Another restaurant has opened its doors in the Village of Shirlington! It is a welcome addition with its focus on pairing good wine with very good food. The menu is lilmited but interesting with a creative touch to appetizers, soups, salads, entrees and desserts. The entrees come in two sizes so there is opportunity to create a meal with three to four courses and not feel "stuffed." The wine pairings are very interesting with a broad selection for coupling with each main course. The wait staff is attentive and knowledgeable, particularly in making suggestions about these pairings. A recent addition is a 10% off coupon that comes with the check, an encouragement to shop in the wine section for a bottle to take home. Your foray into the back part of the restaurant will allow you to discover what many Arlington folks already know -- The Curious Grape has been renown for a number of years as a high quality wine store with an extensive inventory. Their new restaurant clearly builds on that tradition.

My husband and I have twice thoroughly enjoyed our dinners there. All the food is interesting, well-prepared and presented, and was the right portion size. Of course the wines they offer with the meals are excellent also. The service at times seemed just a bit rushed, but was very friendly. The place has been busy but not too loud.
I actually like their wine selection and layout less than in the old shop, but the restaurant is a great addition.

My husband and I went to The Curious Grape for brunch after seeing it rated as one of the top ten restaurants in the area. The restaurant was curiously not packed. I thought that, because of its recent high rating and then after eating brunch I was even more curious why the restaurant why more people weren't dining there. We both started with the mini pastry selection - five different pastries, all fresh and tasty. I tried the butternut squash soufflee, perfectly cooked. My husband was a bit more hungry so he ordered the spice-roasted chicken with mascarpone spaetzle, chanterelle mushrooms and smoked paprika. We ate there probably three weeks ago,and he still maintains that was the best chicken he has ever eaten. We are going back there soon for dinner, their dessert menu has listed "frozen mimosa mousse with sparkling snow" - I must try it!

The Curious Grape is a great addition to Shirlington. It has the vibe of a casual bistro where you can enjoy nice wines, a snack, just dessert, or a full meal. The kitchen offers up creative and delicious high end cuisine with the attractive option of ordering many dishes as as full or half-size portions. The great service and 30% discount on selected wines by the glass were defintely appreciated. The limited pre-theater fixed price menu is a nice offering albeit at $30 pp is about $5 over priced, considering the lower-cost chicken and pasta options. Our appetizers included the scallops, wild boar empanada and wild mushroom soup -- each was just superb. For mains, the short rib was tasty but overpriced at $27 for one smallish portion of a cheaper cut of meat. Penne pasta was a tiny bit chewy and could have used a minute longer in the pot, but that's really a nit. All the flavors were top notch and on par with the best restauraunts on town.

Our Sunday supper for 4, with a glass of wine each, was $180 w/ tax and tip which in this diner's mind is 20% overpriced for the portion sizes and location.