composing a dish that is easily accessible to the guest and talking through it sip by sip, bite by bite. Amazing things happen when the right pairing hits your tongue and the flavors bounce back and forth like fireworks. We have access to seven of Washington's top wineries at The Tasting Center here at URBAN enoteca--an amazing opportunity for wine novices to taste through every varietal and region in our state. And a great chance for me to study their wines and get the pairings just right at Library Lounge.

So much of the traditional wine pairings seem to reinforce the whole wine-snob factor. Do you make a particular effort to think about young wannabe wine drinkers?

I am a young wine drinker, so definitely. The pretension and unapproachable label placed on wine is very closed-minded and seems counterintuitive to me. That is also true with food. We're all hardworking people who deserve to eat great food, drink great local wines, and enjoy the company of our neighbors and friends.

What kind of things do you like to cook at home?

We love to have people over for any reason, a football game, holiday, birthdays, or just a good show on TV. For those types of gatherings, I tend to cook just like I do at the restaurant: simple, local, lots of flavor, and a ton of good wine and local beer. If it's just the two of us, we tend to split the duties. My wife, Lauren, is just now learning to cook, and I gave her the The Joy of Cooking for Christmas. So she is still making her way through that, recipe by recipe.

You worked in sunny California. Besides the weather, what's the biggest difference between the Northwest and the culinary scene in California?

California is a giant melting pot of cultures. Don't get me wrong, Seattle has much of the same cultural diversity, just on a smaller scale. However, Seattle provides all of us cooks with the ability to forage, fish, hunt, grow, and harvest a lot of our own products. It's my dream, and that's why I moved back. In L.A., it was very difficult to have that feeling of farm-to-table. There was always such a disconnect.

Check back for part two of this week's Grillaxin Q&A for more from chef Chris Opsata.