Grape + Bean

 

Hi Everyone! I was lucky enough to be traveling again last weekend. While in the DC area, I ended up visiting a chic spot called Grape + Bean with Alan. This cute little restaurant / wine bar / cafe was right in the heart of Old Town Alexandria in NoVa (Northern Virginia).
Grape + Bean was first opened in 2008 by a local husband and wife team who were inspired from their many travels, their years living in San Francisco and their desire to open a comfortable, warm and welcoming place that served high quality products.

This spot focuses on smaller, more independent producers who make hand crafted wines and other products. Each wine is heavily researched and hand selected in order to offer a unique, interesting and good value wine which you can either buy to take home, or enjoy at the Wine Bar. You can also uncork the secrets of wine (pun intended) during their many wine tasting classes and events.

Interestingly enough, Grape + Bean didn't serve any espresso or espresso based drinks. They only served drip coffee - but definitely not to be mistaken as boring coffee. I had a cup of San Francisco Blue Bottle and Alan had an Ethiopian Honey Suckle and Berry blend. My coffee was absolutely amazing, so fresh and perfectly balanced. I was really interested when I read about their story online. I tried a sip of Alan's coffee, and it was a bit bolder than I'm used to - but still really good. Opening with a hint of berries, the Ethiopian blend had a nutty finish.

 

The vibe here definitely leaned more towards a restaurant than a cafe. Most people were tasting wines and pairing them with different charcuterie plates but we were happy with our afternoon coffee, which was amazing. As you can imagine, the menu looked amazing so we gave into temptation and got some Roman Artichoke Crostini to snack on as well.

Apparently pairing wine and coffee is the new thing. Why wine and coffee you may ask? Well their website laid it out so nicely:

• Wine and coffee are both handcraft agricultural products and share many similarities from the influence of terroir to their seasonality to the farmers who work in the fields.
• Those who like wine often like coffee and vice versa. (Start your day with one, end your day with the other!)

They call coffee and wine the liquids of life, and I can't disagree with them! This is a great spot for foodies, coffee lovers and wine connoisseurs. There's something for everyone here!