CorkSavvy

Some people may think that the Super Bowl in Tampa Bay, Florida is all about football, but when you come to Tampa to celebrate the Super Bowl Weekend, don’t forget the food and wine opportunities that are bound to enhance those 3+hours of nail-biting, edge of the seat excitement of watching the year’s best football teams. Unique to the Super Bowl game in Tampa Bay for wine lovers is Bern’s Steakhouse.

Bern’s Steakhouse opened in 1956 to rave reviews and their popularity continues today with the tradition of Art in Steaks. When asked what “Art in Steaks” means? The restaurant states: “Simply, that our passion for quality and impeccable attention to detail, we want to ensure that your steak is hand cut, prepared and broiled precisely to your liking. We’ve elevated the steak dinner to an art, and we believe you’ll savor your meal as much as we enjoy serving them.” They are also known for their 21 choices of caviar as well as their fresh seafood daily and, of course, their organically grown fruits and vegetables straight from the Bern’s farm. There is also a sumptuous dessert room with an extensive array (over 1000 varieties) of dessert wine and spirits and a cave du fromage that houses artisanal cheeses from around the world.
 
For wine lovers there are over 6500 wine labels from which to choose. During dinner, it is common for the waiters to escort guests on a visit to the wine cellar.  Due to the extensive wine selection and additions made quarterly, guests are encouraged to consult with one of the three knowledgeable sommeliers before their dining experience to select their wine or discuss the wine selections. They can be reached at bshsommelier@bernssteakhouse.com. There are over 65 Champagne or sparkling wine selections and more than 150 wines –by-the-glass choices.

Eric Renaud, senior sommelier at Bern’s Steakhouse, was interviewed by Dana Hudepohl of The Wall Street Journal where he described his job as overseeing two sommeliers, nine additional people working in the wine cellar, ordering the wines, and most importantly, talking with customers about the wines. He describes finding new wines as rigorous even if it is in a nice place like Italy(the destination last year) since it is tasting wines from 7am to 7pm  for 5 straight days for a total of 10,000 wines! At Bern’s, he said that conservatively speaking there are a half million bottles of wine with vintages going back to the 1790s.

Not in the mood for steak and seafood, try Sideburns with its modern gourmet Mediterranean cuisine rated by AAA with a Four Diamond Award. The seasonally influenced dinner menus combined with the award winning wine collection is a proven success.

Mark your calendar for Bern’s 12th Annual Wine Fest Weekend, April 17-20, 2009 with more than 200 wines from around the world.