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This Issue 11/01/2007

Also in this issue

• Defibrillator
• Extraplanetary parenting
• Drink of the week
• Backstreet boys Redux

Beneluxx Tasting Room

33 S. 3rd Street

(215) 413-1918

With its comical misspelling, Beneluxx Tasting Room is just one 'x' shy of being 'xxx'. Beneluxx is perfect for all your dating needs - after all, what could be more romantic than fondue, wine, cheese, beer and chocolate?

Just let Cliff, the manager-cum-sommelier, take care of you and you are bound to score. His wine and cheese pairings range from the textbook (Pouilly-Fumé with goatsmilk Crottin de Chavignol - both are indigenous to the Loire Valley) to the original (fully ripe Taleggio with an atypically refreshing California Chardonnay). While the cheeses are well-chosen and expertly ripened, the prepared dishes are somewhat lacking - notably a traditional Swiss fondue of mucus-like temperature and consistency.

Yet Beneluxx isn't as visually seductive, with its cheesemonger-esque entrance and tavern-like decor. It also lacks the x-factor in a couple of other ways: the tabletop glass-cleaning mechanism, which allows you to wash out your glass from the comfort of your table, is rather off-putting. If you're paying $10 (in some cases) for a taste of wine, it shouldn't taste like tap water.

Still, Beneluxx offers the perfect prelude to a romantic evening. Although the wine list was in the midst of a much needed overhaul, seek out the 2001 Riefle Gewürztraminer (from Alsace), which is unusually crisp and refined for a wine of such exotic fruit and body.