Alpana Singh is the youngest person—woman or man—to pass the master sommelier exam.
That landed her the sommelier’s job at Chicago’s four-star Everest restaurant, and then she became the wine and spirits director for the entire Lettuce Entertain You restaurant chain.
And because she’s smart and photogenic, she soon thereafter was named host of the restaurant review program, “Check, Please!” on Chicago’s PBS station.
Singh recently moved on from that gig to open her own restaurant: The Boarding House. As one would expect, it’s wine focused, and Singh says she even has adjusted some food recipes to make them more wine friendly.
The 500-bottle list is remarkably short on “same old, same old” bottlings, and packed with lesser known but inspired selections. Best of all, for a Chicago restaurant, the wines are very reasonably priced—a reflection of Singh’s desire to see people drink and enjoy wine, rather than merely covet it.
When in Chicago, you should definitely check into The Board House. For reservations, call 312-280-0720.
