A Quick Trip to LA for a little fun and wine
With a few days off and it being our Anniversary, Michael and I headed out to LA to channel our inner kids at Universal Studios and then to be a little more grown up with some fabulous wine and dinner at Vintage Enoteca on Sunset Boulevard.
Hogwarts at Universal Studios Hollywood
We headed to LA really early and made our way to Universal Studios. The attraction was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Our inner kids got filled up with butter beer after a ride on the Hogwarts “Harry Potter and the Hidden Journey” and explored Hogsmeade and the rest of the park.
After our day at Universal, I found a list on Eater of the top 10 wine bars in LA. Closest to our hotel was Vintage Enoteca. Not being sure how busy it would be, I set a reservation for 6:30 on Open Table and off we went.
Vintage Enoteca on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood
http://www.vintageenoteca.com/
Vintage Enoteca is on Sunset Blvd. between Hollywood Heights and West Hollywood. Parking on a side street fairly easily since it was a Monday night. I will admit that we questioned our choice as we walked up. It’s an inconspicuous place in the midst smoke shops and tattoo parlors. The place was empty when we walked in, with the front two tables holding “reserved” signs, one of which was for us. Quickly and warmly the hostess greeted and sat to peruse the extensive wine list. What a joy to have the person taking care of us be completely fluent on the wine list (which incidentally changes weekly) and to be ready with suggestions for pairings. I began with a Cremant Rose from Domaine Fouet from the Loire Valley and Michael had a Malvasia from Birichino in Santa Cruz.
Great wines and small plates
The small plates menu by Chef Marc Elliot gives you lots of options; Mini bites (think bar bites), small bites, bruschetta, Cheese & Salumi, salads, flatbreads, Panini and bigger bites. Michael and I settled on Marcona Almonds, Fish cakes (with crème fraiche & caviar), Pan-Blackend String Beans and the crab Mac & Cheese. As Michael perused the wine list some more he found a “Scheurebe” on the menu. This was not a wine we were familiar with so we asked our host about it. Scheurebe is a German wine from the Rheinhessen. Our hostess/server said to think Reisling, but very dry and with some effervescence.
The Scheurebe was wonderful on it’s own. We found that the Malvasia went beautifully with the crab Mac & Cheese. Still ready to try something else, we decided on one more glass and our hostess suggested a Merlot/Zin blend from Sean Minor in Napa. We added a cheese plate to finish our pairings.
While we enjoyed our pairings the place started to fill up. It was still a quiet Monday night, but obviously this place has a well deserved following, with many guests coming in through a back way.
All in all this was a lovely way to start, what we didn’t realize would be a wine getaway.
Check back here at Crushed Grape Chronicles for more on the details on the our unexpected wine getaway! You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram