Old Vine Cafe (OVC) is located in the corner of the Camp. It’s a very small and quaint restaurant with no more than 12 tables and a few patio seating tables.
Old Vine Cafe was pretty packed on the Saturday but luckily for me I made reservations. The major problem with Orange County is the lack of quality of restaurants. The “highly regarded” ones are always over-rated. In addition, there’s only a few restaurants that make a good date spot.
It’s one of those where you want to show your date you’re trying but not too much. It’s a balancing act cause once you put in too much effort and show too much interest…You’re in the friend zone.
I’m sure all guys have been in this situation. It’s one of those where you want to show your date you’re trying but not too much. It’s a balancing act cause once you put in too much effort and show too much interest…You’re in the friend zone. Don’t ask me why but that’s how women work. Therefore, I’m here to tell you Old Vine Cafe is a good date spot for any quality, potential prospect. It’s the perfect display of enough thought and effort.
The service was fantastic and our server was pretty amazingly awesome. She came by more than enough times to check up on us and glasses were never empty including our wine glasses. She did a fantastic job and even comped us a slice of their Grandma’s Cheesecake. She was a total sweetheart.
Now, the food. Old Vine Cafe had a few tasting menu options and a good size a la carte menu. The tasting menu consisted of four different options. We both weren’t very hungry so we decided to go with a la carte. Good thing she chose a tasting menu…It would’ve been a bad sign. Ya know what I mean, fellas? She askin’ to be saved and we don’t save em.
- Beef Tenderloin Stroganoff – The dish was served with hand-made tagliatelle drizzled with creamed demi glacecame with natural beef tenderloin medallions and shiitake mushrooms on top. The tagliatelle had the right amount of ‘chewiness’ and the demi glacecame added a creamy context to the pasta. The tenderloin was spread evenly throughout the dish and wasn’t overcooked. It was surprisingly pretty good and I was definitely impressed. The wine pairing was 1/2 glass of Roccamora Nardo Rosso Negroamaro – Puglia, Italy. It wasn’t a bad choice and went with the dish fairly well.
- Hand Made Gnocchi – The gnocchi came in the same size as tater tots and it looked like tater tots. It was cooked with brown butter included black pepper pancetta, taleggio cheese, and used chervil instead of parsley. She definitely enjoyed the dish and thought it was pretty tasty. It’s the same pairing as the Stroganoff. The 1/2 glass of Roccamora Nardo Rosso Negroamaro – Puglia, Italy was decent.
Overall, I would definitely recommend Old Vine Cafe for the food, service, and ambiance. Plus, I can never turn down anything pasta or noodles. It was pretty casual but it didn’t feel like a cheap restaurant. It’s definitely not one of those establishments where you go for a date night. I would totally come back to Old Vine Cafe and bring the next chick if this one doesn’t work out. Ssshhh!
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- Service - 8/108/10
- Presentation - 7/107/10
- Flavor - 7/107/10
- Ambiance - 7/107/10
- Decor - 7.5/107.5/10
Summary
Old Vine Cafe is a little quaint restaurant located in Costa Mesa. It’s the perfect balance of showing your date you’re trying but not too hard. The food was good and wine pairing was decent.
