It's been a while!

Wow, last post was back in September. Well a lot has happened since then. I changed careers and am now a Store Manager of a wine shop. It has it's up and downs. Pro: I get to taste amazing wine all the time and learn a lot about different regions/varietials. Cons: Retail schedule doesn't allow me to go out to eat as much as I used to.

That hasn't stopped me though, I just had to cut back a little. Most recently, I went to a great dinner with a girlfriend at Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro in Reston. Jenny had a groupon to use and was expiring so we made a last minute plan to grab dinner. The staff was very cordial upon walking in. Jenny was already there to put our name on the list and she was told that the table was ready before I had arrived. They offered the hold the table for as long as we needed!

Once seated, we glanced at the amazing selection of entrees and appetizers. Sea bass, steak, lamb, duck, scallops, and more were all options so it was hard to choose. We were also tempted to just order a few different appetizers because some of them were mini meals like the scallops with parsnip puree and root vegetable chips. We chose to order two different entrees. I ordered the individually grilled lamb chops with lime risotto and fig marmalade. She ordered the seared maple leaf farm duck breast with sweet potatoe gnocchi. Needless to say, these entrees sounded amazing as soon as we read the menu.

While waiting for our food, we ordered a few glasses of wine and enjoyed conversation over the complimentary bread which is also very appetizing. Our plates arrive and the portion sizes were pretty decent. She mentioned when she ordered the duck last time, it seemed to be a bigger portion but it was okay because we were definitely full at the end of the meal.  My lamb chops were cooked perfectly and didn't even need to use the steak knife they brought me.

The service from the time we walked in to the time we left was perfect. The server didn't give us any trouble with using the groupon even though we left the groupon at home. I found the voucher number online and he still gave us the discount!

I would definitely come back again and maybe get the short ribs or pork chops next time! It is fairly pricey so without the groupon, I'll have to wait for a special occasion.

Cheers :)