We have been to Curious Grape a few times, and the owners have always come by to make sure everything was to our liking. We have found the food to be fabulous--highly recommend the Asian pear salad and the scallops as an entree. Kudos also for the ability to order a half-portion of the entree (although the scallops are so good, order the full size!) Our only suggestion would be to offer a few more bottles of wine at a little lower cost, since this is also a wine shop. (They make a point of having a wonderful selection of wines for under $20 in the store, so a few more on the menu (even with restaurant mark-up) would be great. BTW, the foccacia bread with olive oil is also awesome--just don't fill up on it!
Review Source:I had the duck confit and the key lime meringue and both were absolutely delicious! Also the iced latte was great too. Â My husband, dog, and I sat on the patio and the server was very friendly and knowledgeable about the food/drinks. And they brought out some treats for our pup. The food took a bit of time but we weren't in any rush so it didn't bother us much. It was a great relaxing experience and I will definitely be returning.
Review Source:I love this place. At first, I went because of a living social deal--I returned again last night and we got the bronzino, sea scallops, and gnoochi. All were fabulous, the service was attentive, and the atmosphere is laid back yet elegant in its own way. I would definitely recommend- the food was spot on.
Review Source:Underwhelming. Looks like a nice place, but there's a reason it is dead most nights-- it's not very good. The wine selection is diverse, but the choices are not amazing-- after three trips here, I've never had a great glass. Same goes for cheese selection. Dinner menu is ok, but entrees are again underwhelming. All the above is tolerable, but the customer service is far below par. The host staff is not welcoming and makes you think you are inconveniencing them by bringing in business. They have a rude, standoffish attitude that makes for an uncomfortable ambience. For my money, I'll head down the street to cheesetique.
Review Source:They claim to be a fresh in season restaurant, but the mediocre food was extremely over priced for the tiny portions they served. Service was slow and the atmosphere was very " look at us " said in your best snobby voice. Don't waist your time, keep driving and find a better place to eat. I would give them a 1/2 a star if I could.
Review Source:I have been to The Curious Grape twice. The first time I went for a private wine tasting in their private room. That was really cool. Granted, I didn't have to pay for any it, so that may have had something to do with my enjoyment. But all of the wine was very good, and the nibblets they had were delicious as well. I have also been there to enjoy some apps. The cheese plates are divine, although I had to ask twice for extra bread (they give you four pieces of bread for three different kinds of cheese). We also had to wait some time for our wine glasses to be refilled. And by the time I wanted to order dessert, they were out of half of the menu items! Clearly they need to make more desserts rather than telling people, "Well, we're out of this, and that, and this, and that..." But other than that and the slow service, I recommend this place, especially if you're a wino.
Review Source:Had a dinner date with my sis! Â The space is very large, with a store front on one end and the restaurant on the other end. Â In between, they have a small cafe where they sell sandwiches and desserts. Â
Service was great, from the servers to the managers. Â Â They provided a very yummy and fresh foccia bread and olive oil for dipping. Â For started, we both started with a corn fritter that I no longer see on their menu. Â Â For dinner, I had their gnocchi. Â The food was fresh and creative. Â Â We paired our meals with several types of wine. Â We also shared a key lime meringue custard with strawberry compote, slivered almonds & blood orange pearls.
Pricing was a tad high for this quaint little bistro, but the food, service and concept was nice.
Establishments like the Curious Grape are the reason Yelp should allow you to rate a business on various criteria and then average the results. This is because some elements were very nice, others were subpar.
If a restaurant is going to have specials or their menu has a "schtick", it's really incumbent on whoever seats you to educate their guests. While we were promptly seated immediately after walking in, we were simply handed menus only to find out there was a tasting special at the bar and that the menu was structured in such a way you could make a tasting menu of half-portions of food and/or wine, and that wine recommendations were paired with entrees if you scanned across columns.
After waiting a while, someone who appeared to be a manager came by with water and explained the menu. We waited quite a while more before our waitress called out to us from about 10 feet away that she'd be with us soon before rushing off to another table.
Yet another employee came by with bread and olive oil which was really good, crusted with what I'm guessing was a nice sea salt. When our waitress finally did come back to us, she exploded into machine gun fire of words, asking if we wanted to start with a drink. We said it depends on what we ordered, she babbled on about a special tasting at the bar, and when my wife asked about their selection of whites her answer only established that they didn't have a wine along the lines my wife wanted, but didn't really offer an alternative with any confidence.
She ran off, bouncing to another table and we waited again. Then the hostess came over asking which of us had the cheese platter when we hadn't even ordered yet. After watching our waitress follow her routine of running up to a table and then talking their ears off while ignoring the others, another and luckily calmer waiter noticed we had been waiting and asked if we had any questions. He could answer my wife's wine question and we placed our entrée and wine order with him.
The wine came out rather quickly and both of us were very happy with our selections, but then we waited again. And waited. And waited. We really didn't see our waitress much as she continued to run around like a hypoglycemic kid who just downed a bunch of Pixy Styx, which was fine by me as I found her tiring as I watched her inefficiency and overheard her hard selling other customers on email lists for discounts and specials in the store.
It felt like we waited 45 minutes to an hour from when we walked in to when we got our entrées. My wife got seared scallops with black rice and bok choy for $27, I got the beef tenderloin with potatoes and bacon with a wine sauce. My wife liked hers though the scallops were kind of on the small side. I liked mine as well, but the filet mignon was pathetically small, a petite filet really probably about 4 ounces, maybe 6 at best. The potatoes were good, but also a small portion with scant pieces of tasty bacon. Good all in all, but leaving me wanting more and definitely not satisfying me.
As we ate, our waitress checked in to see if everything tasted okay, and the manager asked the same. I felt like saying that it tasted great, but that the portions were not worth the money. Yet someone else cleared our plates then we waited, and waited, and waited again for our check.
In the end, the Curious Grape had nice ambiance, an interesting menu, and the food tasted good, however the spotty and annoying service coupled with the ridiculously small portions detracted from the experience. It was $79 for two entrées and two glasses of wine, and I expected a lot more for that much money.
I liked this place a lot. It's in a nice space, right next to a strip of restaurants, bars, and shops in Shirlington. There's free parking on weekends (and evenings, I believe) in a garage behind the restaurant. The restaurant is quite large, with plenty of room for several tables, a wine shop, a cafe, and a private dining room. The service was excellent from beginning to end. We had the five-spice chicken and the duck confit. Both were very good and the presentation was lovely. The "creamed corn" (it's in quotes on the menu) that came with the duck was outstanding. After dinner they gave us a 10% off coupon for anything from their wine shop or cafe. I would happily return to The Curious Grape!
Review Source:Stopped late morning on a Saturday with my wife and pre-teen daughter, intending just to have coffee.  But the place is so pleasant, and the staff so nice that we each ordered  an appetizer.  I had the "braised pork doughnuts" and they were deliciously different! Â
Will definitely return.
I made a reservation for dinner here with my bf on a Saturday night to finally use the Groupon I purchased back in February. Â As a fellow Yelper mentioned they do not take OpenTable reservations for Grouponers, I called ahead as suggested just in case. Seeing as they change their menu seasonally, I was looking forward to having a tasty, unique meal.
We arrived a few minutes early to our 5:45 reservation and were promptly seated (requested to sit outside as it was such a lovely night) and brought water. Â That's pretty much where the service ended.
They have an extensive beer and wine selection, and the wines are listed so as to pair with what you order. Â After giving our server our drink orders, we waited nearly 10 minutes to receive our drinks, even though the restaurant wasn't crowded. Â After we placed our dinner order- half chicken and half gnocchi for the bf, the scallops with a side of their roasted carrots for me- we got a small basket of foccacia bread and olive oil. Â The bread was good, though not warm. Â
After about 10 minutes our water returned to ask what we ordered...even though we thought we had already placed our orders.  Yet another 10 minutes pass and our water came back to ask if I had ordered the salmon, so for the third time I placed my order for scallops.  At this point we pretty much expected the worst but hoped for the best.  Our dinner finally arrived another 15 minutes later.  The bf loved the gnocchi but  was not impressed with the chicken. My scallops were good, but the black rice it came with was super bland, and the bok choy was pretty oily and bland as well.  The side of roasted carrots came bathed and dripping with butter/oil.  It was kind of gross. We never were checked on to see if the food was good, and quite a few minutes after we finished our meal we were asked about dessert.  I got the remainder of my scallops to go and the server snarkily asked if I wanted the rice, too- seeing as I didn't touch it.  We were hesitant to order dessert, but in for a penny, right? Â
I ordered the key lime custard and the bf got the chocolate almond tart. Â My custard was extremely rich and came with an odd 'mousse' on top- kind of like a huge dollop of icing. Â It was a bit too rich and sweet for me so I asked for it to go (to pawn off on my friend coming over later)- only for the server to ask if I even tasted it. Â What's it to you if I get it to go? I thought that was a bit rude. Â The chocolate almond tart was missing the almond part but had a layer of minty (?) marshmallow. Â
The food wasn't terrible, but definitely not worth the hype, and the service left much to be desired. Â I don't think I will return.
A friend and i stopped in for Sunday brunch and hit up the wine store afterward.
Split the eggs benedict and goat cheese blintzes-- both were delicious. Waitress informed us that all pig products were being smoked in house. Blintzes had a delicious raspberry compote. It looks like the brunch menu changes fairly frequently!
I also had a latte with almond flavoring. Quite yummy!
Service was friendly and prompt. The merlot I purchased afterward was on sale and has proven quite tasty!
Overall, I would say this place is worth a visit :)
Wine shop gone restaurant? Good!
The wine tasting whets your appetite for what is, by far, the star of the show: the cheese platters. Â You're surrounded by the wonderful aromas of grapes, you've just tried 5 or 6 different wines, and then you're presented with the most mouth-watering, most dreamy selection of cheeses. For the life of me, I can't remember the names (and tragedy of tragedies, the online menu makes no mention of them!) , but there was a delicate mushroom one, a firmer sharper one, and some other amazing creamy triangle. It is so worth it.
Yes, the food is good. Not to die for, not like the cheese with wine. Â and also beware, we had to wait AGES for food and the bill, even though we were there after much of the restaurant had emptied out.
Came back here for a full dinner service after only having snacks, coffee, and wine. Was very pleased overall and updated the review accordingly.
The place is still off the main strip of shirlington but has a patio and lots of space. The staff and owner are very friendly and attentive.
The beer and wine menu are robust and offer half sizes for half price which is great for trying different interesting choices. The waiter was very knowledgeable and helpful on the drink choices and even offered a few flutes as a tasting.
The entree selection has a lot of great options and also has half priced half sizes, which the women not eating much love. Prices aren't great but not outrageous either. The pastas were delicious and the duck confit was cooked perfectly and crispy on the outside. Food took forever to come out but they were very apologetic and made up for it. It was also my wife's bday and they went out of their way to celebrate.
Desserts were excellent especially the key lime pie option. Pot de creme wasn't bad either, although both were small. They were very rich and I didnt feel deprived.
Overall, off the main strip by half a block but well worth it, pass around the word that its way better than all the other overpriced spots in shirlington!
I wish there was not just a 0 star but a 4 thumbs down. I went there with friends for a low key dinner for a friends birthday. It was absolutely AWFUL from beginning to end. It took about an hour and 40 minutes to only get a main dish and not get served the wine we ordered or even a refill of water. Not only did I have to flag down a manager who was refilling other tables' water, but since our glasses went empty and no one had come back since they took our order, I had to go up to the bar and get a bottle of water myself.
That is on top of not even being waited on for drinks or dinner for about 20 minutes and the place wasn't even busy yet. Then our wine never came and I cancelled it at that point., with a manager walking by not even the waiter. The manager seemed disinterested and didn't even try and ask how to resolve or what the issue was. Then we had a manger come by who was walking by the tables and apologize for the delay. Their computers were down earlier but that story didn't seem to fit how it was affecting us since we ordered only one thing each a total of 3 orders and the computers were up. Even if they weren't, kitchens have run on paper tickets. regardless.
I stated that did not excuse the waiter from not bringing our drinks or even checking on us at all, which he had not done. It did not excuse having to flag down a manager who was pouring water for other tables. It did not excuse having to go and get water at the bar. And did not excuse the lateness of getting only one food item a piece.
She apologized and asked what could she do and she offered nothing. She stated that there were 3 mangers on duty, but I feel that they don't even know how to manage (not 1 out of the 3)  or support their staff if they couldn't help with the tables and ensure service rather thanjust  piss poor apologies.
Lastly, we had to ask a manager for our checks, who once again did not follow through and we had to wait 20 minutes to get a correct check, well not even correct. We had to ask for the check again to another server, and eventually the waiter brought over the check, which was not split as we asked. Then that seemed to be too much to handle. We had to wait for at least 15 minutes for it to be split and even then the check were incorrect, since they offered a 25% Â discount and we did not receive it.
Nonetheless, this place was WAY UNDER PAR. The food was underwhelming, there service I need not comment on and overall it was very distracting to try and have an enjoyable birthday dinner for a friend when constantly having to ask for basics and even just trying to leave. I will NEVER come here again and I Â know lots of people in Shirlington and Meetup groups who have patronized here and I will VEHEMENTLY let them know that they should take their business to CHEESETIQUE-THEY ARE EXPONENTIALLY BETTER.
I WILL NEVER RECOMMEND OR COME HERE AGAIN, Â and after waiting 20 minutes to get an incorrect check I don't think we hsould've even had to pay for any of this horrible experience.
We are frequent visitors of Curious grape, party because of convenience and partly because of the atmosphere. The good is good..not great but good. The service is pretty good and we usually sit at the bar and have a great time. The cheese plates are well thought out and the desserts are enjoyable. I like the atmosphere and we'll continue to go as long as it's open
Review Source:I love this place. I had a dinner with group. Â I received superb customer service.
The food is fresh. The entree is mostly seafood and chicken.
I love the portion of the food. I can choose either half size or full size. I love it.
They got so many great wine list and beer list.
I will come back again.
Nice atmosphere, tasty beverages, and delicious food (what I was able to eat). My only issue was the service. I requested a simple side dish substitute but was told by the server that it would interfere with the presentation. Never heard that line before but decided to order the dish anyway. After dinner, on my return from the restroom, I noted several people eating the dish I ordered with the side dish I requested. Â I didn't want to complain but when the owners asked how our dinner was, my friends told them what happened. They were surprised what I was told about substitution and presentation. I was very pleased how the owners addressed the situation and resolved it. I will definitely go back to this restaurant and try again.
Review Source:Love their food. Portions are a little small at times for what you're paying. I say "at times" because their pasta dishes are larger than their meat dishes, probably because pasta's a little cheaper? Cheese plate was good, but Righteous Cheese does it better. Dessert was yummy, but SO TINY. I felt bamboozled.
Wine is delicious, though I found their wine list confusing and somehow ended up with a crazy expensive bottle that was very yummy but led to some sticker shock come bill-paying time.
They offer Groupons on occasion and don't begrudge their Groupon-toting customers, but be sure to call to make your reservation because they don't take OpenTable rezzies for Grouponers.
I've been here for a private wine/cheese/chocolate tasting and can't stop trying to recreate the delicious combinations.
Parking isn't impossible, but it's Shirlington, so the time of your arrival, weather conditions, and existence of other events in the area all factor into whether you'll spend half an hour looking for a spot.
Not that this factors into my review, but their social media presence is strange. They only update occasionally, they never respond to messages, and their website never displays properly on my computer. They might want to reevaluate their strategy.
Thoroughly enjoyed our date night to the Curious Grape. The service was excellent. The food was timely and delicious. My husband was impressed with the meatballs. I had the chilled tomato soup which reawakened my love for chilled soups on a hot summer day. Also had a half portion of the gnocchi - the pesto sauce was great. We then shared a passion fruit creme brulee, which came with a scoop of passion fruit ice sorbet. Both were excellent, on their own. Combining the two flavors was just too passionate.
We were seated past our reservation time, but there was a $3 Spanish wine tasting which filled the time nicely.
We'll be back!
I've been really waiting to try out this place and when I finally did it was just subpar. The wait staff and their attentiveness was good, the food was a miss where it counted. We had the sardines and the salami platter as an appetizer. These were tasty. For dinner we had the short ribs and the scallops. The short ribs were good, tender and cooked well. The scallops... Ooh that's another story. They were chewy, dry -over cooked. Like imitation crab was the texture. They also weren't diver scallops, they were the regular quarter size scallops... which cook faster because they're not as thick and big. The manager after asking how they were, I told him to scallops were overcooked. he said there was nothing he can do about bringing me a new plate in the kitchen was closed, but he would compensate with dessert and recommended the souffle. I really should have stopped there. The souffle was half cooked (I showed the waiter who just took it away)! I was charged $27 for 6 overcooked, regular scallops and given a free $5 undercooked souffle. I really should have insisted they fire up the kitchen again and redo the scallops. That was just horrible!
They seem to boast french wines which were bland but many swear by it. They did have some good italian whites though. The beer selection is good and reasonably priced, but if looking for a craft beer and food, I'd rather point someone in the direction of Lost Dog care.
I am in there several times a week, for coffee, beer, wine or to dine. Â The menu is excellent, evolving and innovative. Â Wine selection is of course excellent and beer selection has a great deal of unusual finds which I always value.
My favorite aspect is the coffee. Â Living in the neighborhood for 5 years we were gravely missing a coffee shop. I have made a point to try almost every coffee shop (thats gets a little heat) in DC or NOVA. Â Curious Grape and Northside Social have one the best coffee programs in NOVA and can stand up with DC shops such as Chinatown or Peregrine. Â
I read complaints about service, never have had an issue so cannot relate. Â Nor can I Â get behind complaints about price. Â I do not mind paying for what I like. Â Their food is fantastic and highly worth it. The idea of pricey means different things to everyone so when I read a review that says to expensive I immediately am turned off to it as I am sure some others are. Â If you are only showing up bc of a voucher and still budgeting your meal, not ordering appetizers or cheese, then maybe you need to go to TGIF.
Other than that the pastry, cheese and gourmet goods selection is pretty extensive and the choclate selection is fantastic.
My friends and I went to the Curious Grape on 5/30/13 to redeem a voucher. I had been looking forward to trying the wine bar and restaurant.
The only reason I am giving it 2 instead, of 1 star is the dessert was phenomenal (but I had to wait 2.5 hours to taste it).
My friends and I arrived a 7:05 (for a 7:30 reservation) and asked if we could be seated (seeing multiple empty tables in the dining area)? The host told they were being held for people with earlier reservations (which, was weird considering it was a Thursday night and nobody was standing in front of us). Â
If the service had been better, I could have overlooked it.
After we were seated, we waited for 20 minutes for someone to address our table. Our waiter explained he didn't know he was in his section (which was strange considering the dining room was relatively small). After we placed our orders we waited for another 30 - 40 minutes for our food. The waiter did not bring us bread and/or check in on us during this time. I had to get the attention of another waitress to ask how we should go about getting bread? (It felt strange asking for bread your considering you pay an average of $15.00 for an entree.) She responded "your waiter will bring it to you". I flagged down our waiter a couple of minutes later and ask what was going on with our food? The waiter responded pointing to another person at my table and said "he got short rib which, is made to order and it usually takes 30 minutes to prepare which is why we encourage getting appetizers". (Information that would have been helpful when we placed our orders.) He said he would bring us a cheese plate to hold us over (which, did arrive a short time later with our entrees).
My experience at this restaurant is not what I expected for the price and location. If you're in the mood for wine and/or cheese try Chesstique in the same area.
My feeling (along with the other people I was dining with) it felt like the Curious Grape is a wine shop trying to be a fine dining restaurant (not very successfully).
The trend among these reviews seems to be this: the food is either good or bad. Â Most people agree the service is abysmal.
It doesn't matter how great your food is, if the service sucks people won't come back.
I have been here 3-4 times and each time I have left satisfied with my meal for the most part, but wondering how long this place will stay open as a result of the service. Â
I usually come in the awkward time between lunch and dinner and just grab pre made items from the display case. Â But while the food is usually good, the service is pretty horrible. Â It hurts too that I find Shirlington as a whole to be insanely friendly and have a very small town know everyone feel. Â So any inadequacies are just magnified here.
Each time I have walked in someone usually says hello. Â Thats good. Â Then every one sort of just disappears. Sadly, I am usually the only one in the place and I can see several employees and managers(!) walking around or sitting. Â Everyone usually says hi, but the offer to help is never there.
Each timeI have spent a while just waiting for someone to acknowledge my presence so I could place an order. Â It is fine when you are busy, but when the employee to customer ration is like 5:1 and have of you acknowledged my presence already, it shouldn't be that hard to follow up.
It just takes so long for someone to take an order and prepare (which isnt the right word since everything I have ordered is pre made) that I get frustrated by the time I check out.
The food is usually good, but the prices are quite steep. Â 9 dollars for a sandwich that is in a chiller in plastic wrap for who knows how long. Â They simply unwrap it and put it on a plate for you. Â It would be nice to know you are getting a fresh meal since I am not convinced it hasnt been sitting for 4 hours.
The last three times I have been there I have gotten a chocolate eclair. Â The first time it was huge and overflowing with a delicious vanilla bean filling. Â Quite a bargain for 2 dollars.
The second time it was just as big but 2.3 of that filling was missing. Â It was like I was just eating dough.
The third time the eclair has now shrunk to less than half its original size. and is now 1.50. Â Not much of a discount if you ask me. Â The worst part is the delicious semi firm filling flecked with vanilla beans has been replaced with a disgusting liquid that tastes like sour cream with vanilla extract. NO consistency. NO vanilla beans. NO freshness. But it is tiny, more expensive based on size and filled with cheap liquid filling.
I've been wanting to try this place for dinner with friends, but the lack of service for ordering to go and the RAPIDLY declining quality of some of their items I've tried has led me to believe that it just isn't worth spending my money on an experience I am highly likely to find unsatisfactory.
My suggestion would be to go to Cheeseteque or another restaurant in Shirlington. All of them have better service.
Came here as a ladies night out.
Place is cute, small, cozy.
Our server was knowledgeable and very ready to tell us everything he knew....I was a bit thrown off..when he was thrown off ...when I ordered a beer after my wine. Like, did that really just offend you??
our food was nummy num.
We shared the pork belly app...mmmmmm pork
The fried oysters and the potato croquettes. the croquettes themselves were good enough but the truffle cream sauce was what elevated them to a whole nother level. Â The oysters were really good (the instructor...i mean waiter... told us to scoop all the sauces up as one and eat the oyster and that made it so much better)
For a meal I had the gnocchi with fiddleheads and pesto..... I think I may have licked the plate. Â It was that good.
The one gripe...the tables are a bit squished together..... and to the two women who yelled at me when I tried to scoot my chair to take a pic with my friends....relax and have another glass of wine!
Tried this place for the first time with friends last week and none of us were disappointed! They were doing a wine tasting in the store for $3 for 6 tastings - totally worth it and we ended up getting a bottle of their wine.
Food - we ordered a cheese plate and 4 entrees, all of which were tasty and presented well. The white cheese plate came w/4 types of cheeses, pickles, nuts, dried fruit, and some dehydrated pineapple pieces that were really good! For entrees, we had the halibut, a bolognese pasta special, short ribs, and I had 2 half entrees (also a nice option and way to try more things!) - scallops w/black rice and the potato gnocchi. Â Short ribs and scallops were probably the best of the bunch. Â Portions are also a good size - not too big or too small.
Dessert was also good, but not outstanding. Â They had some creative dishes -
The menu is set up well, with types of wine that pair well w/each entree listed across the page from the food, which was helpful. Â
Service - our waiter was great - helpful with food selections and didn't rush or push us. Attentive but didn't hover.
Atmosphere - we sat inside because the tables on their patio only seat 2, which was disappointing. However, the atmosphere inside was nice - felt open and relaxed.
We'll be back!
Overall the food was very strong but the service was spotty at nest. Â Starting with the service, Â we sat for too long before seeing a server. Â He asked if we had been helped and took our wine orders. Â It took another good while before a waitress came to take our food orders. Â If you're going to charge these prices you need to do much better. Â The rest of the meal service was OK but awkward. It's Saturday night, they're busy, but most good eateries are at this time.
The food was another story. I was quite impressed. Â Pickled sardines were exquisite, my starter (penne with a pork and beef ragu) was delicious, short ribs of beef (with a nice variety of vegetables) at first looked too small until you discovered that it was all prime edible beef - no fat or gristle, and the gnocchi with fiddlehead ferns was really good.
Desserts were really good - low-priced and pleasingly small - a nice small sweet after the main meal but not too heavy. Won't even go into the details of how elaborate they are except to say that they hit the spot without oversupplying.
Bottom line - I'll go back but they really need to get a handle on the service.
We love this place. Coming from California wine culture here, we weren't't expecting anything spectacular here. But we have been pleasantly surprised by the curious grape. For such a small place, they have a great wine selection. We have really liked all of the food we've ordered. They do seasonal farm to table menus and are very accommodating with food allergies. Â They have a very nice food and wine pairings, which is great if you don't know a lot about wines or are a bit intimidated with trying something new. I love their bison empanadas. The duck conceit and the venison are both amazing.
It's a well decorated space. The layout is a little off, but it works for them.
Overall, it's a must in the DC area.
Tucked away around the corner from the "Main Street" of Shirlington, is a little gem: The Curious Grape. Great staff, clever presentation, and an amazing wine selection. For a birthday dinner, I had the pasta, my date had a wild boar entree. Both were hearty, tasty, and satisfying. But we saved room for dessert, and a chocolate-peanut butter concoction blended nicely with the tawny port. Speaking of which, the menu does a very nice job in suggesting pairings of wine for the entrees.
Wine. That's how the place got started, years ago, and there remains a small wine store tucked along the side. The place was a little crowded for a Thursday night (fortunately we had reservations), but there was a wine-tasting even going on, so that might have drawn a bigger crowd. But the place is by no means cramped.
Really, I'm looking forward to going back.
So many good things to say about this place!! Â If you haven't been there yet, GO IMMEDIATELY!
I used to be a regular at their old location, but for a number of reasons hadn't been in quite some time. Â MAN, have I been missing out!!!
I went on a Thursday night for Wine Tasting with Cheryl then dinner at the bar. Â Every part of my experience was fantastic.
Cheryl was soooo personable and knowledgeable. Â She immediately made me feel like a regular who she's known for ages. Â I enjoyed the selection she had on the tasting bar and wound up buying two bottles.
Next, we went to the bar for a quick dinner. Â Menu selection was somewhat limited, but I later learned they often rotate their menu and make everything in house...soooo that being said thought their menu was great! Â Also, I realllly like that they have half portions. Â I can NEVER eat everything at a restaurant. Â Also, BONUS -- 10% off your bill if you're coming from the tasting bar.
Our server was super friendly and attentive (I recognize her from their old location). Â When our food was taking awhile (I honestly didn't think it was that long) she brought us over a small cheese plate. Â AMAZING cheeses!!! Â And very thoughtful of her.
The food was DELICIOUS!! Â I had the house made cavatelli pasta roasted chestnut, pork & mushroom sausage & grana padano cheese. Â Fantastic deep flavors. Â I gobbled up every bite.
Can't wait to go back and experiment with all of their cheese and wine offerings.
LOVE this place!!!!
I've been here 5 or 6 times now for dinner and the food, service, and ambiance is wonderful. There was just one time that service was not on par but I think it was because the server was new. As soon as we let the management know about it, they quickly remedied the situation and went out of their way to make up for it.
It has a neighborhood feel but is still elegant and classy without being pretentious. So far I have tried nearly everything on the menu and my two favorite appetizers are the brussels sprout salad and roasted quail (the quail comes with these cute little 'lollipops'- order it and you'll see); favorite entrees include the short rib and venison dishes.
The penne pasta with spiced pork could use a little extra sauce. Last time I ordered it, I mentioned this and they took note, even adding some to my left-overs.  Last night I had the mussels appetizer which came in a nice light cream sauce and then the scallop entrée (5 large scallops seared perfectly with a generous portion of black rice in the middle topped with bok choy). There seem to be mixed yelp reviews on the portion sizes but I've always found the portions to be perfect. In fact, I couldn't finish all the scallops...and wish I had taken the rest home to snack on today!
Although I must say that the ambiance and presentation were nice, the food and service were lacking.. Â My friend and I decided to give this restaurant a try, since it was rated so highly on yelp.
We hope that this was an "off night"....
Service (on a Wednesday evening) Â was slow for the delivery of our glasses of wine (seemed as if the grapes had started and finished their growing and fermenting processes long before the drinks were delivered). Â Following the drinks, we were given some "croutons" (stale) -- in lieu of bread -- with olive oil.
Finally, our salads and main courses arrived. Â I ordered the brussel sprout salad (it was okay, not great) and then the small portion of scallops...the entire main course (three scallops and something that resembled black orzo) lacked flavor.
After dinner, I ordered coffee. Â Ten minutes later, I inquired whether the coffee would be ready soon. The waitress mentioned that the bar was a bit busy, which is why my coffee had not yet been poured.
I would not return to this establishment. Â It was a real disappointment.
My husband and I are new to the area. Â We discovered the Curious Grape while avoiding unpacking. Â It was a hot day, and we wandered in for a break from the heat. Â We were greeted with 2 waters, and stayed for a glass of vino. Â The bartender also gave us a few samples, and by the end of our visit, we were hooked. Â We loved the atmosphere, the menu looking delicious, and we liked the idea of featuring local ingredients paired with awesome wine. Â
We returned with a group of friends a few weeks later. Â The place was a lot busier, and we arrived just in time for a wine and chocolate tasting. Â It was awesome. Â We had so much fun, and we thought the service was exceptional. Â Every member of the staff knows their stuff, yet they don't look down on you when you don't select the $98 bottle of wine.
We sampled some of their local menu. Â I tried the melon & ham, and a friend got the heirloom tomato salad. Â Both plates were perfect for summer, we couldn't stop raving about them. Â
I would recommend the Curious Grape to anyone looking for a fun, casual, and unique afternoon with friends, or a fun night out! Â It's one of those versatile places we all love.
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