Dear readers, after a long hiatus, the discerning eating duo are back!  What took us so long?  Well, we were busy getting ourselves hitched in a whirlwind romance, involving no less than six jars of fine Russian caviar, ten boxes of Sky vodka, copious amounts of pickled herring, musically phenomenal Russian relatives dressed as very good looking gypsies, and lots of respectful Korean bowing.  Of course, so much romance will turn your brain to mush, so we goo’d and gaa’d over each other during our honeymoon, then went into hibernation until our brains solidified into a more solid mass, and voila, you see us here again!

What better way to celebrate our return to intelligent living than by gathering our dear friends and marinating our still-delicate brains in complex wine and gorging ourselves on fatty meats?   Enter the perfect spot for recovering honeymooners, Vinoteca.

Atmosphere: Vinoteca has a bar.  Vinoteca has a dining area. Vinoteca has a sidewalk patio (and they’re building a patio out back as well).  Vinoteca is building a plush lounge upstairs.  In short, Vinoteca is a place for every occasion.  Do you want to stop by after work for a fabulous glass of wine and some munchies?  Check.  Do you want to have a romantic dinner with your sweetheart in the great outdoors of U-street DC?  Check.  Even the menu is flexible and allows you to either order a full meal or to make the drinks the main course and have the food as tasty accompaniments to enhance the flavor of the wine.  Cozy and chic, Vinoteca is a snazzy hangout.

Food: The appetizers and entrees are a tad small in size, a little expensive in price, and a shot short of fabulous.  The real treasure of Vinoteca is their cheese and charcuterie boards and their extensive selection of wine.  Dan, my darling Russian husband, is somewhat of an expert on salted meats (the Russians are forever preserving their meats for their super long winters).  In every restaurant we have been to, if a charcuterie board is part of the menu, we have ordered it.  And we can say, without any doubt in our minds, that the charcuterie board offered at Vinoteca is the best charcuterie board we have ever had.  The selection and quality (and quantity) on the board is unmatched by any other restaurant.  Let’s give you a taste of the meaty divine:

• Whisper thin slices of prosciutto di parma (pork from Italy),
• lomo (cured pork loin from Spain),
• smoked speck (cured ham smoked over beechwood from Germany),
• sopressata (spicy dried pork salami from the US),
• duck prosciutto (rich, decadently creamy and powerfully flavorful duck breast from the US),
• bresaola (eye of round from the US),
• jamon iberico (an astonishingly delicious and expensive rare pork ham from Spain),
• duck and pork country pate,
• and a rediculously luxurious truffled deviled egg

All of the above laden on a rustic wooden board and brought to you with hot crusty bread, and mmm mmm mmmmm, you have entered meat lovers’ paradise.  A couple of bottles of wine and a giant charcuterie board from Vinoteca is all you need for a night out with your dearest friends.  Good wine, good food, good friends, ahhh, la vie en rose.

The cheese selection  at Vinoteca is not something to be sneezed at either.  A wide selection of some bold and daring cheeses match their intriguing assortment of wines, and if you’re not too full from the charcuterie, by all means, order the cheese!   If you want something hot and toasty, their plate of sliders (2 oz mini burgers) are quite satisfying.

Service: Vinoteca is quite popular and usually very crowded.  I highly recommend making a reservation, especially if you have a larger group.  If you have to wait though, their bar is an excellent spot, especially from 5-7pm when you can get their happy hour $5/glass wines.  I’ve been to Vinoteca a couple of times now, and their service has always been friendly and efficient.  There are times when you may have to wait a bit for your waiter, though, as the restaurant does get crowded.

Summary: Vinoteca is a great place to bring your friends, date, coworkers and make merry.  Bring a blind date, and if all goes well, order a meal.  If not, grab a quick drink and move on.  Flexibility is the name of the game.  But whether you’re out for a meal or for a dignified glass of cabernet sauvignon, don’t forgo the delights of the charcuterie board and its magical meats.  I guarantee you’ll be back for more.

Restaurant information:

• Address: 1940 11th St. NW, DC 20001
• Phone: 202-332-WINE
• Website: http://www.vinotecadc.com
• Price Range: Appetizers $8-$10, Entrees $15-$19, Wine by the glass $5-$15