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| Sideways and SoHo Sideways is a movie with a strong focus on wine. SoHo is a restaurant with a strong focus on wine. But that’s not all the two have in common. There’s a fun-loving character in each: Jack (Thomas Haden Church) in the movie and J.D. Doyle (bartender extraordinaire) at the restaurant. Both wend their way along the California wine coast in search of great wine, fun experiences and new friends. But it’s really Jack’s friend Miles (Paul Giamatti) whose passion for wine more closely matches Doyle’s. In a wonderful scene with Maya (Virginia Madsen), Miles explains his affection for the temperamental pinot noir grape because of its need for understanding and careful tending. It sounds exactly like something J.D. would say at one of his weekly wine tastings, held at the restaurant every Wednesday. Jack would probably attend to meet a pretty girl; Miles would attend to learn from J.D. and find a kindred spirit in his love of wine. The differing styles of Jack and Miles – one is free-wheeling and the other restrained – also emulate the cuisine of SoHo’s Chef Joe Ahn. Melding favorites from his native Korea with new American cuisine brings out the best in both. Jack would probably go for the tamarind glazed sea bass with Thai vegetable raviolis, baby bok choy and scallion buerre blanc paired with a nice New Zealand sauvignon blanc. Miles would definitely favor the grilled pork chop with mashed Yukons, wilted greens, creamed sweet corn and natural jus paired with a syrah, shiraz or petit syrah. They would both be happy there, particularly if Maya and Stephanie (Sandra Oh) could join them! The Alexander Payne film is a real winner, juxtaposing the passionate, insecure, depressed Miles with the happy-go-lucky, washed-up actor Jack. Using wine as a backdrop and girls as the stage props, we see the inner workings of the two best friend’s minds. It can be ugly and sad at times, but always interesting. The friends are journeying to the California wine country to celebrate Jack’s upcoming wedding. In fact, it’s his last week of singledom and he’s ready to party. Miles, divorced but still hoping for reconciliation and depressed over a failed novel, is mopey and not quite up for all Jack’s antics – in fact, Miles is just too nice for that. But even though Jack is a bit of a cad, we see that he really is Miles’ best friend and desperately wants to see his old friend feel good again. Maya and Stephanie really change the dynamic when they appear. Maya is like Miles and Maya likes Miles. Jack and Stephanie, well, they can’t keep their hands off each other. Miles’ hopes for some male-bonding are quickly dashed as he finds himself alone on the putting green and alone in the hotel room. At least they have the decency to join him for dinner. The struggle between the friends is played out through conversations held while tasting wines at different wineries throughout the region. If you don’t know a lot about wine, you could learn a thing or two. If you know a little, you’ll really enjoy the dialogue. If you know a lot, you might be a tad bored but you’ll want your less-educated friends to see it. As at a busy night at SoHo, the audience laughs loudly, listens closely and leaves happy. SoHo’s wine program provides a very strong background for the restaurant. Ahn’s menu is complemented with suggestions for perfect pairings. The staff is properly educated and trained to help the guests choose not only a wine to go with their meals, but something they will enjoy very much. The wine list is user-friendly, listing wines by their tastes (light, fruity, dry, oak-aged, etc.) and offering them in a 3 oz. taste, a 6 oz. glass or a bottle. The weekly wine tastings are an extension of this commitment to the grape. Learn more at www.sohoatlanta.com. SoHo is located at 4300 Paces Ferry Rd. in the Vinings Jubilee Shopping Center. The restaurant is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner is served Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. SoHo is closed on Sunday. |
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| SoHo’s wine program provides a very strong background for the restaurant. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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