So dressed in a cozy dress and cardi, off we went, crossing our fingers that we wouldn't be disappointed the second time around:
Cardi: Carson's
Tights: Lane Bryant
Headband: The Potting Shed (A local boutique)
Let me walk you through our glorious meal:
Cheese Flight:
I love cheese boards and charcuterie plates of every variety. You get to nibble on a little bit of this and a little bit of that and then pair things together to create glorious flavor mash-ups. Kyle and I sometimes (embarrassingly) find ourselves reenacting this scene from Ratatouille as we try ingredients on their own and then in combination:
· baked fontina in phyllo & red wine pears
· bourbon smoked maple leaf goat cheese & fig crostini
· michigan triple crème & quinoa cornbread
· aged gouda & walnut-arugula napoleon
The stand-out? The fig crostini and wrapped goat cheese. Such a spectacular combination, I'm making it for our next dinner party. We each paired the cheese flight with a different white wine by the glass. I had a glass with notes. Kyle's had an off dry, easy-drinking Ravenna Reisling, while I had a glass of the Albarino, Desa Nui, with notes of nectarine, mandarin orange oil, and minerality.
Next...
The Sage Bread Crostini:
And then...for our entrees:
Juniper Roast Pork:
As for me, I ordered the duck:
Smoked Duck Breast:
Also, they have a "last of the bin" wine list at steep discounts. We shared a bottle of Merlot from Bordeaux, France for a price we could easily afford. Cheers to that!
Kyle and I raved about it all night and the next day and will probably bore anyone we talk to in the next few days with a detailed account of our feast. Definitely one of the best meals we've had. Tristan in Charleston, South Carolina still holds a tender place in my heart. It was, after all, our special honeymoon dinner, and those chocolate ribs and that Four Vines Zinfandel that we buy whenever we spot a bottle won't soon be forgotten. Then there's Alligator Soul in Savannah with its chef's tasting menu, crafty cocktails, and exotic meats. And we do love our very local Common Grill with the best bread in the universe and tasty seafood dishes. But Vinology, you so exceeded our expectations, and that's not because of how low they were after our first visit. Attentive, helpful service; creative, seasonal dishes; and a foodie's dream dinner.
Then we went and saw Flight... It was an intense, nail-biting first 15 minutes... The remainder of it was solid... We enjoyed it... Just not as much as dinner!