Think

We had dinner Saturday night with our friends Brendan and Kristine. After having some trouble deciding where to go, we settled on Think — a great little BYOB place on Western close to Fullerton and Armitage.

Think is one of those restaurants that has fairly inventive cuisine, but is just pricey enough to keep you from going back every week. It also seems like they have issues with execution occasionally. Natalie and I went there for Valentine's Day a few years ago and enjoyed ourselves although EVERYTHING was oversalted. The flaw this time was that the horseradish mashed potatoes were a little runny and didn't pair well with the halibut that Natalie and Kristine had. My pork chops came with mashed sweet potatoes that were also a little runny.

That said, the appetizers were great. Brendan and Kristine had the scallops and we had the crab cakes. Very crab-heavy with a nice aioli and salad accompaniment. Our Caesar Salad was also great. Whole anchovies and good homemade croutons.

We brought two wines to share. We started with a Stefano Farina Gavi di Gavi. It paired really well with the seafood appetizers and our salads. It was crisp, not a hint of sweetness. Pear, some citrus notes. I'd give it a 87.

Then, we had a Coppola Diamond Claret that our friends John and Sally gave us when they were here. I hadn't had their Claret before and it was nice. Not over the top, knock you socks off, but really nice. That might not sound like the world's review, but it was perfect for our dinner. With Nat and Kristine having the halibut and Brendan ordering a heavy tomato-based seafood stew and me having pork chops it was a versatile red wine for dinner. It was on the dry side, not too fruity, but some dark berry notes. Brendan and Kristine brought an Australian Shiraz, Wyndam Estate, that was the perfect wine end to the evening. Fair amount of fruitiness, which on the tail end and with dessert (awesome, awesome, awesome caramel banana dish served in an olive holder) was perfect. Nothing too complex, just straightforward Australian fruit.