Everyone wants a pub to call their own and now you can at MyPlace Pub in the Bloor West Village.    And according to owner/chef Brad Long they’ve only been open a week and they already have regulars!  And I can see why with the great selection of beer, wine and upscale pub food.   Were not talking greasy, overbattered fish and chips either.

I had the Black Cod fish-and-chips that literally melted in your mouth.  Of course, I washed it down with a Blanche de Chambly, a Quebec white ale with great acidity and citrus notes.  Other great beers of note including Mill Street, Muskoka, Steam Whistle and Big Rock, but also stouts and dark ales.

But let’s get to the wine list.  It’s very Ontario-focused, including red and white wines from Tawse, Flat Rock, Stratus, Henry of Pelham and Malivore to name a few.   For dessert, they even have a Prince Edward County Ice Cider, which would go great with their Norfolk Empire Apple Pan Dowdy.

I also had the opportunity to taste the Kozlicks Triple Mustard Crusted lamb chops, which I think it would pair well with the Prospect Shiraz from BC, and the pierogies which re hand made in house.  Hands down, these are the best pierogies I have ever tasted and they would be a fun match with the Tawse Echos Chardonnay.

There are too many great dishes to list, so head down one night have a seat at the bar, cozy up in the newly covered banquettes in the dining room or head up to the roof top patio to take in the last few nights of summer!

It is truly wonderful to see more and more people using sommeliers in restaurants. A growing number of us are here to help guests find a great value wine on a wine list, not just the expensive stuff.

What I find is most people stick to what they know which is either a California Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley or an Australian Shiraz from the Barossa Valley. Finding good value in these areas is often difficult as they are very popular and the price tends to reflect their popularity. But not many people know that not only are there fantastic ready to drink wines outside of these areas but the price is right too.

Case in point, when I was in South Beach last winter, I dined at Prime One Twelve Steakhouse on Ocean Drive. When I looked at the list, there were a lot of overpriced Cabernets, Brunellos and Shirazes so I asked the sommelier for assistance. When I introduced myself, I gave him the following information:

• my price range
• the characteristics that I liked in a wine
• what I thought was drinking well
• insights from what he had recently tasted

He gave me a 2 or 3 great options and I decided on the 2001 MacRostie Syrah, Wildcat Mountain Vineyard located in Sonoma, specifically the Carneros region. This was an amazing choice and was probably not something I would have chosen otherwise.

The next time you’re out for a meal, have fun and take the recommendation on a Rioja from Spain, or a Claret from Washington State or even a Pinot Noir from New Zealand. Don’t forget, the more information you can give us, the better the wine we can bring to your table.