There’s something special about sharing a bottle of wine. Pouring some for you, some for me. A little while later: a bit more for you, a bit more for me. The picture is incomplete, though, without a plate of noshes to keep our mouths busy between sips and gossip.
Cheese and charcuterie are common nibbles with wine. Not so, tonnato — which is why I perked up when I eyed it on the menu at Hazel Jane's, a new vino bar on the Eastside Beltline.
Tonnato is an Italian condiment typically made with tuna, anchovies, lemon juice, olive oil and mayonnaise. The flavor is much like tuna salad, but the texture is far from it. It’s super smooth and creamy, making it a fabulous sandwich spread or dip.
<<REVIEW: Hazel Jane's allows you to try wines of the world on the Beltline
“We wanted an easy-to-eat, dippable thing. Everyone does hummus and pimento cheese. Let’s do something outside the box,” Hazel Jane’s partner and sommelier Melissa Davis said about the decision to put tonnato on the menu.
Hazel Jane’s chef Brad Morris starts with yellowfin tuna to prepare tuna confit that is then blended with salt, mayo, olive oil and lemon juice. However, home cooks can skip the tuna confit step and keep things simple with a jar of tuna packed in olive oil.
The restaurant serves the dip with crunchy seasonal crudités — currently carrots, kohlrabi, watermelon radishes and purple cauliflower — and toasted sourdough from local Root Baking Co. (The plate also comes with a ramekin of silky whipped ricotta, a recipe that Hazel Jane’s also shared.)
Which bottle to uncork for the occasion?
“Anything bright and easy,” Davis said.
At the restaurant, the dip is intended to highlight a bright white wine, such as the restaurant’s house, a sauvignon blanc-vermentino blend from southern France. Davis also recommends elbling, a white grape variety mainly grown in Germany and Luxembourg that results in a crisp, dry wine. If you’re looking to appeal to the masses, consider a pinot grigio, a light rosé from the Provence region of southern France or a bottle of Beaujolais nouveau for the red drinkers.
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