The Sole Proprietor, One Eleven Chop House Are Repeat Winners of Wine Spectator's "Award of Excellence"dBNews BostonJuly 2005
One Eleven Chop House, 111 Shrewsbury St., earned its fifth consecutive Award of Excellence and The Sole Proprietor, 118 Highland St., earned its fourth consecutive Award of Excellence from the prestigious Wine Spectator magazine, based on the quality and depth of their wine lists, owners Robb and Madeleine Ahlquist announced today.
Wine Spectator magazine is recognized worldwide as a leading guide to the world's best wines.
"We research the latest trends and the most popular selections every year, and update our wine lists to ensure that we provide the best value, offering the best quality and variety we can offer," said Mrs. Ahlquist, who owns and operates One Eleven Chop House. "We strive to make continuous improvements, so our wine lists offer an even better selection today than they did last year."
One Eleven Chop House, which sold 27,000 bottles and 55,000 glasses of wine last year, stores more than 6,000 bottles of wine, representing nearly 350 different selections. Wines currently featured include Ferrari Carano Tresor (Sonoma 2000), Pine Ridge "Dijon Clones" Chardonnay (Napa 2003), Cambria Pinot Noir "Julia's Vineyard" (Santa Maria 2003) and Beringer Cabernet "Knight's Valley" (Napa 2000), all of which are available by the glass.
"Our focus this year has been to continue to show our staff and customers wines that represent great value," Ms. Ahlquist said. "We have decreased the price on some of our high-end selections, so customers can feel more comfortable trying these wines."
A special wine board features weekly specials for $5.99 a glass, such as Mezzac Orano Chardonnay (Italy 2003). A half-bottle program and an expanded selection of Italian wines are consistently growing in popularity.
"The wine list at One Eleven Chop House continues to be the passionate project of owners, management and staff," she added. "Our customers share our enthusiasm, encourage our work and have fun drinking good wine."
The Sole Proprietor, which places an emphasis on wine by the glass, sold 80,000 glasses and 11,000 bottles of wine in 2004. The restaurant's mahogany, climate-controlled wine display holds 2,500 bottles of white wine. The restaurant also stores 300 bottles of red wine in 42 bins, and holds dozens of additional cases of wine for future wine lists.
With an emphasis on white wines, The Sole Proprietor now features Talbott Chardonnay "Sleepy Hollow" (Monterey 2000), which is newly available by the glass, and Caymus "Conundrum," (Napa Valley 2003), a white table-wine blend. It now offers six different half bottles; including Sanford Chardonnay (Santa Barbara 2002) and Chalone Pinot Noir (Monterey 2003).
The Sole focuses on American chardonnay, but also offers red and white wines from throughout the world. Its expanded wine list includes new wines from Spain, Italy, France and Australia.
"This year's wine list is our best yet," said Robb Ahlquist. "While we take great pride in the quality of our seafood, the quality of our wine list is also a major reason why The Sole Proprietor was named one of the top 10 seafood restaurants in the country for 2005."
Both restaurants provide extensive wine training for their staffs. Staffs at both restaurants review information about the regions where the wine originates and are trained in the proper etiquette for wine service. Guest speakers from local and national suppliers also meet with staff regularly for additional training.
Both restaurants have consistently received positive reviews and awards, including being named co-winners of the 2003 Restaurant of the Year award from Worcester Magazine. Tom Horan's "America's Top Ten Club" named The Sole Proprietor one of the country's 2005 "Top Ten Seafood Houses." Readers of Worcester Magazine have named The Sole Proprietor Worcester's number one seafood restaurant for 18 of the past 19 years and One Eleven Chop House the area's best steakhouse every year since it opened in 1999. Both restaurants are consistently named the best seafood restaurant and best steakhouse, respectively, by the Telegram & Gazette, Worcester Magazine and The Landmark in Holden. Both restaurants have received numerous other awards, recognizing them for the best service, for having the best wine list and for being the area's cleanest restaurants.
The Sole Proprietor serves 350,000 meals a year serving lunch and dinner and has 100 full-time equivalent employees. The restaurant's Web site is at www.thesole.com. One Eleven Chop House, which offers elegant dining in a setting that resembles a New York steakhouse, serves 175,000 meals a year serving dinner only and has 85 full-time employees. The restaurant's Web site is at www.111chophouse.com.
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