Metropolitan Grill Wine Program

Chris Lara, Director of the Wine Program at the Metropolitan Grill in Seattle - Grand Award Winner Since 2018 Photos by Andrew Valentine, except for the dining room interior by Suzi Pratt. When Chris Lara was growing up, he never imagined a career in fine dining restaurants.  He thought he might want to become an actor.  But the jobs he got were all in restaurants, and eventually he was hooked on a hospitality career.  The job that cemented his career as a “wine guy” was at Crush Restaurant in the Seattle area.  As the restaurant grew in popularity, the chef and owner no longer had time to tend to the wine list.  Chris gradually took over and made a decision that sealed his fate as guardian of the list.  He was introduced to a Bandol Rosé for the first time and decided to put it on the wine list as a glass pour.  Doing so was a gamble because of the price, but guests couldn’t get enough of it.  And Chris couldn’t get enough of wine related work.&

by Marji Morgan · source ↗