Last weekend I went to visit Joni & Tony one last time before football season. I had planned to leave Thursday afternoon, but we had tons of rain Wednesday & Thursday. Enough to cause flooding in some areas, including part of I-35 in north Texas. The last thing I wanted to do was drive in the rain all the way down there, especially when roads were closed. The last time I drove from Dallas in the rain I wrecked my car. So I really didn't want a repeat of that. So I got up super early and left my house about 6am. My plan was to take a nap when I arrived, but Joni and I started chatting, and next thing you know it was time for lunch. We were planning to go over to Arlington after lunch, so figured it made sense to eat in Grapevine.
We decided on Farina's Winery & Cafe in downtown on Main Street. It's a very cute place, right in the middle of downtown Grapevine. We wanted to sit on the patio since it had finally stopped raining. To get to the patio we had to walk through the restaurant, through the antique shop next door, and through the kitchen. Very long winded route to get there, but worth it. They do also have a back entrance, and as we sat there we saw a few people enter from the back. They do have a sign saying that if you enter from the back you're supposed to go to the hostess stand first. But who's going to do that? By the time you get all the way up front and then back again, you're exhausted. It's a big, very nice patio with wrought iron tables & chairs, tile flooring, a large full bar, a large fountain, and a fireplace. I had never seen tile floors on a restaurant patio, but it worked really well with the decor. It was so nice to sit outside after 2 straight days of rain.
I started with the Sensual malbec. Honestly, it was the name that sold me. How could I pass up a brand called Sensual?? It was very delicious, but quite a bite. As I drank I looked at the drink menu and saw they have Sawbuck Malbec, which is my favorite malbec. I drank it second, and enjoyed it more than the Sensual. It's much smoother.
I started with a house salad with the creamy homemade Italian dressing
I've never seen so many olives on a tiny salad in my life! I tasted one of each, just to be sure that my taste buds hadn't changed. Nope, still not a fan of olives, so I took them all off. The rest of the salad was delicious, as was the dressing.
For lunch I had the Italian sausage sandwich and fries
This sandwich was fantastic. One bite and you could tell the sausage was homemade. I don't normally like caraway seeds because they are so strong. But they worked really well in the sausage, and was very subtle. The marinara was really good as well, and was enhanced by the blended cheeses, and the baguette was toasted and crispy. The whole sandwich was so flavorful. The fries were fresh, crisp and hot.
Will I go back? Definitely. I really enjoyed the patio atmosphere, the food was delicious, and they have one of my favorite wines.
We decided on Farina's Winery & Cafe in downtown on Main Street. It's a very cute place, right in the middle of downtown Grapevine. We wanted to sit on the patio since it had finally stopped raining. To get to the patio we had to walk through the restaurant, through the antique shop next door, and through the kitchen. Very long winded route to get there, but worth it. They do also have a back entrance, and as we sat there we saw a few people enter from the back. They do have a sign saying that if you enter from the back you're supposed to go to the hostess stand first. But who's going to do that? By the time you get all the way up front and then back again, you're exhausted. It's a big, very nice patio with wrought iron tables & chairs, tile flooring, a large full bar, a large fountain, and a fireplace. I had never seen tile floors on a restaurant patio, but it worked really well with the decor. It was so nice to sit outside after 2 straight days of rain.
I started with the Sensual malbec. Honestly, it was the name that sold me. How could I pass up a brand called Sensual?? It was very delicious, but quite a bite. As I drank I looked at the drink menu and saw they have Sawbuck Malbec, which is my favorite malbec. I drank it second, and enjoyed it more than the Sensual. It's much smoother.
I started with a house salad with the creamy homemade Italian dressing
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| Mixed field greens, pepperoni, green olives, artichokes, kalamata olives, pepperoncini peppers and Italian cheese served with Farina’s homemade creamy Italian dressing |
For lunch I had the Italian sausage sandwich and fries
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| Grilled homemade Italian sausage served on a toasted baguette with a blend of Italian cheeses, grilled onions, mushrooms, and topped with Farina's famous marinara |
Will I go back? Definitely. I really enjoyed the patio atmosphere, the food was delicious, and they have one of my favorite wines.
