©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Ex-pre-med major prescribes wine at Panorama
by LEN LEAR

Roberto Donna, who owns several restaurants in Washington, D.C. (right), had fun with the kitchen staff at Panorama at their recent “Book and Cook” dinner. (Photo by Len Lear)

It may not be in the Guinness Book of World Records, but perhaps it should be. Ristorante Panorama and Il Bar in the Penn’s View Hotel, Front and Market Streets in Old City, has a spectacular bar made of mahogany millwork salvaged from razed churches in the area. The centerpiece of the bar is a huge Cruvinet, custom-made by Winekeeper USA in California, which is reportedly the largest wine-preservation and dispensing system in the world.

The Cruvinet pours wine from 120 open bottles and stores three closed bottles behind each open one, adding up to a total of 544 bottles. The Winekeeper is able to pressurize each bottle with a nitrogen-gas mixture to keep the wine in optimum condition. According to Luca Sena, a native of Naples, Italy, who owns Panorama, “The Winekeeper is like an anchor in a big shopping mall. People come to see the machine as much as they come for the wines. In fact, a lot of winemakers come to the hotel, and we have a special rate for them. They want to see if their wines are here.”

Panorama is one of the few restaurants in the city that have a full-time sommelier (wine steward). Its sommelier, William Eccleston, 43, a native of Delaware County, majored in pre-med at the University of Virginia, but he thoroughly enjoying the inexpensive wines he would have nightly for dinner, so much so that he decided to make it a career. After graduation he traveled the world for four years, usually staying in one location for a few months and paying the bills by working as a bartender in local restaurants.

Eccleston sees as part of his mission an effort to help diners get over the mystique about wine that intimidates many lay people. “I’m not into showing off how much I know about wine,” he explained. “My goal is to keep it simple and encourage people to experiment and have fun with wine. That’s the reason for the ‘flights’ we offer. You try very small quantities of several different Chardonnays or Merlots, for example, and you begin to see how different they are and why you like certain ones more than others ... For the serious connoisseur, I say, ‘Relax and don’t be so serious.’ Wine is supposed to be fun, after all, and it won’t be fun if you take it too seriously ...

“When people ask what the house wine is, I try to encourage the waitstaff to explain to guests that we actually have 60 house whites and 60 house reds.

“Wine is one of life’s great pleasures,” said Eccleston. “All you really need to enjoy it is a little curiosity and a sense of adventure. With a glass of wine, there is a celebration in every day.”

On March 21, as part of their “Book and Cook” five-course dinner for $75 (the visiting chef/author was Roberto Donna, who owns several restaurants in Washington, D.C.), glasses of nine different wines were offered for just $30 extra per person. My least favorite was the Cortese di Gavi, Pio Cesare 2003, which was bland and lifeless, and my favorites were the hearty, very rich Rolando “Langhe Bianco-Sauvignon Chardonnay” Bricco Maiolica 2004, which matched up perfectly with oven-roasted langostinos; and the full-bodied Barolo, Edoardo Sobrino 2000, which put an exclamation point on the roasted filet of beef.

One really great dish on the regular menu is the grilled radicchio appetizer topped with sweet caramelized onions and melted fresh mozzarella and finished with a honey-sweetened balsamic glaze. I’ve never seen grilled radicchio offered anywhere else, and this is one for the space capsule.

Lunch at Panorama is served Monday through Friday, and dinner is served seven days a week. Dinner salads and appetizers start at about $8.50, entrees (including pasta dishes) at about $12. Valet parking is offered, and there is a public lot adjacent to the restaurant. If you’re extremely lucky, you may get a free space along Front Street north of Market. For information, call 215-922-7800 or visit www.ristorantepanorama.com.