Delicious food, exquisitely prepared and presented. Elegant surroundings. Attentive service. Only one thing needs to be added for a perfect evening: a glass (or more) of fine wine.

Since the 1980s, all this has been available at Dusty’s Cellar, a landmark in the Lansing area. First imagined as a bakery and retailer of cookware and gifts by Dusty Rhodes, the original owner, it soon dispensed with the cookware but added retail wines, a restaurant/wine bar and, just three years ago, a more casual venue, the Tap Room. Matt Rhodes, current owner, purchased the business from his father 12 years ago.

Matt Rhodes explained, “We have an extensive menu of dishes from around the world which we change quarterly to take advantage of fresh, seasonal foods. Our chef, Kevin Cronin, is excellent, and our guests can be assured of an extraordinary meal when they dine with us.”

One look at the menu is all it takes to pique the appetite. A tapas sampler consisting of two-pecan goat cheese, portabella, avocado and jicama spring rolls, two grilled lamb chops and two rabbit ginger sausage puffs over Caribbean slaw is only one of many choices for appetizers. The menu continues with a variety of pastas, a traditional jambalaya for two, fish (like almond crusted Great Lakes whitefish with an herb de province cream over truffle infused creamy grits), and meats (try a peppercorn and sea salt dusted filet mignon with a blue cheese demi glacé over a fresh goat cheese potato mash). And, of course, there’s a tempting array of desserts.

An essential part of the dining experience here is choosing one of the many top-rated wines on hand. Servers are well versed in food and wine pairings and are more than happy to make suggestions, or a member of the wine staff is available for consultation. But don’t be too worried about choosing the “right” wine. Matt Rhodes said, “That’s one of the great things about wine. There’s no right or wrong answer. If you like it, it’s good. It’s all about personal preference. Chardonnay continues to be our most popular. For red wines, Pinot Noir is always a good choice.”

“Despite the popularity of the movie Sideways and its disparagement of Merlot, we do serve a lot of it,” he laughed.

About 60 percent of the wine sold both in the extensive cellar and served in the wine bar is domestic, including a wide selection of Michigan wines. Rhodes said, “The quality of Michigan wines has been rising steadily over the past 10 years.”

Dusty’s hosts monthly wine tastings at which all kinds of wines are compared. The wines are served with a selection of artisan cheeses. Slightly more elaborate are the frequent tapas and tastings events. For an even more expansive wine experience, the restaurant serves five-course, themed, wine dinners throughout the year. The chef pairs specially prepared dishes with various wines, often from a particular region or winery.

Available for special events is the Bordeaux Room for parties up to 40. Showers, birthday parties or anniversaries can be celebrated in charming surroundings with a guarantee that the food (and wine) will be wonderful.

Of course, the retail side of the business has a complete selection of wine for sale, purchased for the shop by Don McGarry, Dusty’s retail buyer. In addition, the store sells gourmet food items and gifts, and the bakery prepares fresh pastries on a daily basis and stocks artisan breads and sandwiches. Catering is also available.

For 2007, Dusty’s Wine Bar was chosen to receive the 2007 Santé magazine’s restaurant award for wine hospitality/bistro in the Midwest. There were eight winners in this category nationwide. In addition, they have received an award of excellence from Wine Spectator magazine for the past 10 years.

Another local restaurant chosen by Santé magazine for special recognition is The State Room restaurant in the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center on the campus of Michigan State University. For 2007, it was awarded a wine hospitality award for outstanding achievement in wine and hospitality services in the hotel/resort fine dining category.

The Wine Spectator magazine awards its honors on three levels. The first level is the award of excellence, which The State Room received in 2003, 2004 and 2005. The second level is the best of award of excellence, which The State Room received in 2006 and 2007. The top award is the grand award, which fewer than 100 restaurants in the world have received, none of them in Michigan.

Another local eatery, Restaurant Villegas in Okemos, has also been honored by Wine Spectator magazine, receiving the award of excellence for the past 10 years.

Seating 140 guests, with three private dining rooms, The State Room is in the seventh year of its wine program. Their wine list features world varietals, French and Michigan wines. According to Larry Crown, banquet operations manager and wine director, “We favor small wineries and single vineyard offerings. We change our wine list at least every two months to assure that new finds are offered to our guests.”

KC’s Lounge, a casual restaurant and bar, and a coffee bar add to the options for dining.

Crown continued, “The wine industry is growing throughout the world every year with more wines being offered. Michigan is no exception. We serve more red wines than white, with Cabernet and Pinot Noir being the most popular. In the white wines, we sell a lot of Chardonnay and Riesling.”

The menu (which changes frequently) suggests select wines for various dishes, and, according to Crown, “Our servers and floor staff are very knowledgeable about wine and can make suggestions for our diners.”

Kellogg Center Executive Chef Michael Clyne and State Room Chef Jeff Fisher offer delicious dishes from lakes and oceans, fields and forests including such delectable dishes as “ocean grill: New England lobster tail, shrimp and scallop brochette served with basmati rice, carrots, snow peas and a lobster cognac sauce and braised veal shanks with celery root puree, gremolata, shiitake mushrooms and natural jus”. All these are printed in the menu alongside suggestions for wines that will enhance the dining experience.

Special events offered at The State Room include wine dinners, which typically consist of five to six wine offerings paired with four or five food courses. In March, the Greater Lansing Vintners Club hosts a wine tasting benefit and wine auction to benefit the MSU Museum. Last year, nearly 400 guests attended this event. In August, the restaurant co-sponsors and hosts a Michigan Wine and Spirits Competition and Gold Medal Reception. Over 50 wineries were represented at the last competition, which was attended by over 300 guests.

Crown said, “We also host celebrity chefs as part of our visiting chef series. Each two-day event brings in noted chefs who cook, demonstrate and share some of their best work. Traditionally, the last event of the fall series is our own chef, a native of England, preparing a Dickens Christmas Dinner.”

Legislation in 2005 allowing guests to have unfinished bottles recorked and taken home has increased the number of diners who purchase full bottles rather than single glasses of wine.

Robert Louis Stevenson said, “Wine is bottled poetry.” If so, these restaurants set the poems to music by pairing delicious food with their fine wines.