More dogs, more wine! Seeing a trend here?
Today, Phoebe and I visited Vinz Wine Bar, in downtown Escondido. I’ve visited Vinz once before, just for a glass of wine, but this time I went for the full menu: wine, food, and dog yums!
I got a Groupon for Vinz (it’s probably still available, jump on that!) that gave me $35 worth of food and drinks for only $16. It’s a great deal (plus I snatched it up during their 20% off local deals, so it was even cheaper than that).
Vinz is located on Grand, in the heart of downtown Escondido. They have a good-sized patio, with umbrellas this time of year. Thank goodness, because I roast in Escondido summers.
We arrived during their Saturday happy hour time (noon-3pm), which was a nice accident. Their happy hour is fantastic, but don’t make the mistake I did: happy hour deals are NOT covered by your Groupon, you will have to pay full price out of pocket if you take advantage of their happy hour. Nonetheless, I got a huge amount of food and drink for very little money.
I started with their Interesting Whites wine flight, which consisted of a 2013 Little Rascal Arneis (my personal favorite of the bunch), Tallulah 11 Marsanne, and Denis Dutron Macon-Fuisse.
For lunch I tried their (happy hour) Cucumber Salmon. It was very different than I thought it would be. I was expecting a full(er) piece of salmon, whereas this plate was more of an hors d’oeuvre.
Despite its size, it was an absolutely delicious and satisfying dish, I highly recommend.
Phoebe had her own lunch. Yes, Vinz offers a FULL DOGGIE MENU. What?!?
Complete with pup pizzas (also on happy hour), doggie bones and biscuits, and dog beer, this menu is sure to offer something even the pickiest pup would love. Phoebe enjoyed the bacon-topped pupper pizza (only a slice, because she is a smol dog) and their Bowser Brew, a non-alcoholic dog beer.
Gourmet, right?? Phoebe was delighted.
To go, I ordered their goat cheese. I barely waited until I sat down on the couch to devour it (yes, that’s a lot of cheese for one person; no, I don’t care. Ryan is away in Japan for ten days, so I have to finish things myself).
Overall, I would give Vinz a solid rating of 9/10. Their food was flawless, they offer a wide range of delicious wines (and beers, for you fellow brew-lovers), and they’re dog-friendly… what more could you ask for! The only reason they didn’t receive a perfect score is because, despite the friendly and hard-working server, the service was slow. NOW, I understand why it was slow… at the same Phoebe and I were there, they were hosting a paint party inside, so they were swamped. Understandable, right? That being said, I wish they had foreseen that problem (especially during their happy hour) and overstaffed rather than understaffed.
Still, the server did his absolute best and was very accommodating. When I closed out, I realized my mistake of not telling the server about my Groupon beforehand (always do that!), and ended up unable to use it. So learn from my mistake! Choose the Groupon or the happy hour… not both! On the bright side, I can use my Groupon next time I go back (and I WILL be going back).
I highly recommend Vinz, both for the general public and for dog-owners. Phoebe and I had a great time, despite her small issue with some of the other dogs there (we are working on leash aggression issues). Definitely go, check it out, and give their food and wine/beer a try. You won’t regret it!
