I don't pretend to like wine.
I really like it.
I have said before, I don't "know" wine. I can tell you a little bit. I know how to "properly" wine taste but give me a cheap glass of Schmitt Riesling or a cheap glass of Duplin County Black River Red and I'm game.
Last weekend for date night I wanted to go to a little place called
Southern Exposure. I love their pork chop with a BBQ drizzle. Served up with a mac & cheese noodle cake and collards. This is delicious at its best. So yum!! {If you live in our area and you have never been... you are missing out. It is fabulous!}
Anyway, Ryan had different plans. Since we had been to
Southern Exposure before, he wanted to try something different. We went to
The Bistro at the Duplin County Winery.I was super excited.
First of all, I have been wanting to go to the winery for a while. It is about a 50 minute drive so it is never the first place to come to mind on date night. Secondly, as mentioned above I have a thing for their Black River Red. Their Queen Ann's Revenge is also delicious but a bit on the expensive side for a Duplin County wine.
So, off we went. Ryan called and made a 7:45 reservation. I was more than excited on the ride there. I pictured this big beautiful building, in the midst of a grape vineyard. I pictured this big beautiful bar with tons of people wine tasting.
I was obviously picturing something in Napa because when we got there, I said, "WTH? This is it?"
Ryan looked at me like I was crazy. "Yeah," he said, "What were you expecting?"
I rolled my eyes, "Not Cracker Barrel."
Seriously, that is what it looked like. Just an old wooden building off a little country road, in the middle of a town that no one has ever heard of. No big, beautiful building. No grapes. No Napa.
"Maybe it will be better on the inside. There has got to be wine," I thought to myself.
We walk into
Cracker Barrel The Winery and this kid who was about 16 asked if we would like to have a wine tasting.
SCORE! I am all about a wine tasting, my friends. I am that crazy chick that drinks every glass and never use my spit cup. No need to give this wino a spit cup. I drink every drop.
After browsing the wines, I know what I want to try. So does Ryan.
We walk to the bar and there is no one around. Shouldn't a complimentary wine tasting bar on a Friday night at 7:30 be jammed packed? Nope. Not that night.
"Can we try "Sweet Caroline"?" Ryan asked the wine guy.
"Ummm. Yeah." the wine guy said.
Then he did it. He poured a sample for one of us. He never gave us the other glass. Ryan and I had to share one small sample of wine out of the same wine glass. WTH?
Then the guy just walked away. Never offered for us to try anything else. Never asked how we like "Sweet Caroline". Nothing. That was it.
Strike number two.
Seriously, this is NOT what I was expecting... AT ALL!
Whatever. I was
pissed bummed and we decided to go to The Bistro early.
Good thing we made a reservation because there was only a total of 7 other parties in the whole restaurant. Don't you hate that? Everyone tells you that you better make a reservation or you will never get a seat. So you do. Then you get there and there is no one there. Ugh!
At least we got to sit down and drink wine {a beer for Ryan of course}.
We immediately began looking at the menu. Ryan decided on a Hawaiian ribeye and I decided on a Shrimp Sarah.
After ordering, we started looking around. The atmosphere was awful. The tables looked like something from a local country grill here in our small town. The chairs were those bright silver chairs with the carpet cushions. Oh, you know the ones. The ones in the conference room of your elementary school. Little things like that turn me off from a restaurant. {Side note: I don't like eating in the dining room of
Rucker Johns because I hate the hotel carpet. If we eat there, we have to sit in the bar.}
Strike three.
The food better be awesome, I thought.
They brought our salads. I had a Caesar salad. It was good. It is hard to mess that up.
Then they brought crescent rolls. SCORE! My favorite!
Then it started happening. These women started walking by our table. They would get up from their table, walk by our table, walk out in the lobby, and then walk back by. Each one would only look at Ryan and they would smile. Ok. I had only had one glass of wine so I wasn't drunk. I looked at Ry, "WTH? Why do they keep walking by and smiling at you? How weird."
Then he said it... the dumbest thing he has ever said, "They think that I'm famous."
I could NOT contain my laughter. If you know Ryan, you know that he looks like no one famous. Haha!
Anyway, about the time he said that another lady was walking by for the THIRD time and stopped to smile at him. It was the funniest thing that has ever happened to us! How random and strange!
Let's just say that was the highlight of my night. Well, that and the bottle of Black River Red Ry bought me.
Dinner was good. Nothing to brag about. Ryan's steak was better than my shrimp.
Anyway, if you decide to try it out beware of rude wine tasting people. There will be no need to make a reservation if you go on a Friday night. Don't waste your cell phone minutes to call them. Watch out for strange ladies that think your husband may or may not be someone "famous". Be sure to get a few bottles of wine. You will definitely need them when you get home.
We probably will not be making a trip back to Duplin County any time soon. Maybe next time I mention Southern Exposure, he will just take me there. ;-)
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