Portalis Wine Shop & Wine Bar

stopped in for happy hour.  The wine was great as was the tart.

I really enjoy Portalis as a cozy, classy alternative to the usual suspects up and down Ballard Ave.  It's not all that often I'm in the mood for a glass of wine when I'm out and about, but when I am, Portalis always comes through with a varied selection of regional, domestic, and imported wines by the glass.

I've never partaken of the modest but varied menu, and I've only ever bought wine by the bottle after being duly impressed by one of the tasting pours and trying to secure a few of the remaining bottles.  But the service has always been friendly and knowledgeable - it seems that many of the staff currently work, or have previously worked, at other tasting rooms around the area so they're very familiar with regional wines, winemakers, and appellations.

It seems that the most likely time you'll find me there is when I'm waiting for my name to come up at Rudy's, but every time I'm in I remind myself to find a different occasion to visit.

We attended a wine tasting and decided to stay for dinner. We started with the charcuterie plate. The pâté is exceptional...and my wife doesn't like pâté. I had the game hen and she had the scallops. Neither of us was willing to share. Interesting wines, reasonably priced. We will become regulars!