1 of 14
Photo by Stephanie Breijo
Asian Pork Belly Tostadas with scallions, sesame seeds, cilantro, radish and sweet chili BBQ sauce
2 of 14
Photo by Stephanie Breijo
3 of 14
Photo by Stephanie Breijo
General Manager Matt Foody
4 of 14
Photo by Stephanie Breijo
The Trio of Medallions; beef fillets topped with horseradish, bleu cheese, and parmesan, served with mashed potatoes and asparagus
5 of 14
Photo by Stephanie Breijo
Cooper's Hawk serves up wine on tap
6 of 14
Photo by Stephanie Breijo
7 of 14
Photo by Stephanie Breijo
Mexican Drunken Shrimp, a Cooper's Hawk appetizer of bacon-wrapped shrimp in tequila-lime butter sauce, served with fresh guacamole
8 of 14
Photo by Stephanie Breijo
9 of 14
Photo by Stephanie Breijo
10 of 14
Photo by Stephanie Breijo
The Cooper's Hawk Chicken Giardiniera served with parmesan-breaded chicken, shaved Parmesan, and potatoes
11 of 14
Photo by Stephanie Breijo
House-made truffles and chocolate-dipped fruit, available for retail daily
12 of 14
Photo by Stephanie Breijo
13 of 14
Photo by Stephanie Breijo
14 of 14
Photo by Stephanie Breijo
A wise man once said, "In wine there is truth." If this is to be believed, color Short Pump Town Center's newest resident, Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant, a flowing spring of the stuff.
The national chain, opening its new Short Pump location on Monday, Dec. 8, offers 48 varieties from its own winery — based in Chicago — made primarily from grapes sourced from Oregon, California and Washington state. "Within 36 hours after being picked from the vine, they're in our facilities in Chicago," says Matt Foody, general manager.
From there, the bottles begin their journeys to Cooper's Hawk restaurants throughout the country, where they'll be corked and served as part of a tasting room flight, poured by the glass or whole bottle and paired with contemporary American bistro cuisine, or sold in the retail lobby along with all wine accoutrement imaginable, not to mention an impressive chocolatier case filled with truffles made fresh daily.
Another intriguing feature is its Wine of the Month Club, a membership that includes one or two bottles of their winemaker's new release, which will be unavailable to the public for full purchase, but available to try in the tasting room.
"One of the philosophies we have for wine is to make it accessible for everyone," Foody says. "Wine has had a reputation for being kind of pretentious and a little snobby, where the noses were turned up to people who were not as educated as some of the more sophisticated wine drinkers — which we have wine for as well — but we're a teaching restaurant. We want people to learn about wine, and our wine, and wine in general, because it's one of the things we're so passionate about."
It's a warm, cavernous space with darkly tinted windows and booths, barrels and bottles around every corner. It houses a private dining room for 50, a large dining room that seats 170, and a heated patio and lounge — set to open in March — that will seat roughly 75 and include a view of Short Pump Town Center's illuminated fountain. It is, at the very least, going to be a lovely oasis for the shopping masses, and especially a welcome boozy respite from holiday madness.
The food menu, comprehensive, is also worth noting with appetizers, steak, seafood, pasta, salads, sandwiches, burgers, and house-made pastries.
"Virginia has such a great food scene and a great culture here," says Foody. "It really is a little bit more, I don't want to say sophisticated, but a little more tuned into what's happening with food, and this is a great place to show that we're on the scene now. We're really proud of it, and we think it'll fit." So much so, in fact, that the general manager mentions another Virginia location in Ashburn, set to open in roughly 10 months.
While many ingredients are sourced through their founding location's connections in Chicago, Foody is quick to mention that the chain takes great interest and care in sourcing ingredients, even using the same produce vendor as the Obamas.
"An apple you may eat here might also be on a table at the White House," he notes.
While the title of winery might in fact be misleading — there is no wine made on-premises — it's nevertheless a clever concept, providing informative tastings and a wide variety in an effort to better educate guests of all levels of wine enthusiasm and knowledge.
"It's kind of a wine lover's paradise," says Foody, surrounded by gift baskets and wine in the retail shop, later adding, "We have wine for everyone, and wine for all."
Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant is located at 11792 W. Broad St., at Short Pump Town Center, and opens Monday, Dec. 8, at 11 a.m.
