Buffalo Rising Online

Jan 10th 2007, 12:44pm By Brian Horvath

Wine enthusiasts won't be disappointed with the choices they are offered when gazing over the wine list at Shango. This spot has managed to put together a selection of wines by the glass and bottle that will undoubtedly stimulate a long conversation at the table. Varietals and regions abound making it easy to try something that you may have never had before - sylvaner, muscadet, gruner veltliner, vermentino among the whites; chinon, minervois, vaqueryas among the reds along with all of the more common grapes and regions of the world. Upon a recent visit I discovered 9 whites and 10 reds by the glass as well as 14 half bottles to choose from. With all this in mind, have no fear of a ten-page bottle list and separate table of contents. The list manages to span the flavor and weight-spectrum yet remains succinct.

By the glass I sampled the Roera Arneis (Villadoria '05, $6.5), an old native white from northwest Peidmont that was ,Aeominerally,Aeo fresh, ice cold, and not too acidic. The Toscana Rosso (Angelina Tuttobene '05, $7) was surprisingly light on the palate for a red with such macho tannins. This type of wine style is common to my eye here and that's probably because of the cuisine offered at Shango.

The Tempranilo Cab blend, a single vineyard bottling (Rivola, Abadia Retuenta, Sardon De Duero, $9.5), was silky, deep, and made me want to learn more about a region I haven't had much luck with. On the bottle side, a half bottle offering of Ramey Claret ($35) caught my eye, as did the Lang and Reed Cab Franc '03 ($36). Embarrassed as to be noticing two North American wines, I really need to reiterate the world-wide, well thought, selection of bottles on their list. Wine lovers will note very reasonable mark-ups and a lack of knee-jerk trophy bottlings.

And let's not forget the craft beers - we have some serious choices here too. In fact bring your beer lover to Shango for the same type of effect as I described with the wines. Three from New York State - Flying Bison, Hennepin, and Ommegang caught my eye on the domestic list. The Delerium Tremens (Belgium) made a companion comment on the reasonable price it was offered at ($7) among the import list. The food at Shango complements the rustic, off the beaten path, selection of reds. If you like Creole and Cajun overtones you will love the food at Shango. The gumbo is authentic with large bites of Andouille and chicken and the right amount of added rice. A similar flavor profile is captured in many dishes. The meatloaf ($16) is bold and has great flavor and is a fine grind, while the pecan crusted grouper entree manages to keep the strength of the spices to the right balance. I really liked the pepper linguine ($15) for its light broth and clean flavor.

I made three visits to Shango over the last few months and found the service attentive and friendly. While seated in a table, I was even offered full wine service after I ordered wine by the glass. The staff seems knowledgeable and interested in the products they serve. So check out Shango for an interesting wine and beer selection as well as great Creole influenced food.