State of the Vine

State of the Vine

Water & Wall, Happy Hour Reds Part Five

Arlington happy hour, Neighborhood: Water & Wall, Virginia Square
Specs: Monday-Fri until 8pm
Happy hour red: A Pinot Noir from California that goes for $5/glass. I didn't like it (too dry and a slightly leathery taste) so I decided to try another one they had on the menu  (which was fantastic...see  below).

Yes, believe it or not, this happy hour review is for Virginia Square, the tiny, often forgotten about sub-neighborhood wedged between Ballston and Clarendon.

Side note: They do have great happy hour beers. You can choose from a selection of several-- all on the "crafty" side. So if you like lighter beers this isn't the right place for you (they don't even exist on the regular-price drink menu).

So here's the wine I did review:




La Cuadrilla, Stolpman Vineyards, 2012
Varietal, Region: 60% Syrah, 20% Sangiovese, 15% Grenache, 5% Petite Sirah
Price: $14/glass, $56/bottle
My Tasting Notes: Medium to full-bodied, dark fruits, spicy and dry with a nice finish.
My Verdict: Great wine. While it's a little pricey by the glass, just one of these gave me a nice warm wine buzz!


They also have fantastic appetizers. These are the fried green tomatoes.



Overall, Water & Wall is a must-visit. Cheers!

Delectable Desserts: The Ballston Edition


This post is long overdue, mainly because Arlington has some fantastic desserts. 

When I first started this blog, I intended to post about a few different desserts a month at the very least, but most of the time, they're so incredibly tasty that I forget to take a picture until it's half gone! That, or my fiance and I are abiding by our "phones put away at dinner" rule, which is actually a good thing (most of the time), but it can be a little complicated because my phone and camera are one and the same!

Now, on to the desserts! Here are two of my favorites, from Ballston:

Dessert: Mudslide cookies
Price:
4 cookies for $6
Available at:
Willow, Fairfax Drive, Ballston
My Tasting Notes:
These cookies taste just like a mudslide of chocolatey goodness and will certainly satisfy dark chocolate lovers (ME!!) and milk chocolate lovers, alike.
My Verdict:
They taste great with vanilla ice cream. You can get the cookies with ice cream at Willow, or you can take them home and make your own cookie sandwiches, or cookies a la mode.

Dessert: Fruit Tart
Available at: Rus Uz, North Randolph Street, Ballston
My Tasting Notes:
Tangy, light, fruity, slightly creamy, delicious
My Verdict:
This dessert is much lighter than it looks, it is perfect for an after-dinner alternative to chocolate (which is an option, although I hate to admit it). I love the food here and I was pleasently surprised about this dessert...the surprised part comes in part because all it says under the dessert section of the menu on their website is "Call for details." Another thing to keep in mind, they have the desserts on some kind of rotation, so they don't always have the same selection.


Check out one of my other Ballston dessert posts here.

I promise my next dessert post will feature a different Arlington neighborhood.

Until then...

Cheers!

If You Have a Menut...

I couldn't help it; the pun was too good to resist. But, fortunately, so is this Priorat from Spain!

 It comes highly recommended from a friend and I was finally able to make it to one of the DC stores that carries it! 





Clos Martinet, Menut, 2011
Varietal, Region: Merlot Blend, Priorat, Spain
Price: $17.99/bottle
Available at: D'vines, 14th St DC and Adams Morgan
My Tasting Notes: Ripe and juicy, hints of blackberries and blueberries, slightly smokey, bold flavor with just the right amount of tannins.
My Verdict: So I bet you noticed this wine is a MERLOT blend. I think my next post might be "Why I should have never given Merlot the cold shoulder." haha. This wine is fantastic, a robust red that's also something a little different.

Cheers!