Wine barrels are stacked in a corner of this subterranean haven of wood posts, stonework, tiled floors, inviting leather coaches and soft, leopard-motif seats. The feel is upscale, intimate, like a European wine and cheese outpost tucked into rolling hillsides or a hideaway in the Alps where deliciously exhausted skiers are rewarded with craft beer, tapas and desserts that make your mouth water.
Couples touch foreheads over wine glasses in the dimly lit interior and reminisce about the romantic moments that began it all. Townspeople who have known the proprietors for years lean conspiratorially over the bar and draw laughs from the bartender.
This is the world of Loring and Lynn Tripp – a world they crafted from their European travels and jaunts to New York City and plunked down in the center of Manomet, below Foppiano’s Italian restaurant at 690 State Road.
The pair met while waiting tables at the former Inn for All Seasons, before assisted living facilities claimed the location. You could argue it was love at first bite, because, even then, Lynn Tripp was a foody, aware of every taste and its impact on the palate. They married in 1987. Loring Tripp went on to pursue a career in construction, real estate management and planning. Lynn Tripp went on to become a food scientist at Ocean Spray before teaching food science and sustainability at Johnson & Wales for the past 10 years. She also holds an Advanced Certificate through London’s Wine and Spirit Education Trust.?
Today, they’ve come full circle, working side-by-side again, only this time as owners and operators of The Wine Cellar and Dessert Bar, a chic and intimate spot that is already creating a town-wide buzz.
“Here we are back in the restaurant business,” Loring said, laughing. “I was born and raised in this area of Manomet. It’s a great location that’s underutilized and underserved. This is an alternative to traveling to the Cape and Boston. It’s like being in another country.”
The Tripps visited wine cellars in France to set the theme. Then they perused New York City wine and dessert bars to find the right style.
“The Wine Cellar mimics the coolest cellars of Europe, with its stone arches, wine barrels, and a full 16-foot bar that was once a huge tree, which I’m sure fell on its own during one winter storm,” Lynn said. “Intimately appointed with modern Italian leather furniture, The Wine Cellar’s wine, beer and dessert menu rivals the finest choices and possibilities of New York City, but with suburban prices.”
?The dessert menu includes, among other $9 delectables, chocolate Pots de Creme, a creamy smooth chocolate custard served in a tiny cup, topped with shaved chocolate. Or how about Verrines du jour – two raspberry and chocolate mousse parfaits, one light and airy raspberry and the other a deep dark chocolate, served with French macaroons? Tiramisu, Napolean cheesecake, Crepes au Banana and Poire d’Amour have already drawn applause from satisfied patrons.
White wines run the gamut from Blue Fish, Sweet Riesling, hailing from Germany, at $6 a glass, to the Italian Borgo M’s Pinot Grigio at $7 a glass. Wines from France, Argentina, New Zealand, France, Oregon and California range from $20 to $50 a bottle. The red wine list is even longer, featuring everything from Spain’s Cortijo “Tinto” Rioja at $11 a glass to California Apothic Red at $7 a glass, and ranging from $24 a bottle to $96. Sweet wines like Israel’s Moscato di Carmel are $6 a glass and sparkling wines have a similar price range. Patrons can also order half bottles and wine tasting flights that run between $10 and $14, which offer several tastes when you just can’t decide.
?Tapas are equally international, featuring the tastes of France, America and Morocco, to name a few. Cheese plates, special coffees, six draught beers and 14 craft beers – seven American, four European and three direct from Plymouth’s own Mayflower Brewing Company – round out the menu.
“We decided to have our pastry chef right out in front, right behind the bar, because we loved that concept when we visited ChikaLicious in Manhattan’s East Village,” Lynn said. “Chika is the pastry chef, and her husband is the sommelier. It was a pretty cool concept that we decided to borrow. We visited another bar that we really liked, Bar Henry, also in the East Village. At Bar Henry, wines that were normally served only by the bottle were opened up as half-bottles, for half price. We loved this idea because it gave guests the opportunity to try wines they otherwise might not get the chance to try.”
The Wine Cellar ought to keep Lynn and Loring equally busy. In addition to her teaching, for the past four years, Lynn has been faculty advisor to the Research Chef’s Association’s (RCA) Student Culinology Competition Team. She chooses four students to compete each year – students the RCA challenges to develop a Gold Standard Recipe based on regional cuisine and then match that with a commercial product.
“We came in first place in Seattle in 2008, second in Dallas in 2009, first in Phoenix in 2010, and we came in second this year in Atlanta, out of 24 competing universities and colleges,” Lynn said.
Located below Foppiano’s at 690 State Road, The Wine Cellar and Dessert Bar is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 5 p.m. to midnight, Thursday through Saturday. For more information, visit www.wineanddessertbar.com.
