Right about... now, Six Plates should be officially open for business. They were open earlier for a friends and family event, and opened officially today. Matthew has a menu up too; the menu is going to rotate a lot.
The executive summary: Opens at 4 pm, with food until midnight. Open 'til midnight right now, or perhaps later, depending on business. Closed on Tuesday.
The space is really neat: very lounge-y, in a good way. It's very much the kind of place you'd feel comfortable going to, sitting down, and having a glass of wine by yourself. It also looks like it'll be a fun place to bring a few friends for a light snack or meal. Very lush-looking inside, with lots of comfortable chairs and couches, and some small bar tables for sitting down with friends and eating with a knife and fork. You order food and drinks at the bar. The by-the-bottle wine list is huge. The by-the-glass list is on the menu as recommended pairings, but you can of course order whichever by-the-glass wine is available, or of course order a bottle. You can also buy a bottle to take home.
There's a large-ish walk-in wine room that reminds me of a miniature version of Aureole LV's wine tower. There's also a space in the back that can be used as sort of a private dining area. There are TVs in both areas; both were off when I was there. I believe that seating is such that you can probably find a spot somewhere to talk w/o video distraction, so long as the place is not full.
If you don't like wine, you're still ok: there are maybe 25 beers to choose from. They run the gamut from Highland Gaelic Ale, to Delirium Tremens, to a fake beer if you need it.
The food: As mentioned, the name of the restaurant reflects the food -- six plates. Most of what was on the menu last night was designed to be eaten with knife and fork, but some things are and will be hand food. There's a cheese platter for those who don't want the small plate offerings. The place was quiet when I was there, as they were in-between the family event and the official opening. I was in a hurry, and wasn't thinking I'd be able to get in. But I did go in. I was in a hurry and was worried I couldn't get any food quickly; I got food quickly. I was worried about the small menu; it was great: a veggie offering, some seafood, and some heartier things. I ordered a "chicken pot pie." It came with an amazing garnish, what seemed to be a deep-fried chanterelle mushroom: hot and yummy. The pie was in the modern pot pie style: instead of a two-crust pastry pie, the filling was in a large ramekin topped with a puffy, biscuity, airy bready thing: I don't know what to call it, so I'll just call it everything. :) Actually it wasn't bready at all. The filling was thinner in consistency than I was expecting, but I think that also reflects the modern way of doing without an actual crust, and therefore not needing to thicken the filling. But thin doesn't mean insubstantial: the filling was chock-full of chicken, corn, mushrooms and other stuff. It all tasted really fresh.
I suggest going by after work today and trying it. Be prepared to relax. As I said, I didn't have much time, and wasn't even expecting to be able to eat or stay, but I certainly relaxed a little while I was there; with my brief look, it appears Matthew has done a great job.
So: Erwin Terrace, at Erwin and Lasalle. It's on the side facing away from Erwin Road, on the ground floor. From the back parking lot, it's the right-hand corner of the left-hand building. 321-0203. Knock yourselves out. Let us know how it goes.
