Que Syrah?

WineO

by Trey Popp

In 1909, Henry Ford explained his retail strategy for the Model T with this immortal line: "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black." A century later, Northern Liberties' WineO has begun applying the same philosophy to wine. Would you like a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon? Choose from an assortment of one. Chardonnay? Pick any brand you like, as long as it's the Sterling.  

There's a twist, of course. It comes into play with Pinot Noir. Ask for a glass of that, and the world of possibilities is at your feet — provided that you use them to walk out the door, because WineO doesn't sell a single one. Not even by the bottle.

Yet that wasn't even the most bewildering thing about this place, which opened in December. That honor would have to go to a description offered by its owner about how one of his whites-by-the-glass compared to another. "It's a little drier, a little sweeter," he told me.

Brilliant. Is it a little older and a little younger, too?

But really, how can you rate the puzzlements at a "wine bar" that also doesn't serve Zinfandel by the glass? Or Syrah! 

HALF OFF DEPOT

Why live life at full price?

To be fair, WineO does have eight Italian quaffs by the glass, and if you don't mind the puny stemware, you might find something to pique your interest. The Fiano I tried was a tangy, offbeat pleasure, and that grape should be on more lists. But the red side of the card left me despondent. Our waitress brought me tastes of the two by-the-glass options that seemed least boring, but I ended up drinking water with my entrée instead. On an expense account.

Perhaps that was a blessing in disguise, because WineO's burger was drier (but not sweeter) than a ball of raisins. "The thing I love about places like this," my companion said as the taste of underripe January tomatoes jolted my tongue under the cover of an otherwise bland octopus salad, "is that they give me more confidence in my own cooking."

With the exception of some of the better sweet potato fries in town, and a brightly flavored artichoke spread that works as a complementary bar snack, dinner at WineO brought a parade of middling dishes off a menu that would've seemed tired 10 years ago. Management is promoting weekly events and happy-hour specials like mad, but it needs considerable improvement to lure people back a second time. No one should leave a wine bar thinking, "Man, I need a drink."

(t_popp@citypaper.net)

WineO | 447 Poplar St., 215-925-0999.

Hours: Tue.-Sun., 5 p.m.-2 a.m.; closed Mon.

Appetizers, $6-$10; Entrées, $16-$22

Cash only