hmm i can’t believe i’ve been on dc metblogs this long and haven’t mentioned one of my favorite restaurants. i hadn’t been in awhile, but got the chance to grab dinner on sunday w/ my parents in town.

mendocino ^[1] is located on the east end of georgetown and is exactly what you expect from a california wine bar. the inside is light yet inviting — the first thing you notice is the warm wood tones of the bar and accents the walls. the bar has an extensive wine tap system w/ over 2 dozen wines available by the glass.

they have a cheese tasting available as an appetizer, entree or dessert whimisically grouped as “two goats”, “two cows”, “two blues” and “two sheep”. the fish entrees are all seared to a crisp outside and tender inside. my dad ordered the lamb and i got the chicken which were both juicy and quite flavorful. the only thing to be careful of is any of the potato sides, they’re a bit salty for my taste. dessert of a grappa sorbet, molten chocolate w/ pistacio ice cream and the rhubarb crumble pie were all so delectable…mendocino really serves some of the best desserts i’ve come across in dc.

a special bonus is on wednesdays at 5:30 — for under $20 you can enjoy wine tasting w/ an appetizer. really quite reasonable and at a great cozy venue. i think you can make reservations for the wine tasting and for dinner it’s definitely recommended…the place can only hold about 50 diners.