Bacari in Playa Del Rey for Dine LA

I'm a HUGE fan of Dine LA.  In fact, I budget every year so that I'm able to check out a few new restaurants each time Restaurant Week happens here in Los Angeles (which is twice a year).  I always look forward to eating at some new places as well as some of my favorites like Ruth's Chris or Locanda del Lago.  Dine LA gives you a chance to check out restaurants at a more affordable price while offering a few options for a three-course meal.

My first Dine LA experience this year was at Bacari in Playa Del Rey.  I had never been there before and with a limited schedule due to work and rehearsals I only had a couple hours and wanted to find something that was close for both Kelly and I since she was coming from Hermosa Beach and I had rehearsal in Santa Monica.

Four courses at Bacari in Playa Del Rey

The Dine LA menu for Bacari was really awesome; it's more of a tapas type place so you could get a three-course meal but also with unlimited white or red wine, beer, or sangria, all for $40.  Now that is a steal!  Since I had to get to rehearsal and both Kelly and I had to drive we opted out of Dine LA and just ordered a few things off the menu since it was Happy Hour and that was an even better price than the Dine LA menu since we weren't going to drink more than a glass of wine.

I started with the Caprese salad (always one of my favorites) while Kelly got the Grilled Romaine.  Next up I had the Poached Shrimp which had a sweet chili aioli and Kelly got the Cauliflower.  *They do have plenty of vegetarian options.*  The Shrimp was amazing; I loved the ailoi and was very happy with the portion considering it was $6.  I also ordered the Mac & Cheese which had truffle oil and that was good too, but covered in panko breadcrumbs which I'm not a huge fan of, but the Mac & Cheese was still creamy and very cheesy...yes!  We finished off with the Brown Butter Cookie Dough for dessert which had a banana brulee, candied walnuts, and whipped cream.  It was small but yummy!

Even though we didn't order off the Dine LA menu, that's what got me in the door, so I'm glad it was my first place to check out this Dine LA season.  Next time I go in I really want to try to the Seared Scallops as well as one of their Pizza's; they had a Smoked Mushroom and White Pizza that look awesome.  I'm really excited to go back and try more of their menu and with Happy Hour being such a great deal I'm sure I'll be back soon :)

Pourvino in Plymouth

While I was back home in Plymouth for Christmas my family and I decided to check out this new wine bar called Pourvino.  I'm so excited we have a place like this back home; if I was still living there it would definitely be my go-to spot.  I can't wait to visit again and do more wine tastings and check out their new food menu as well!

Mom and I decided to split the Sweet White Wine Flight and also ordered a bottle of The Little Black Dress Moscato.  Our awesome Bartender gave us an extra taste of another kind of Moscato that was a little more syrupy but without the sugary taste; it had mango and tropical fruit notes, was really smooth and totally delicious!  I almost wished we had tried that before we ordered The Little Black Dress bottle because we might have gotten that instead.  That Moscato was very tasty as well, with slight carbonation and from California.

The Sweet White Flight we had included a Riesling, Chardonnay, and Sauternes.  The Riesling was far less sweet than I expected and was my least favorite of the three but Mom enjoyed it.  I really liked the Chardonnay because it did have that buttery finish and I always look for that when picking out a Chardonnay.  It was a unanimous decision that the Sauternes was the best of the three.  That wine was the sweetest and the grapes they use are partially raisined which brings on the sweeter flavor.  Even my Dad liked that one!  He was drinking Bourbon that night since he's more of a Whiskey drinker.

Wine Tasting at Pourvino in Plymouth!

Overall, the experience was amazing.  Even the music was on point, they had a chill mix that had Sara Bareilles playing "Little Black Dress" and other fun songs (perfect while we were drinking the same-titled bottle of Moscato).  On Tuesday's they have half-price bottles and it made the night very affordable, even in Plymouth!  To top it all off, they have a menu that includes a Chocolate Tasting, Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake, small plates like Proscuitto wrapped Breadsticks, and Spinach Artichoke dip.  This is a must visit spot in our wonderful small town in Wisconsin :)

It looks like they just updated their menu so find Pourvino on Facebook right here: https://www.facebook.com/pourvinowinebar