Upstairs 2

What’s going on Upstairs 

I enjoy a nice wine almost weekly, but despite all my drinking somehow I have trouble retaining any knowledge past three sips. If this sounds like you too then I’d like to introduce you to Upstairs 2, the wine drinkers answer to smarter food pairings.

Located above The Wine House, recently named one of the World’s best wine shops by Food & Wine Magazine, Upstairs 2 was opened in 2006 as a natural expansion of owner Bill Knight’s passion for food and wine.

Open exclusively in the evening, Upstairs 2 first captured my attention with their Rush Hour 1.5 Menu. Available Wednesday – Saturday from 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM and touted as “a better way to beat the traffic”, the bar menu features items that are all $10 or less and include Sommelier curated wines ($6) and a Dry Aged Burger with morbier, caramelized onion, tomato confit, and remoulade ($10).

Seeing a restaurant located so close to the freeway touting this an advantage is a testament to the superior collaboration of Mr. Knight, Sommelier Marilyn Snee, and Executive Chef Maiki Le.

Curious? Introducing Just a Taste; my restaurant video series that gives you everything you need to know in 2 minutes or less.

What are you Drinking?

Dinner at Upstairs 2 is a meal where the food is paired around the wine. Don’t know enough about wine? The menu is designed with you in mind and suggests food based on the kind of wine you’d like to be drinking. Feel free to make your choices yourself or ask the expert advice of Marilyn Snee, who is like your favorite aunt that also happens to be a sommelier. Best of all if you happen to lose your memory the more you drink, she tags the glasses for you so you can remember what you’re supposed to be sipping on, or use it to make a purchase downstairs later.

Now on to the food!

Great wines in hand it’s time to enjoy some food. The eclectic menu is sure to satisfy any palate as it ranges from tapas style to hefty cuts of meat.  Chef Maiki Le joined the restaurant in 2016 following stints at Momed Beverly Hills and Belcampo Meat Co. and describes her cooking style as traditional technique with cultural twist.

Full Bodied Whites led the charge so the meal began with a Bosc Pair & Butternut Squash Salad and a light Ahi Tuna Crudo with grapefruit granita and serrano chili oil. As a white wine novice, this was expertly paired with a 2011 Marques de Murrieta Capellania from Spain described by Marilyn as a white wine for red wine drinkers.

Recommended with Rosé, the Fried Chicken Bao with pineapple gochujang glaze offers a delicious twist on the original.

Next came the Medium to Full Bodied Reds and my favorite dishes of all. The Five Spice Pork Belly fettuccine with bacon & panchetta tomato spice is truly one a kind. While the Dry Aged Beef Burger with Morbier Montboissie cheese, remoulade, and caramelized onion on a brioche bun will inspire you to ask for another glass of red.

Dessert options include an array of nicely priced cheeses and sweeter options like their Brown Sugar Creme Brulee with thyme infused custard and black mission fig. Of course dessert wines and “liquid desserts” are also available.