This little winery was definitely not as we expected. Upon entering it, I just couldn’t help myself. I was laughing uncontrollably and as silently as I possibly could. My eyes were watering, I couldn’t breath and all I could think was, “Oh my gosh”. The neighborhood is all houses with a sudden little restaurant in the midst of them. One walks in the door with a counter immediately in front of them. To the right and against the front windows are 2 booths. Behind the counter is a narrow hallway and the far right corner of the room is sectioned off with white walls that barely reach the ceiling, this is the kitchen.
The door closes behind us and after a short moment of silence we hear, “You can come in here!” Dana, being so sweet, cautiously tip toes around the corner and finds herself inside the kitchen with a woman wearing sweat pants and a dirty t-shirt.
After an awkward exchange with the woman, we are led through the narrow hallway to a back room. She flicks on the lights as we walk past and we end up in a quaint little dining area with an over-sized static television sitting on a table. We are the only people there. We are handed the menus on pages of copy paper.
The name of the place having “winery” in it was awfully deceiving. Not only did they only have ONE wine, no choices being offered, but it wasn’t even classified as a type of wine. It was just simply “red wine”. The menu left something to be desired and after 15 minutes of whispering and panic, I made the executive decision to order a bottle of wine and then we would go eat elsewhere. We were served complimentary bread with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, which was quite delicious. After about an hour we finished the wine and were pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Sara and Dana had both purchased bottles to go in order not to insult the owner. On the way out they were warned that if they did not drink it quickly, sediment would form at the bottom of the bottle and they would then need to transfer containers.
**silence**
Lindi and I quickly exited the building, jumped in the car and busted out laughing. Dana and Sara jumped in the back seat, still unsure of how to take the warning they had been given on the way out.
As quickly as I could, we made our way to Sewickley to recover and finally get something to eat. We settled on The Sewickley Cafe. We were more than pleased with our experience here. The staff was overwhelmingly friendly. The outdoor patio was beautiful (and heated, as well). We chose, however, to dine inside. We ordered the Truffle Fries as an appetizer. Good Lord! They were amazing.
My entree was unbelievably delicious. I ordered the Asiago Chicken. It is Farfalle pasta with chicken, mushrooms and onions tossed in an asiago cream sauce. To die for! The rest of the girls chose seafood. Sara had tilapia, Lindi had salmon, and Dana had scallops. As far as I know, they all loved their dishes just as much as I did.
We each took a piece of cake home with us as well. Overall, the night was incredibly memorable and I’m looking forward to so many more crazy experiences like that!
(I omitted the name of the winery for fear of insulting anyone. My intention here is not to defile anyone’s reputation. However, if you are from the Pittsburgh area and want the name of the place, send an email and I’ll let you know.)
svenanzio