Despite what the name might imply, Al’s Wine and Whiskey Lounge is not a place for the average Friday night out. This is where you try a special cocktail only made in-house, not where you grab a couple of pitchers for you and your buddies. It’s where your parents take you over parents weekend and pay for that inevitably expensive special cocktail, not where you choose the cheapest on tap beer.

Al’s Wine and Whiskey Lounge is in the heart of Syracuse’s downtown scene, Armory Square. Between Funk ‘n’ Waffles and Modern Malt, the entrance is easily missed between the two staple restaurants. Once I actually found the door and stepped inside the restaurant, I was floored.

The room is long and skinny, with a small lounge in the front and cocktail tables in the back. It is very dark, but light punctuated the murkiness through the ceiling-high windows. The floor is covered in vintage-looking Persian rugs, and the lighting fixtures could have been salvaged from the ’30s and ’40s, with metal frames and glass lampshades. Exposed brick lines one of the long walls, and the other captures the main focal piece of the restaurant.

Behind the bar, there is a 20-by-8-foot liqueur shelf. It rises from about elbow height to the ceiling. Every square inch of space has a bottle on it — to me, looking at it was like staring at work of art. It is truly an impressive alcohol collection. It even has rolling library ladders (think the bookstore in the beginning of Beauty and the Beast) to access the higher shelves.

On the back side of the menu, there were a variety of traditional bar foods such as quesadillas and nachos. But given the setting, these snacks were made with higher quality ingredients and incorporate adult flavors such as blue cheese, pecans and brie. On the front of the menu, Al’s offered up a wide selection of cheese and specialty meats.

I’ll admit, looking at the cheese selection at first was overwhelming. There were so many choices and reading the different selections of cheese was a lot to handle, especially since I don’t consider myself an expert on cheese. The meat selections were far easier to digest because there were only about eight options compared to the 16 or so cheeses.

I decided on prosciutto, serrano ham and fig chèvre. The plate was served with olive oil and balsamic, fresh-baked bread and raspberry and quince jellies. The bread was crispy and crunchy, but soft on the inside — my ideal bread. It was obviously freshly baked.

The ham and prosciutto looked and tasted incredibly similar, but after a few minutes of taste-testing and asking the chef which was which, I could differentiate. They were salty and savory, but the similar flavors were too much to handle at one time. I found myself eating small portions very slowly because they were so packed with flavor.

The fig chèvre is a goat cheese served with nuts and has a sweeter flavor than a typical goat cheese, or even cheese from a cow. Personally I like goat cheese, but many people don’t. I would recommend picky eaters or people who get nervous about trying new foods order something else.

The two jams served had different flavors, but worked well together. The raspberry paste was tangy, and its intense flavor worked well with and tamed the creamy goat cheese. The quince jam, on the other hand, was a much more mellow flavor that emphasized the goat cheese flavor.

When eating the meat and cheese plates, I recommend mixing and matching meat, cheese and jam combinations on the bread. Each combination will yield a different flavor and make the plate even more enjoyable.

Finishing off with a nice glass of ice water hit the spot for me, but anyone over 21 should definitely indulge in one of their alcoholic beverages, given Al’s wide selection.

My dish cost about $16. Some might argue that price is outrageous, especially for cold cuts. However, the quality of this dish is well worth the cost. Al’s Wine and Whiskey is the perfect place for a family gathering or a foodie just trying to get some high quality hors d’oeuvres.

Published on February 14, 2016 at 9:16 pm

Contact: cmrussel@syr.edu | @caseymrussell