Have you ever been to a restaurant and ordered the butter plate? Do you even realize how awesome a butter plate is? On a recent Saturday, we stopped into 694 Wine and Spirits in Chicago’s River West neighborhood and found out for ourselves.

694 is a wine bar with a well curated and manageable list featuring a dozen or so styles by the glass and a deep selection of bottles. We like variety, so we stuck to the single pours and over six glasses between us, never found a single dud. Each wine was unique and slightly curious or was something we had never encountered.

The Fellow sniffed and sipped a South African Pinotage called The Grinder that oozed smokey and earthy flavors like espresso, chocolate and cloves while the Lady gushed over the silky, lush and surprising light yet complex Chasing Lions Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley. During dessert, we then both marveled at how the pink and slightly effervescent Elio Perrone “Bigaro” Brachetto tasted like a St. Germain elderflower cocktail.

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While sipping all these yummy wines, we began to eat. And eat. And eat. 694 DOES NOT skimp on portions. Not only are the glasses big and the pours deep, but the cheese comes in Trader Joe-sized portions and the salumis arrives as ten slices of rich goodness. If you’ve eaten out for cheese and charcuterie plates before, expect about twice what you’re used to for a comparable price. You won’t hear any complaints from us.

We started with that butter plate mentioned above which featured three different spreads each topped with a different salt. The sheep’s butter with a Hawaiian red sea salt was sweet and creamy while the Maine hand-churned was a bit too rich and generic, saved only by the delightful black salt. However, the true star was a Parmesan butter drizzled with truffle oil and big white sea salt bits that was light, subtle, delicious and melty. Spread over a crusty baguette slice, it was heavenly.

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Our butter was joined by a gritty and paper thin-sliced Gouda, a four year cave-aged cheddar studded with curious funky notes and a rich and deeply creamy Délice de Bourgogne soft. For accoutrements, we were treated to a plate splattered with honey, dried fruits, almonds, olives and quince and for meat we picked a seasonal oregano salumi and the rich culatello.

If you aren’t salivating over this yet, something’s wrong with you. The delicious pairings that we made from this are simply too scandalous to describe and we left well beyond content.

694 Wine is a cozy spot that presents both a great value and unique experience. It makes a perfect relaxing spot for drifting away on a weekend, but is also sure to please an adventurous palate.