The Wine Loft...as promised.

So Graham and I tried the Wine Loft that I mentioned in my last restaurant review. The Wine Loft is in the Gulch and is fairly new. I heard about it through Groupon oddly enough and checked out their website, then bought the groupon. It was money well spent. The Wine Loft is a different atmosphere than the normal dinner spot...you walk in to a dark 2 story restaurant with all couches and low tables downstairs and a loft upstairs. It would be the perfect place for a happy hour one night or a private party in the upstairs loft. But it was also delicious for a dinner for the 2 of us! We sat on a couch with a low table and immediately ordered some wine. They have some neat wines by the glass and the waitress was very helpful. We decided to take the red wine route and had a few delicious wines (Try Trefethen, Montgras Quatro or the Alexander Valley Pinot Noir). None of the wines disappointed and all were new to us so we loved that. Their menu is made up of small plates...my favorite way to dine. I have the hardest time picking out what I want so this allows me to pick several things. But it was still hard to pick! They have the most enticing little things...baked brie, charcuterie board, lamp lollipops, shrimp and cheese empanadas...all of which we got, but just a few of the options. We ate every bite of our food. There were more things on the menu I wanted to try, but I would have a hard time going back and not getting the same things we got this time! The baked brie was perfect...wrapped in that buttery puff pastry with a sweet balsamic glaze on top; the perfect sweet and savory. I always love an antipasta type dish like their charcuterie board with yummy cheeses, thin sliced meats and garnishes such as olives and spicy mustards. The empanada was so good, but similar to the brie in that it was again a puff pastry wrapped around cheese so you could get one without the other. And I liked the lamb a lot, but Graham thought it could have used more flavor. Maybe a mint jelly would have been a good garnish for it. But overall, we loved it. We loved the atmosphere, loved the wine, loved the food and had great service. I plan to go back for date nights, girls nights, happy hours and even hopefully a small party sometime. I definitely recommend this one next time you want to get out. You can check it out for yourself here. Wish I were there now...

And while I sit here missing my hubby who is out of town, I have to give a shout out to his Gamecocks and their big win over Alabama today! I know it made his day :)