Wednesday - Dinner out at Vinology

Shared small plates and the like:
Snack board
Popcorn chickpeas
Mixed green salad
Crispy calamari
BBQ Pork spring rolls
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Last week I took our coin jar in to be turned into paper money. M and I have been putting change in it for as long as I can remember and we've been together for over 12 years now! It turned out to be about $60. In thinking what to do with the little windfall, we decided to go out to a slightly swankier place then we usually would for our regular weekly dinner out. We've been wanting to try Vinology on Main St. for quite a while and so tonight was the night!

We were both quite impressed with this restaurant. We decided to do small plates and share, so I have no experience with the entrees, but we heartily enjoyed everything we ate - even more so because of the extensive menu of wines by the glass. Our two favorite items were the popcorn chickpeas and the calamari. The chickpeas are pan seared in extra virgin olive oil with pan roasted garlic and rosemary. This dish is TRANSFORMATIONAL! Rarely do we have something out that I say, "We have to figure out how to make this at home", but this is one of the few times. These crunchy little gems are the perfect appetizer, giving Barbara's Peppery Pecans a true run for their money. Stay tuned and I'll let you know how the home cooking experiment goes. In what turned out to be a chickpea theme, the calamari were so wonderful because rather than a standard breading, they were gently coated with seasoned chickpea flour! Ingenious!!! It took us a while to figure out what made them taste so unusual. I am a true fan.

At any rate, it was a lovely evening, with lovely food. I am certain that we'll be back soon!

Note: I didn't realize until after I had ordered my first glass of wine that you can order any of their by the glass wines as a taste (about a half glass) for half the glass price! Perfect if you're, like me, a bit of a lightweight!

Reactions:
J: "An excellent new dining locale!"
M: