Winesday. Yes, you read that correctly. Not Wednesday. I guess it does occur on Wednesday, but that’s really all that they have in common. Winesday is what my close group of friends calls dinner on a Wednesday night. It is really more of a celebration that we have all made it more than halfway through the work week than a celebration of wine. But occasionally, we do partake in wine, more often than not at Unwind in Hyde Park or at 1215 on Vine Street in Over the Rhine. However last Wednesday, as the self-appointed Julie McCoy, Cruise Director of the group, (Love Boat reference, for those of you born past 1985.) I thought we should branch out and try something new. (By branch out, I mean around the corner from where we usually go. Zula is located on the corner of 14th and Race Streets, near Washington Park.) I have had a drink or eaten at almost every restaurant in Over the Rhine, so it was really quite amazing that I had failed to visit Zula, because they have been open for over a year and well, you know, wine. My mistake, for sure.

I think my trepidation may have been rooted in the fact that Zula is known for their mussels. Similar to my feelings about sushi, I just can’t bring myself to enjoy mussels. That didn’t stop most of the rest of our group from devouring several pots of them though. What I was most looking forward to were their artisan flatbreads, but before we ordered our main course, we sampled the giant, salty delicious Marcona almonds. What are Marcona almonds and how do they differ from plain old almonds? For starters, they are much larger, sweeter and somewhat softer, and as I mentioned, much more delicious. They are usually served lightly fried and salted, tapas style. If you have not had them before, I highly recommend that you at least give them a try.

While we were enjoying the almonds and a few other appetizers, we all ordered drinks. I had one of my favorite French whites, a Pouilly Fume from the Loire Valley. The extensive wine menu is amusingly organized by “First Mortgage Wines”, “Second Mortgage Wines”, “Third Mortgage Wines” and “Chapter 7 Wines”. Ironically on this Winesday, most everyone else ordered craft cocktails from the mixed drink menu.

I had a hard time deciding between the Thyme Roasted Tomato Flatbread and the Braised Fingerling Potato Flatbread, but I eventually decided on the latter since I could probably subsist on potatoes alone. The Braised Fingerling Flatbread was topped with salami, and taleggio and mozzarella cheeses. I think it may have been intended for more than one person, but I had no problem devouring the entire thing. The sweetness of the fingerling potatoes was a great contrast to the saltiness of the salami. It doesn’t hurt that salty and sweet is one of my favorite flavor combinations. Most of us finished off the evening with dessert, myself included. I tried the Walnut Kahlua Brownie, which I didn’t regret. It was a small slice of brownie topped with a drizzle of vanilla crème anglaise, a type of custard used as a dessert sauce. I love that the trend in desserts is moving away from a mountain of frozen microwaved brownies, topped with a can of Redi Wip, a la TGI Fridays’s. Who needs that anyway?

Winesday at Zula was a rip-roaring success so if you make plans to visit yourself, I’ll be the guy at the corner table who is just a little too loud with the group that is just a little too inappropriate.