If you’re dropping in for a cocktail or a meal you’ll understand the problem Conundrum’s wine list poses. With 11 complete pages of selections (whites, reds & sparkling in small glasses, large glasses and bottles), our server couldn’t give us a guess at a number. But who could blame her? It may have taken her entire shift to count them all.
After much debate, we ordered a bottle of the Carneros Creek Reserve pinot noir ($26), which was smooth, fruity and hit the spot after a long week. Then the food began to arrive and we wished we hadn’t allotted any stomach space to beverages.
We chose crab cakes (three good-sized tender and flavor-filled cakes for $10) and the special soup of the day, which used melt-in-your-mouth corn cakes as a base, topped with fresh veggies, fresh white haddock and shrimp ($8). Plantains ringed the mound of seafood, and sat in a bit of broth. I would go back once a week if this special became a regular part of the menu. It was a meal in itself and if we had known how good it was we would have ordered two instead of sharing.
Other appetizers included a smoked salmon plate ($10), spicy mixed olives ($7), three kinds of pate and seven cheese plates.
We had a tough time choosing entrées but definitely chose right. The barbecue pulled pork ($12), with homemade lemon barbecue sauce, was served over more corn bread with baked beans and fresh green beans. I hadn’t planned on sharing, but another fork kept scooping it off my plate. I haven’t had pulled pork nearly this good before. And you might think corn bread for an appetizer and with the meal would be overkill, but I would have brought a slab home for breakfast had Vincent offered.
Other entrees included four pasta dishes, a duck quesadilla ($13), a 9 oz. Wolfe’s Neck Farm burger ($9), a 12 oz. NY strip steak with blue cheese butter ($25) and the lobster roll, served on a grilled croissant with mixed green salad ($14). We tried the lobster but switched the salad with herbed potato wedges. The wedges turned out to be the best part of the plate, cooked crispy (but not greasy) on the outside but soft and hot on the inside.
When our server asked about dessert we were disappointed that we had to say no. After diving into the wine and the yummy appetizers we actually couldn’t finish our meals. Next time we may skip those 11 pages of wine choices to make room for another course.
Conundrum Wine Bistro is located on Rte 1 in Freeport at the BFI and is open for dinner (4:30-10) Tuesday-Saturday. The bistro also recently added a Sunday brunch. Call 865-0303.