Ripe Bistro And Social Lounge

I discovered this tucked away restaurant last week. Although they are a bit on the pricy side, IT IS WORTH IT! You can really taste the fresh ingredients. I am not a vegetarian, but the veggie portabello and goat cheese sandwich is to die for. The service is wonderful. It is unfortunate that the patio looks out onto a parking lot. I can imagine this restaurant being set on a upscale downtown street or on a patio overlooking a creek, but then you'd probably end up paying more.

We were visiting Publix in the same shopping center and saw the sign from the parking lot; wondering what it was. We're glad we found it!

We visited it fairly early on a Friday night - which happened to coincide with their happy hour (3-7 I think?). Happy hour included 2 for 1 specials on wine and beer, along with some great prices on appetizers.

We didn't venture through the whole restaurant/lounge, but from what we saw, it used its space really well - creating a cozy/intimate atmosphere without being too cramped. I really liked the decoration; looked like a lot of time and thought went into it.

We were just interested in drinks and a small bite to eat, so I can't comment on the dinners. The wine and beer selection was the shining point. They had about  6 (I think) quality craft beers on tap and many other great bottles/cans to choose from. Their wine list looked rather extensive as well, with many organic options from around the world to choose from. Their house chardonnay was very good too!

I would have given it 5 stars, but I'm going to hold out until I try a meal and visit the lounge. I will say the pesto and chip appetizer was excellent though!

The staff was very friendly. Oh, and they make great coffee as well (skip the starbucks in the same plaza...)

Looking forward to another visit!