The Wine Bar at Vintner Valley, located on Burroughs Street, is a new establishment located in a quaint cobblestone cottage that you could mistake for a home, rather than a swanky bar. It's open in the evenings, and parking is located around the back of the building. And when you walk inside, it's a different environment. It's dark, posh and sleek with old money folks. A long bar is located to the left, a few high-top tables litter the center, and some leather chairs dot the right side. My friends and I took a table in the middle and looked over the menu. Thank god I didn't wear yoga pants today.
I confess that I'm not a wine connoisseur; I prefer sweet whites. That's not the most sophisticated, I know. But hey, it is what it is. From the wine list, I ordered a glass of Conquista Moscato, Argentina, 2011, which happened to be sparkling. For $9, it was moderately priced, but it was gooooood. Good if you want a sweet wine that tastes similar to apple juice. I did. And it was glorious.
The menu isn't huge, but they have some snack sorts - a few appetizers, pizzas and salad. I ordered the classico bruschetta - slice baguette with melted mozzarella and provolone cheese with tomato, basil, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Kaitlynn got a meat and cheese plate - you choose at least three items (cheese or meat) - so she got the gouda, brie, chorizo and prosciutto. It also came with some crackers, grapes, bread, figs and olives. Josh ordered the pizza bianca - olive oil, garlic, roma tomatoes, provolone and mozarella cheese.
We did a little swapping so that we could all try a little of each. My bruschetta was pretty good - the bread was delicious because it was toasted to perfection and had melted cheese all over it. The tomato mixture was pretty good too, but I could've used just a little more balsamic on it.
Josh's pizza wasn't bad either. It was oil-based, rather than marinara-based, so it's a little lighter. It was tasty, though, tomatoes were fresh, and had some good seasoning.
For dessert, I tried a ricotta cheesecake. You can get the typical vanilla, or you can opt for chocolate. It wasn't bad, either. It's thicker, not "creamy" like a cream cheese-based version. It's thicker, crumbly even. And a raspberry sauce was drizzled over top. It was good. Mind-blowing? Nah, but it was alright.
The service was great here (she even recognized me!), the good was good, and the experience is just fun. It's a little different. It made me feel like I was playing dress up a little bit, and we felt fancy with the wine list. I think it's a nice change from the norm, and if you're a wine expert (or even beer!), it's a welcome addition.
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Grade: B
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