Left: The salmon with spring vegetables has become one of the most popular dishes at Wine with me. Right: Grilled peppered shrimp, with mango chutney and rum jerk sauce, served on a bed of lettuce, one of the delectable menu offerings at Montego Bay's new fine dining restaurant and wine bar, Wine with me on the Hip Strip, Gloucester Avenue.- photos by Janet Silvera

Having been there at its conception, Food is proud to bring you yet another new restaurant, this time, Wine with me, located on the Hip Strip in Montego Bay, St. James. This newspaper was first to whet your appetites about the restaurant in our social columns and we now take this opportunity to congratulate the owner and wish patrons bon appetit!

Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

The pan-seared filet mignon is so tender that it melts in the mouth. Even the bones of the lamb chops in red wine butter sauce, are soft enough to be chewed.

As Montego Bay becomes more 'palatable', with the addition of Cecile Levee's fine dining restaurant and exclusive wine bar Wine with me smack in the middle of the Hip Strip, this latest venture has proved that this undertaking could only be achieved by someone like the owner.

Priced to fit the pocket; timed to stimulate the sense of taste of those accustomed to fine food paired with crme de la crme wine, the Wine with me theme denotes the innovatively suggestive tagline, 'the pleasure comes from every screw.'

And take it from Food, you have our permission to take this theme to the bank.

Wine with me offers quiet sophistication and charm, embedded in an extremely understated and envious ambience. And yes! The pleasure comes from every meal that exits the stainless steel doors leading from the kitchen.

In the five weeks that this appealing eatery has graced the confines of the ne West Hotel, its repeat business has been incredibly complimentary with at least one customer claiming the distinction of dining there every night for four of those five weeks.

Most of those who have licked their fingers subconsciously during after-dinner drinks at the stainless steel hot pink bar, are not even aware that the owner's gastronomic reputation precedes her.

Cecile Levee returned to Jamaica 17 years ago in the capacity of assistant food and beverage director at Grand Lido Negril, but before she landed here, her skills were tested at the celebrated Danny Meyers Union Square Caf in New York City, where she studied food and wines.

Perfectionist persona

In her new venture, Levee's perfectionist persona is complemented by the skills of executive chef, Michael Barnett, who spent most of his years cooking for the A-listers vacationers at the elegant Half Moon Hotel as well as two of Austria's top restaurants.

Levee brings cosmopolitan chic to the table, while Barnett, who studied Culinary Arts at the University of Technology (UTech), brings the European/Jamaican flavour to the team.

The two, along with their training and development manager, Kaye Anderson, are about to take not just thesmell, feel and look of fare on the Hip Strip to another level, but they are bent on making a difference with revolutionary hospitality.

Every detail is taken into account at Wine with me. Should you select to wear black clothing for an evening to sample the delectable pan-seared salmon with ginger soy-lime sauce, there is no way that your server will hand you a white napkin, for fear of transferring any trace of fibres to your outfit.

And if your purchased bottle of wine is not finished in one night, Levee and her team will 'ratoon' it for you (keep it for a week until you dine again).

Another innovative attention grabber is the black chest which houses the invoice of each guest's meal. A conversation piece, the box is labelled, 'damage'.

And who could complain about the 'damage' after the total satisfaction gained from a platter of roasted shellfish, with sesame chili dip and lime vinaigrette, paired beautifully with Reisling or Champagne?

With 70 different wines to choose from, Jamaican or Cuban cigar, Puta Maya or Cape Verde after- dinner drinks, coupled with the most sinful desserts that any restaurant could possibly carry, patrons can climb down from their culinary crescendo on the set of twin beds designed for comfort and relaxation.

Having been there at its conception, Food is proud to bring you yet another new restaurant, this time, Wine with me, located on the Hip Strip in Montego Bay, St. James. This newspaper was first to whet your appetites about the restaurant in our social columns and we now take this opportunity to congratulate the owner and wish patrons bon appetit!