Old Vine Cafe

[Swicks]

Went to this great little spot for lunch yesterday. I had read quite a bit about it in the OC Weekly and such and was very curious.

I absolutely loved this place, its a very casual cafe but has a very well priced menu with some really interesting choices, a lot of casual type food with upscale touches. They even have a nice littel tasting menu with wine parings for $60.

I had a panini with house made roast beef, truffle cheese and garlic aioli, very simple and delicious. My companion had the mac and cheese, also very good. What I also really loved about the place was a really nice selection of inexpensive wines, cheeses, charcuterie in a small retail section. They had some interesting French and Spanish wine selections that were all quite reasonably priced. Additionally, they have quite a lot of outdoor seating as well. I really look forward to returning for some wine and appetizers one evening in the near future.

www.oldvinecafe.com

(on a related Camp note, I happen to run into a friend of mine at OVC and he knows the owners of Aire next door and mentioned that it had closed its doors about a week and a half ago. Sad news, while the food wasn't awesome at Aire, I really liked the setting and the owners and chef were good people.)

Edited September 28, 2007 by Swicks (log)

[SiseFromm]

We took a peek inside but haven't had a chance to try it out yet. That space was formerly the Goodell's "Village Bakery". It was at one time mostly a bakery space with a small front counter and a couple of refrigerators for drinks. Old Vine managed to knock out most of the commercial space and turn it into a cozy dining room. I'm definitely going to check it out in the next couple of weeks. Just a simple plate of cheeses, charcuterie and a nice wine sounds reason enough alone to check it out.

Now to find out what will become of the former Aire location.

[Kouign Aman]

with house made roast beef,

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Did they really call it 'house made roast beef'? Menu inflation, oh my.

[Swicks]

with house made roast beef,

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Did they really call it 'house made roast beef'? Menu inflation, oh my.

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No they didn't they just called it Prime Rib, but I meant to imply that it wasn't the deli variety of roast beef.

[Swicks]

We took a peek inside but haven't had a chance to try it out yet.  That space was formerly the Goodell's "Village Bakery".  It was at one time mostly a bakery space with a small front counter and a couple of refrigerators for drinks.  Old Vine managed to knock out most of the commercial space and turn it into a cozy dining room.  I'm definitely going to check it out in the next couple of weeks.  Just a simple plate of cheeses, charcuterie and a nice wine sounds reason enough alone to check it out. 

Now to find out what will become of the former Aire location.

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I have a feeling you are going to enjoy it Jason, based on what little I know of you. Hopefully the weather holds out for a little longer and patio dining is still an option. But this being SoCal, lets be honest, patio dining is almost always an option.

ETA: Their wine list is on their site as well.

Edited September 29, 2007 by Swicks (log)