C'est Le Vin

I can't say enough great things about Rosie Connolly's which is the best part of Cest Le Vin--it's right across from it!  As we waited at Cest--a wine and tapas bar that got our Pinot and Cab mixed up in bringing it to us, we wondered what would be next.  We put in an order for some polenta and olives.  Watching the only other two people there that night who had been there a good 45 mins before us, we learned our polenta and olives would take a while as the kitchen was backed up.  The other couple got a dish about 10 minutes later, and maybe 25 mins after that our flavorless, lumpy polenta arrived with about 2 cups of olives.  Kind of speechless why the olives maybe didn't come out sooner, but luckily the whole experience afforded us the ability to check out quickly and proactively and head over to Rosie's to have amazing Irish beers and some delicious fries with gravy--served, eaten, settled in about 20 minutes.  Rosie's is amazing! Lastly--on our way out of Cest, I thought i saw them bringing a lovely candelabra out to an outdoor patron--upon closer look it was a hookah, so i guess wine+tapas+hookah is a thing! Must be off menu--be sure to ask!

C’est Le Vin is a decent tapas place on Main Street Plaza in the Shockoe Hill/Bottom area of Richmond. It’s a stone’s throw from the Main Street train station and has both indoor & patio seating available. The food was a solid 4/5 - we tried the bread basket, garlic shrimp, hush puppies, goat cheese stuffed peppers, chicken empanadas, and bruschetta and most of the dishes tasted nice! The hush puppies themselves were a bit oily (Southern, fried food, right?) and the peppers were a bit too acidic, but the rest of the food was quite enjoyable! The service was good and they were out if the Blintz that we desperately wanted to try for dessert! Still, a must-recommend for anyone visiting that area in Richmond.

A very quaint environment. I was there for Thursday night poetry and wine. Unbeknownst to me, it is better to make reservations so that you have a table or even room to really get comfortable. We were seated with a friendly couple so it made it a little better. The riesling they serve was amazing. Everything I ordered was good. Portion sizes are quite small for the price but such is life when fine dining. If I return it's only to have another glass of wine and hope for better seating so that I can really unwind and get comfortable. This is really a three and half star rating but since I cant do that the wine pushed it to four.