Lunch at Grape & Vine

I recently had the pleasure of enjoying a casual lunch at "Grape & Vine." I cannot count the number of times I have walked past this restaurant and each time I do, my desire to dine here grows. When my mother invited me to join her and a friend for lunch, I jumped at the opportunity to suggest this venue. 

"Grape & Vine" is located inside the Jade Hotel

The menu

Before I talk about my lunch, I wanted to take a moment to describe the lobby area of the Jade Hotel. It was super cool! When you enter the hotel, at street level, you are required to descend down a really beautiful and and trendy staircase. The steps are lit and the bannister is beautifully carved. The lobby has this really cool art-deco-esque feeling and exudes this urban edgy look. I absolutely loved it!

The stairwell

Sitting area in the lobby

Side lounge in the lobby

"Grape & Vine" is located next to the lobby and carries on the trendy feel of the lobby. To get to the restaurant, our hostess guided us through a narrow brick passageway, which opened into the very spacious restaurant. 

The passageway

The restaurant was really hip and reminded me of Gatsby. It wasn't necessarily over the top or glitzy, like you see in Gatsby, but I think the juxtaposition of old-style furniture, the black and white photographs on the wall, the high ceiling, and the ornate architecture just gave it this glamorous feel.

The main dining room

Booths along the walls

The bar

Gorgeous glass ceiling

We started our lunch with cocktails. Mine was a ginger ale and bourbon based cocktail that was quite tasty. Not too strong, but not too sweet. My mother ordered a blood orange cosmo, which was equally delicious and very pretty to look out.

My bourbon and ginger ale cocktail

Blood orange cosmo

I thought the menu was rather respectable. Not too big, not too small --- and everything looked delicious. To start, the three of us shared two flatbreads, which were a bit mediocre. My major criticism was the lack of seasoning. I found both the wild mushroom and chorizo flatbreads to be lacking salt. Although the taste wasn't impressive, the flatbreads looked amazing! 

The menu

Chorizo flatbread (left) and wild mushroom flatbread (right)

The appetizer made a rather lackluster impression, however, our main dishes were excellent! Both my mother and our friend ordered the chicken sandwich, however mom had her chicken fried, whilst our friend had her chicken grilled. Their sandwiches were served with a mango cole slaw and a sriracha mayonnaise. I ordered the cheeseburger, which was served with a smoked aioli, avocado, and the same sriracha mayonnaise. I took a nibble of my mother's chicken and found it to be very flavorful. My burger was quite succulent and cooked to perfection! I also really enjoyed the spicy kick of the sriracha mayonnaise, as well as my smokey aioli. I must also say, the french fries were delightful! I polished my plate. 

Fried chicken sandwich with mango slaw and french fries

Grilled chicken sandwich with mango slaw and french fries

Cheeseburger with french fries

No meal would be complete without dessert --- at least in my books. I always need my "sweet taste." Both my mother and our friend enjoyed the fresh berry pavlova, which had a nice balance of sweet and tart. I will say, the pavlova struck us as being a bit flat, but it tasted nice. I, on the other hand, ordered something a bit more indulgent. As soon as I saw the word "sundae" on the menu, I immediately had a flashback to my childhood. I cannot tell you the last time I had a sundae and suddenly, I was overcome with a feeling of nostalgia. The sundae was a bit too rich for my taste, but it was still absolutely delicious. In particular, I enjoyed the caramelized bananas and peanuts. 

Dessert menu

Berry pavlova

Grape & Vine Sundae

All in all, what a splendid lunch! The food was quite good, the ambience was excellent, and the conversation was enjoyable. My only regret is that I did not come to Grape & Vine sooner. I really want to go back for dinner and happy hour --- I feel like it will be even cooler then.