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| - My friend Caroline and I visited 5th and Wine on 4/16/10, a Friday evening around 5:30, for drinks and a quick bite before the 7:30 showing of Greenberg @ Camelview (terrific movie, btw). We were pleased with our choice.
Foodwise, the happy hour menu wasn't super extensive, featuring a handful of apps from the regular menu. 5th and Wine does have an extensive bruschetta menu, reminiscent of Postino; we chose, however, to order sandwiches and paninis, the selections of which looked quite tasty. (I was tempted to try the daily special entrée, which was beef bourguignon a la Julia Child, but held back.) We each took advantage of another happy hour special, any wine on the restaurant's regular list for $5/glass. Although the pour wasn't super-generous, it's a good way to sample from 5th and Wine's very balanced selection.
The one HH app we tried, prosciutto-wrapped breadsticks, arrived in the form of pencil-thin grissini drizzled with a horseradish dip--overall, surprisingly satisfying. My ham-and-mozzarella panini, a recommendation of our waiter, was well-prepared, served with fries liberally sprinkled with Pecorino, red pepper, garlic, and parsley (delish), while Caroline's humble-sounding tuna sandwich was equally flavorful and zesty, with a nice bite coming from the incorporated champagne vinaigrette.
Although the main serving area of the restaurant was apparently booked by a rehearsal dinner, there was still seating available in the small annex we were seated in. There was some sort of amp or speaker awkwardly muffled with moving blankets near a table (couldn't they have just turned down the volume?), but ultimately, it didn't detract too much from what was otherwise a very positive experience.
While I loathe to rave about a restaurant on Yelp (and thereby abet in the massing of the hordes at my fav spots), I can't restrain myself when I come across a gem that deserves it.
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