Wine o’ clock is even better on a sunny day on the KC plaza or at one of my favorite restaurants off Main Street– Lidia’s in Kansas City! There are so many great restaurant patios on the KC Plaza —many to list—-but one windy and sunny afternoon on Brio’s outdoor patio, we absolutely enjoyed the sumptuous Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc.Matua Valley is a New Zealand wine so we were instantly curious. New Zealand white wines are known for their lighter and intense flavors. I tasted fruity notes—green apple, citrus, etc. It’s described as herbaceous and tropical. It was nice to enjoy a white wine for a change from all of the red zinfandel and malbecs that we love. Paired with a bruschetta sampler, it was a perfect afternoon “pikilia”. We didn’t want to spoil our appetites for our dinner plans that night at Lidia’s restaurant.Our favorite meal there is Polipo— octopus salad with capers, potatoes, pickled onions, greens, string beans, olives. The extra crispy pieces of potato were divine. It’s actually an appetizer/small plate but we often choose it as our entree because it’s a perfect amount of food without being too rich. The latter is important so that you might save room for tiramisu and espresso. The breadsticks and bread basket come with olive tapenade, olive oil and green hummus. We ate it too quickly to take a photo of it!

While we waited for dinner, we ordered a bottle of  white wine from Orvieto. I was curious about Grappa, too, though because so many people ask me if Ouzo is like Grappa. The Grappas were infused with apricot, fig, etc….but I chose fig; one of my favorite fruits. It was interesting, syrupy, thick and pungent. Small sips are recommended or else you might start having fun  like this….I think Ouzo is better than Grappa….but I’m Greek, so I’m biased maybe.Lidia’s is a perfect Italian restaurant with an elegant ambience of Venetian glass blown chandeliers, brick interior, pizza oven, wine alcoves and much more. The Wild Boar Cinghale (ravioli with rosemary infused sauce) and Lasagna (spinach pasta layered with bolognese sauce and besciamella) are also personal recommendations. My dear friend, Diane,  introduced us to Lidia’s restaurant sixteen years ago and I’ve been going back ever since!