Grape and Bean – A Delightful Experience

The Professional has done it again. Who would have thought on this Saturday night I would be indulging in bliss.

Nestled deep in the streets of Old Town Alexandria, we arrive to this small brick front restaurant.  I would describe it as a café but has the cuisine and wine selection of a top-rated restaurant.

This is definitely your friendly neighborhood café and IT IS PACKED!  We’re asked if we would like coffee or wine. My two addictions; of course, I want both. We choose wine and we’re handed a wine menu.

I order a Pinot Noir from Oregon and The Professional orders a Pinot Noir from California. I apologize, I didn’t’ make a note of the Pinot Noir because it was eh… The California Pinot Noir was lighter in color but had more body than the Oregon Pinot.

After waiting for 15 minutes, we’re seated and I immediately see a 2010 Quivira Zinfandel. (Eyes bulging) pointing to the bottle, I say to The Professional, “I didn’t see that on the menu”.  One of the managers/owner came over and apologizes for the wait. I replied with a smile, “You don’t have apologized for the wait; you can apologize for not having that Zinfandel on the menu.” He smiled, apologized and asked if I wanted a taste. “Yes, thank you!” (Smiling from ear to ear). 🙂

He pours and my mouth waters. I pull out the iPhone and open “Notes”.  I have to document this experience. I wrote exactly as shown:

Full berries flavors- INTOXICATING
Full-bodied
Fruit-forward
Every time I sip, my eyes close, head sways back & forth – excuse me but this is orgasmic! 🙂

Time for Dinner – Our prosciutto flatbread has arrived. The flatbread is more like a corn tortilla with melted cheese topped with prosciutto. My mouth is filled with flavors of smoky, garlic, herbal olive oil and roasted prosciutto. This is best way I can describe the dish, since we didn’t see it on the menu and saw our very close neighbor order the DELICIOUS dish. We’re still hungry and ordered a beautiful plate of cheeses, fruit, breads and meat.

My glass is empty and I just ordered a bottle of the 2010 Quivira Zinfandel that can be corked and taken home. I’m writing while I place in my mouth a piece of creamy Gouda …mmm… then a piece of Irish cheese.  OMG, this is DELIGHTFUL!

The Zinfandel pairs very well with the variety of cheeses. The Irish cheddar has a slight herb, but I’m also picking up some floral flavors. (Exhale) I taste the salami – light not as sharp as I expected.

I know I’m going to have regrets later, but this is delightful. The Professional just gave me a smile 🙂

I went online www.grapeandbean.com and found that we had the following:

American Artisan Flatbread (A la Roses Café, San Francisco), crisp flatbread with creamy traditional Crescenza-Stracchino cheese from Lombardy, Italy; topped with shaved Prosciutto + Fresh Thyme drizzled with white truffle oil.

By the way, Grape and Bean conducts wine tasting and wine classes. I can’t wait to go back and try their coffee.  FOLKS THIS IS A MUST VISIT!

Salute!