Vinum Coffee & Wine Lounge

Where: 1001 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.8215

Hours: 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 6 a.m. to midnight Friday, 4 p.m. to midnight Saturday
Cuisine: Meat and cheese plate, salads, sandwiches, goat cheese plate, Spanish egg roll, an antipasti plate, and morning bagel sandwiches.

Scene: Charming, narrow room with leather armchairs, casual couches for lounging, stock market babble on the tube for neighboring Frank Russell and ultra-friendly service. Lose the Coca-Cola machine!

Drinkies: Coffee drinks, beer and wine



ANNOUNCER: Knowledgeable, personable, courteous, eager, prompt. Though it may sound like an attribute wish list for online dating ads, these words actually describe one Cliff L. Barnes, manager of Vinum Coffee & Wine Lounge. On a recent visit, the boys were schooled by Barnes and learned the word maximize, which is what owner Annie Kim has done with the space that previously housed Aroma Café. Daytime downtown workers stop in for coffee, morning breakfast grub and then hustle off. Lunchtime is upscale cafeteria, more coffee, and a little vino. Dinner sees Vinum as a mellow wine bar/lounge with artisan cheeses, shareable small plates and entrees, and walls of wine by the bottle with six of red and white by the glass. Simple.



JASON: Did you smell it?



JAKE: What? The food? Yes, it’s enticing.



JASON: No, the “new restaurant” smell on Cliff and Annie.



JAKE: The storytelling manager and über nice owner? They’re awesome. Cliff walked me through all the cheeses without being mister know-it-all. And self-admittedly, he’s not. He learned from Beecher’s Handmade Cheese in Seattle, which is also where the well-balanced selection comes from, and at Woodinville wineries. He spent weeks soaking up wine and cheese culture, knowledge and developing his own palate.



JASON: I like his take on the concept of pairing wine with cheese and other food. He said, “Go with what you like, but I suggest …” That’s refreshing. So was the menu pricing — evening menu tops out at $14 for the larger cheese plate. Very fair portions of the five cheeses selected arrived fanned out circularly amid juicy blackberries, a ramekin of little tart olives, crisp green apple slices and stacks of buttery crackers. Though contrary to what the menu detailed (has anyone seen the pickled olive spread?), I was happy nonetheless.



JAKE: You better be happy. The antipasti plate is what put a smile on my face. As with the cheese plate, it did not arrive with what  was expected, but I still enjoyed the Italian meats, more olives, and tasty artichoke hearts. The star of this plate was easily the tomato slices with slabs of spongy mozzarella so large I thought it was tofu. Drizzled liberally with Vinum’s own herbed olive oil and balsamic vinegar concoction, I contemplated what it would take to get the recipe. Caught by surprise at how well sweet graham-esque crackers went with the rich proscuitto, I vowed never to regard them as just dessert again. And the glass of Townsend T3 suggested by Cliff was spot on.



JASON: This is when I realized I was full. But hey, mama didn’t raise no sissy, so when the next round of eats arrived, I worked my fork in the bowl of Asian beef and rice like there was a Crackerjack prize at the bottom. Annie politely rearranged our many plates to make room for this traditional Korean dish called bulgogi. Marinated beef strips were cooked with minced green onion, garlic and cinnamon until just slightly firm, but not chewy. The plain white rice was a perfect backdrop for the beef’s sensory shots of sweet and savory. The bulgogi says “you complete me” to my glass of sauvignon blanc.



JAKE: Spanish egg roll. Hmmm … I have a hard time with this one. Isn’t it just a version of a soft taco? What am I missing? Yes, it was massive. Yes, Mexi seasoned chicken tastes good. And I like black beans, but I wasn’t overwhelmed by this dish.



JASON: You want little mariachi men marching out? Doing a hat dance? The Spanish egg roll was good, as your empty (pig) plate attests.



JAKE: I know, and the salsa was rockin’. Oh well, on to salads. It’s like a truck bound for a farmer’s market was hijacked. Fresh, fresh, fresh. Vibrant dark green spinach leaves were well-washed and plentiful in the Pompeyean with red onion slices, tomato and hardboiled egg chunks. Excellent homemade dressings and vinaigrettes, especially the cucumber garlic soy based one.


JASON: Was your salad well tossed?



JAKE: (Silence)



JASON: The big finish — dessert. Made by Cliff with health somewhat in mind, his lemon and orange zest cheesecake is part non-fat and part full-fat cream cheese — making it less rich and easier to devour completely. A sluicing of saucy dark berries overpowered the delicate citrus flavor, but won’t get kicked out of bed for eating crackers. And speaking of, the sugary graham cracker crust was a bit on the thin side for me. I like it real thick. Just like Sir Mix-a-Lot.



JAKE: That’s it. You get punched now.



ANNOUNCER: Ladies and Gentlemen, we thank you for your attention. Remember that vinum is Latin for wine and is pronounced “vee numb” not “venom.” And please disregard the de Pauls. They won’t really hurt each other. Much.

MENU

Bagel with ham and cheese >> $4.75

Spanish egg roll >> $7

Taco salad >> 7.75

Cuban sandwich >> $7.95

Meat & cheese plate >> $9