The Vine in Grayslake: Wine bar meets sports bar
Want a classy place to eat oysters and sip a $100 bottle of wine? It's here.
How about a casual joint with $2 pints of beer, buffalo wings and sports on big-screen TVs? That's here, too.
The something-for-everyone approach has helped The Vine Martini & Wine Bar in downtown Grayslake thrive, and this week, the business is marking its three-year anniversary.
Located along a flowerpot-lined strip of businesses on Center Street, The Vine successfully merges the offerings of an upscale wine bar with a casual sports bar. Its kitchen is equally diverse and appealing, cooking up everything from nachos to filet medallions with a gourmet sauce.
"We venture out and do a lot of things ... so there's something for everyone," explained bartender Ruben Estrada. "There's nothing else like this around here."
Motif: The front of the bar has an upscale feel, with its dim lights and dark wood paneling and furniture. Down a thin hallway is a door to the homey wooden deck and patio. It's decorated with flower baskets, a bar with a large but unintrusive flat-screen TV and wooden barrels with tabletops on them (as well as regular tables and chairs). Local businesses advertise on wooden plaques that hang around the patio's perimeter.
Crowd: Anyone and everyone feels comfortable here. A table full of senior citizen ladies were lunching on the patio one weekday afternoon last week, and on Friday and Saturday nights, young people line up out the door, waiting for the chance to sip cocktails and hear live bands perform.
Service: The waiters are all knowledgeable, appropriately laid-back and friendly, but if you want to learn a lot of details about the various wine and drink offerings, your best bet is to stay in the main bar.
Liquid consumption: The Vine's entire drink menu is impressive, but the standout is its fun martini list. It's entertaining just to read the 50 different types of martinis they make, and even better to drink them. They have all the standard martinis you'd expect to find, but also some creative ones - like the s'mores martini, served with a freshly toasted marshmallow on a stick, or the colorful bomb pop that comes rimmed with Pop Rocks. I had a tasty, filled-to-the-rim appletini with a stemmed cherry - and the price? A mere $5 (a special on Wednesdays). There are 50 types of vodka on the menu, too, not to mention microbrews from all over the U.S. and an impressive wine list for every price point. As a nice touch, they offer "wine doggy bags" for customers who order a bottle of wine but don't want to finish it.
Food: Whether you crave bar food or gourmet fare to accompany your wine, it's here. Anything featuring The Vine's Buffalo sauce is a good pick, especially the can't-stop-eating-'em Buffalo chips ($6) which are crispy homemade potato chips tossed with just the right amount of spicy buffalo sauce, sprinkled with blue cheese and served with a side of blue cheese dressing. Messy but delicious. Another tasty appetizer is the spicy cucumber hummus ($7) that comes with fresh cucumber slices and warm pita bread lightly sprinkled with cheese and spices. For wine drinkers, there are cheese and antipasto platters, and a cheese fondue. For lunch or dinner, chose from gourmet steaks ($21 and up) and a nice array of sandwiches (averaging around $10), served on large buns with four different side dish offerings. There are daily specials as well.
Sounds: A small area in the front corner of the bar is cleared and used for a stage during the live music nights on Fridays and Saturdays. There is also an Open Mic Blues Jam at 9 p.m. on Mondays, and live music outdoors on Wednesday nights.
Parking: Street parking is free and relatively easy, but some spaces have two-hour limits.
Overall: A nice spot for just about any occasion, be it a special night out or a Bears game. Go for the top-quality drink offerings, but also enjoy the great kitchen that's there to complement it.
The Vine Martini & Wine Bar
101 Center St., Grayslake, (847) 543-0900, www.TheVineOfGrayslake.com
Hours: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday