de Foie Gras (duck liver pâté) with fig jam
- and only three of them are larger than
two bites. Since the prices range from
$2.50 to $4, Sayko suggested this is an
economical way to try something new.
In addition to Bites, the menu offers
other small plates: appetizers; hand-cut
Belgian “Frites” (fries) with house made
aioli’s; Prince Edward Island Mussels,
served one of five ways; and cheese
and charcuterie. Château 13 signatures
include the Brie Brûlée Bouchée with local
honey and fresh berries and the Calabrian
Chili Roasted Shrimp.
Of the salads, Sayko recommends the
“iconic Bordeaux” Château Signature,
which contains bloc de foie gras, cured
duck breast, boiled egg, fig and shallot
jams, artisanal greens, cherry tomato,
walnuts, baguette crouton, and a fig
balsamic vinaigrette.
For entrées, there’s the Carbonnade à la
Flamande, a classic Belgian beef stew,
and the vegetarian house-made Cavatelli
Bolognese, made with wild mushrooms,
and creamy house ricotta cheese (which
can be excluded to make the dish vegan.)
Sayko suggests the Louis XIII Burger,
which features truffled mushrooms, bloc de
foie gras, shallot jam, and gruyere cheese.
“It’s over the top,” Sayko said of the burger.
“I would want customers to know this is a
thing. This is going to happen to you.”
Another option for diners? Stick to
Château 13’s Cheese and Charcuterie
menu. It contains 15 options, some you
can view on display in the restaurant’s
pristine charcuterie cooler. Pick four, six,
or, allow the chef to select eight signature
offerings for you. For example, there’s the
Finocchiona, a pork cheek and belly aged
hard salami, and the Sweet Grass Dairy
Tomme, a cows’ milk semisoft and creamy
cheese, aged 90 days.
And then there’s the wine.
SHARING THE WORLD
OF WINE
“There’s not a single place you can
stand where you don’t see wine,” Sayko
said, gesturing around her. “And that’s
on purpose.”
31
At Château 13, there’s a focus on wine
that’s equal to that on the food since,
according to Sayko, you can’t have
one without the other. Sayko has an
encyclopedic knowledge of, and a
passion for, all kinds of wine, and it’s
apparent in the wine list. But wine also
influences the restaurant’s ambience -
described as “a mix of wine cave cozy
and modern and chic.”
You feel wine’s presence everywhere:
in the metal chandelier inspired by wooden
wine barrel staves, in the impressive
wall art (including the huge mural of
Sayko’s favorite winery in Italy - Guidobono
in Piedmont).
It even serves as storage: the host
stand and cabinets were built using
wooden Bordeaux wine box-es. Builtin
wall shelves display Sayko’s favorite
bottles (including Château 13’s private
label cham-pagne), acting as “a visual
wine menu.”
Outside, adjacent to the sleek and
contemporary restaurant, black and
gray brick with large, steel-frame windows
in the style of the original 1926 building,
is a tiny plot of land, on which five
muscadine saplings are growing - Sayko’s
own mini vineyard.
As for the wine list of reds and whites,
sparkling, rose, sweet, and dessert wines,
Sayko approached it the same way she
did everything in the restaurant - with care
and deliberation.
“There’s a story behind every single one,”
she said.
Because she truly wants to teach people
about the wine she loves, she categorized
the list by grape, listing the wines in
each category from lightest to heaviest,
hoping that would make it easy, and less
intimidating, for customers to choose.
“People are excited and starving to
learn about wine,” Sayko said, “but very
few know where to start or want to ask
questions.”
Not to worry - Sayko said she’ll sit and talk
with customers about wine for hours. Her
job is her dream job.