Lula Brazil boasts diverse, well-chosen wine list
Lula Brazil is located in the former Cloud 9 property on Rehoboth Avenue. Jeff Reitz, one of the bartenders and fairly well known in Rehoboth, stopped by to invite Barbara and me to a soft opening. I am always reluctant to review restaurants, especially on the strength of a shakedown cruise, but Lula warrants kudos. Meg Hudson is the proprietress. She has done a nice job sprucing up, gathering a good staff and providing a well-thought-out format.. Meg, a former partner in Domaine Hudson Wine Bar in Wilmington, gained her affinity for Brazilian food as an exchange student in a coastal Brazilian resort. Meg is ably assisted by a couple of former Wine Bar employee transplants: Bar Manager Christine and chef Abde Dahroush. Dahroush has a very strong résumé, and it showed on the plate.
The influence in Brazil is Portuguese, not Spanish, so keep an open mind to different flavor profiles when ordering. Spicy means hot, and authentic flavors are what you will find. My experience with Brazilian fare goes back to the ‘70s, and Lula hasn’t tried to “muricanize” the food or bar specials. It does, however, offer enough recognizable menu items to satisfy those with less aggressive palates, plus a burger and a few salad items.
I was particularly impressed with the diverse, well-chosen wine list with 25 wine by the glass selections and two separate sipping menus of 11 Cachaças (ka-jase, a rum-like spirit made in pot stills and mostly used in drinks called Caipirinhas) and rums from various countries. I also sampled for the first time an Acai cordial named Cedilla. This is a delightful concoction with chocolate, berry and spice notes. I tried it neat. As it warmed, it developed some pleasing coffee notes.
Lula is well worth a visit. Reasonably priced - our bill was $81, but we had five appetizers, two dinners, one dessert and two coffees. Our bar bill was separate. Most 5 oz. pours were in the $6-8 range with a few such as Decoy and Qupe at $12. The service staff particularly impressed me. Given the opening-day jitters, they were well informed and menu conversant. Whatever small deficiencies they had due to a bustling dining room, were covered by their pleasant, friendly demeanor or by Meg, Christine and Jeff, 92 with 2 price points. By the way, we don’t clean every plate and glass on these excursions, but try a wide sample. An appetizer, dinner, dessert and glass of wine probably averages $35.
Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Reserve Chardonnay 2012 is blended with small amounts of Pinot Blanc and Gewurztraminer. This Arroyo Seco selection is from one of Cali’s oldest vineyards, founded 130 years ago and still family-owned and -operated. At a blind tasting for Beverage Dynamics, it scored 93 points. Others were less generous, awarding 87-90 points. My read: Golden-colored with good legs, it opens to pear, fig and apple aromas. On the palate tropical fruit with a hint of oak, a creamy mouthfeel wine with a balanced, clean finish. Brown bag it and compare. I say 93 points is fair, and at $17 a true bargain. It was tasted in the wine $30-35 category and received bronze. A definite disservice by tasting producers.
Antica Townsend Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 from Cali’s North Coast flashed across my screen at $60 and I moved too slowly; they were sold out. Initially this Antinori collaboration was priced $75. A spate of high recommendations from Galloni 95 points, WS 91 and Tanzer 91 drove the price to $143 in March 2013. Subsequently it backslid to $85. Place this on your watch list or buy for your cellar. Ready to go in 2017, and I’m guessing you will look back with lip-smacking relish at your great fortune at buying so cheaply.
Went through malolactic fermentation and an additional 15 months in oak. The fruit is a wonderful blend of blueberry, blackberry and currant, accented by violet floral notes. On the palate look for mocha, espresso and fine minerality. Still very dark, tannins elevated to the proper degree, huge body and very long finish. Galloni got it right!
