Vibes, vino & V-Day: Mandy adds the love to special wine bar menu

Chef John Howard holds a plate of the wild mushroom and cauliflower orzo served with scallops at Mandy’s Wine Bar on Feb. 6, 2025. [Monica D. Spencer]

Celebrating a years-long romance, a blossoming love or even Arizona’s statehood can work up an appetite.

That’s why Mandy’s Wine Bar is offering a special Valentine’s Day menu carefully curated by Mandy herself, featuring some of her most popular repasts today only.

“We still have people who are coming in for their first or second time, so we didn’t want to restrict our menu to only a few options,” said owner Amanda Atler, who debuted the wine room in August. “We really wanted to showcase what we offer because some people still don’t know we offer food.”

Atler’s Mediterranean-American concept tonight features succulent wild mushroom and cauliflower orzo served with scallops or butterflied prawns. It mixes earthy, wine-driven flavors with a creamy, cheesy orzo for a hearty meal that somehow doesn’t feel heavy.

Atler, a Rancho El Dorado resident who hails from the Seattle area, suggested pairing the orzo with her Crossbarn chardonnay for a more refreshing sip.

Or try this new menu item: the breaded chicken Milanese served over a bed of pappardelle pasta in a creamy white wine sauce and house-made pesto.

A bartender adds a Luxardo maraschino cherry to a cherry blossom cocktail at Mandy’s Wine Bar on Feb. 6, 2025. The creamy cocktail mixes Absolut vanilla vodka with cherry syrup, heavy cream and a splash of pinot noir. [Monica D. Spencer]“You have a bit of that breadcrumb seasoned with herbs, this really nice, light cream sauce and then the pesto adds that pop, that burst of flavor,” Atler said. “We thought it would pair really nicely with the Harvey and Harriet white blend that has notes of pineapple and honeydew. It reminds me of a slightly fruitier chardonnay.”

The wine bar will also have long-stem chocolate-covered strawberries available for sale.