Food and wine pair up nicely at Cooper's Hawk

Unlike microbreweries that turn out beer by the barrel, wine bars, particularly those that pair their own homemade vintages with food, are something of a rarity on the local dining scene.

That distinction sets apart Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant, which opened last November in Burr Ridge. Like its sister outlet in Orland Park, Cooper's Hawk produces all of the wine it serves. Its premium wine, which has won numerous awards since 2005, is made from grapes grown in California, Michigan, Washington, Oregon and Illinois. This fall, the Burr Ridge location, which features a wine-tasting room, retail gift shop and full-service bar in addition to a 300-seat dining room, will produce the company's sparkling wine.

Bin numbers on the menu serve as a guide for matching food with the ideal wine.

Mini crab cakes ($11 for three) make a wonderful appetizer -- good enough to be ordered in the full entree portion. They're the real thing, with no discernible fillers, and served with a tasty sesame oil-accented coleslaw.

Among other starters were bruschetta, Thai lettuce wraps and lobster bisque. Salad selections included Caprese, Cobb and Caesar, as well as an appealing baby greens ($6) with a delectable raspberry vinaigrette.

Slow-braised red wine and honey mustard short ribs ($18), plated with carrots and sour cream plus white cheddar cheese-flavored mashed potatoes, were outstanding. Their tenderness and flavor came from 48 hours of marinating time, according to our server.

Also good, although within a hair's breath of being overdone, was the pistachio-crusted Florida grouper, served with mustard sauce, mashed potatoes and asparagus.

Steak fans also could choose from filet mignon, strip steak, ribeye, cowboy and beef tenderloin medallions sauteed in a cabernet-zinfandel butter sauce, while seafood choices included sea scallops, cedar plank salmon, blackened ahi tuna and a Southern jambalaya with shrimp, chicken, andouille sausage and crab.

Fresh berry crisp and bananas Foster cheesecake are popular desserts, though the chocolate eclair cake -- made on the premises -- offers a stellar example of the pastrymaker's art. It's flawlessly executed -- without excessive sweetness -- with rich chocolate with vanilla custard and a layers of pate a choux topped with dark chocolate sauce.

Another option is wine and chocolates: assorted chocolates and truffles paired with a flight of three dessert wines ($14).

Thomas Witom is a local free-lance writer.