Enology Wine Bar

Like many here, I went with a friend to Enology after the line at Cactus Cantina was out the door. What a mistake.
It was a busy saturday night, and sat outside. We ordered food immediately after sitting down– and then began to wait … and wait. and wait…
The appetizer, calamari, arrived after about 30 minutes. It was unremarkable. Then the real waiting began.
We waited for a meal of their chicken breast and mac and cheese and a burger. Other table around us ordered food and it came and went, we were told by our server that the wait was because the burger was «made to order» — an hour and 15 minutes after the appetizer arrived, we received our food.
The mac and cheese was terrible. Kraft does a better job of it. My friends burger was completely well-​done, even though they never even asked him how he would like it cooked.
The chicken on the menu listed that it came with some «white gravy» but instead came in some weird buffalo-​style sauce.
During our wait, our waitress had said she was «fighting for us» so we thought that meant that they might comp something since it was such a bad experience.
At the same time, the table behind us had ordered food and was having the same problem. They needed to get to a movie– and ended up canceling their order, even after waiting over an hour for food.
In the end, my friend walked in to the restaurant to talk to the manger– I went to the bathroom, expecting that it would be taken care of after I came out, but they were deep in conversation. I told the guy that the other table was having the same problem — so it wasn’t just us. He told me he would look into it– and after we left– he did no such thing.
The comped our meal, which I guess I should feel appreciative of. Of course, they only did that after my friend threatened to post negative reviews to his blog.
In the end, comping it was nice, but that would not have happened without my friend being persistent.
I left feeling the manager just really didn’t care at all– and that this was a problem that is chronic there, and that if I came back next Saturday my experience would be similar.
Every restaurant makes mistakes– it is how you deal with them that matters– they don’t seem to care.
Do yourself a favor and just wait for a table at cactus cantina– I promise you you’ll have your food before you would across the street at Enology.

I was waiting for a friend to make the trip into DC for a dinner date at 2 Amys, and decided to check out Enology Wine Bar while I waited.
I sat at the bar, and was given a book to leaf through with all of the different wines, cocktails beer and spirits. This place probably has one of the widest wine selections in the DC area– and it has the largest wines offered by the glass. The entire back wall of the bar was a neat system where they pour the wine through a pump– much like a draft beer.
Anyway, the bartender chatted me up and intorduced himself– this is a first! I asked him for some suggestions on whites, and he was very knowledgable about all of the wines.
The décor was modern and stylish, making it a perfect place to wait for a friend.

As far as WINE BARS in Cleveland Park on Connecticut Avenue go it’s the BEST. However I think it’s also the only.
They have a great selection of wine and cheeses. Cocktails are decent. There’s a new patio area this summer. A bartender named Theo which makes for great RealWorld/​RoadRules Challenge references.
When they don’t have enough business they close early — LAME. More than once I’ve corralled a few friends for a glass of wine to end the evening and there was no one home.

On a recent business trip to DC I met up with a resident friend who suggested we try Enology. Sure, I said. I’ll pick you up. Perhaps my first mistake… :) We got lost, despite the GPS assistance. It’s pretty close to the National Cathedral for those of you coming from out of town. And there is plenty of parking on the nearby streets.
The restaurant was great — we got there and it was still Happy Hour, so we got a few dollars off our glasses of sparkling wine. I really wanted to try one of their wine flights but I was driving… maybe another trip!
We ordered several appetizers rather than main courses — prosciutto flatbread, crab deviled eggs, and fried calamari. I loved the flatbread! Each bite had the perfect ratio of prosciutto, cheese, and bread. Solo good and they had multiple kinds of flatbreads — definitely try all of them!
To end the meal we split a dessert. It was between the strawberry rhubarb shortcake and the chocolate — a tough choice to make, but the waiter endorsed the shortcake so we split it. I wasn’t a huge fan of the biscuit (a bit too hard for my taste), but the strawberry rhubarb and vanilla ice cream was excellent.
Definitely a place that I would frequent often if I lived in the area!

I had my eye on this place for awhile but never popped in until yesterday and I so wish I had gone here earlier.
Friends and I decided to go after hearing through the grape vine that Tuesday was half-​off bottle day. Turns out, it’s half off from a selection of bottles running from $ 50 — 120 dollars. Fine by us. Two of us had arrived earlier so I ordered a cocktail before the uncorking began, a drink called the who blueberry. If you like blueberries, it is perfect for you, but be warned, those blueberries can make drinking through that cocktail straw a tad difficult. At $ 11, it was a bit pricey for what I normally spend but it definitely had me feeling tipsy by the end of the glass.
Four girls, two bottles of wine, and before we knew it three hours had passed and the place was emptying out by 11 pm (it was a school night in a semi-​sleepy part of town though). We also ordered the herbed frites which were delicious, priced right at $ 6, and took off some of the effects of alcohol consumption. Our server was incredibly helpful. I also love the idea that everything from the cheese to the music is domestic. Also, their other specials from happy hour to daily specials can be found on their website.
Overall, a great place to catch up with a group of friends or for an intimate date. However, little to no mingling is going on so don’t go with the expectation of meeting fellow winos.

I have no idea what anyone could say negative about this place. I LOVED it. Our night mixed drinks were ½ off and the Lord of the Flies was a winner. We had amazing burger sliders and ahi tuna sliders, and portion size was excellent for the money. We also had terrific, very cost-​effective salads, enjoying the chopped salad and the one with cherries and blue cheese (forgot that name, darn it).
I say all this not because I’m a penny pincher by nature, but it’s time to put to rest the earlier reviews (early 09 and late 08) of this place that said it was pricey and underwhelming in food dept. Everything ate was not only great for the money, it was great… period.
Décor is fab, atmosphere very relaxed, staff nice and humble and friendly.
This is a wonderful change of pace and worth visiting whether you live in the hood or in the heart of some other hood.

You know, this place isn’t bad. It’s certainly an upgrade from it’s former life as Zebra Lounge.
I find it particularly useful when waiting 45 minutes for a table at 2 Amy’s across the street. The vibe is relaxing and i’ve never seen more than like 5 other people inside. In fact, I hope they stay in business…

This is in the area of my apartment, so I was bound to stop in. I’ve been twice, once as recently as a six weeks ago. Our first trip, they only offered small food plates and apps., while they now offer dinner.
The food was ok, pretty overpriced for the size of the portions. The cheese plates are nice and large for sharing. The wine flights were fair and reasonable, but I really dislike the atmosphere there and really feel like I don’t belong.
The service is good, but my waitress both times really didn’t know much about the wines I was choosing, a huge downside to a wine restaurant.

This place is a full glass of suck. Everything about it is terrible, from the hostess to the service to the food. First I was completely lied to about how long the wait would be. Then they took forever to turn over the tables which were vacant. (The hostess kept searching for people that had left instead of seating all of the people waiting and ready).
Then we sat and it got worse. First you should know that if you go to this restaurant in the winter, the seats by the window are freezing cold. Yes, the huge windows are very attractive but cold.
My wife described to the waiter (who looked about 16 years old) the kind of wine she wanted: «full-​bodied, dry, spicy.» He recommended a pinot noir and a grenache. It became clear he just knew the names of a few wines to recommend — but actually knew less about wine in general (or their overall selection) than the homeless guy outside on the sidewalk. Despite this, we ended up with some pretty good wine, no thanks to the waiter. By the way, their list is long but limited to the US, which is a shame.
The food was terrible. I believe everything is pre-​made, as they cannot do any substitutions (we weren’t trying to change ingredients, just the composition of some of the small plates). The sliders were terrible — dry and overcooked (not that we were given a choice on the cooking for the tuna or burger). The cheese was uninspired and served with stale, flavorless bread. Desserts were also mediocre, at best.
All in all, a very poor experience and I certainly won’t be returning. How does this place stay busy? It is vastly inferior to other wine bars in DC, namely Cork and Veritas. Apparently I should just open my own wine bar because it takes almost no skill or competent employees to be full on a weekend night.

I am writing this as a person who is by no means a wine expert. I come here a lot with my boyfriend because we live a couple of doors down. He is knowledgeable about wine so he probably gets more out of it than I do.
I drink a lot of wine, but I don’t know anything about notes, legs, body etc. Most of the time I barely know what I am drinking. I know the difference between red, white, and champagne vs. sparkling… thats where it ends.
That said, I really like Enology. The service is great and even though I never know what I want, the waiters are good about guiding you in the right direction. Most of the time I opt for a wine flight which is 3 glasses of white, red, or sparkling wine for about $ 13-​$ 20. The On the Rocks flight is my favorite, its a selection of wines that all have a mineral taste to them and they are super refreshing.
Aside from the odd slice of cheese and piece of chocolate, I have not eaten at Enology, but I wouldn’t go to a wine bar for the food anyway.

I really wanted to like Enology because, I live about 3 steps away.
But…
I walked in with my boyfriend one night, and the server just wasn’t very nice. He didn’t want to answer questions, seemed kind of condescending… We brushed it off.
I had a salad, and the BF had another salad. They weren’t memorable. We also split a half off bottle of wine (gotta go on Tuesdays), which was fine.
The décor was nice. The wine list (I should say wine book!) was very extensive. Wine lovers should come here. Don’t eat, just drink. I think Enology would be better in a happy hour type situation instead of expecting a full dinner. I also don’t eat cheese, which limited the options for me pretty significantly.
Décor was nice, I’d give Enology another shot, but probably not for dinner, I’d go in looking for a snack, and wine…

never, ever again. I went to happy hour and dinner there last night and it was terrible.
First of all, we were the ONLY table there, yet the waitress and apparently manager were very rude. We came in with three, and informed the waitress that two people were going to join us so we would eventually be a group of five. again, even though we were the ONLY people not sitting at the bar, they only gave us a four person table and then we had to pull up a fifth chair when the fifth person joined us.
Secondly, we were looking to spend a nice long time drinking wine, ordering food slowly, and just enjoy the evening. Our waitress kept pushing us to order, and there were about 5 busboys that hovered awkwardly, constantly asking us if we were finished with our cheese plate
The cheese was ok, but the portions were minuscule and served with nowhere near enough bread. The bread was SO stale, and we were charged extra when we ordered more bread. The salmon tasted fishy and was overcooked. The tuna sliders and prosciutto flatbread were good, but not great. It seemed like there was probably not an actual chef back there, just a few decent cooks.
When we asked for a wine recommendation, the waitress served a member of our party the most expensive wine on the menu without even informing her. The rest of her recommendations were just ok, and it was obvious she didn’t really know the wine menu. When we decided to get a bottle, she was beyond stingy with letting us try one that was available by the glass.
The worst part was dessert. We ordered a piece of chocolate cake and a bottle of desert wine. They brought us what looked like the crumbles of a cake scraped out of the box with no silverware, and a few glasses of desert wine, informing us that the price was for half of a bottle (even though the menu clearly said bottle). At this point, i said something to the waitress. They were cordial, removed the «cake», didn’t charge us for it or the dessert wine, and took 25% off our check, but they did not give us the happy hour special (which is only $ 1 off glasses of wine).
to sum up, i’ll never go back. enology is overpriced, poor quality, and not well-​managed

You know what is awesome on a cold and dreary night? Enology. I went there last night when the weather was at a near-​zenith of suckiness, and it was precisely the place I wanted to enter and shake off the rain. I had passed by the place a few weeks ago on the way to Café Deluxe, and I was taken by the Nighthawks’ diner-​esque wall of windows, windows made all the more perfect for watching the chilly world go by outside while you stay warm and well-​fed inside.
The menu had sufficient offerings, but the flatbread seemed like the best deal for offsetting heavily marked up wine. My friend and I went for the Red Moutain flatbread with Maytag bleu cheese, figs, and duck. I love all of these things, and I really loved all of these things together. I had the Andrew Rich Tabula Rasa red blend, which went nicely with the aforementioned repast.
I also opted for the white dessert wine flight, which included the McKinley Springs chenin blanc (heavy and sweet), the Rosenblum viognier (my favorite), and a riesling substitute for the listed Martinelli muscat (they ran out). I didn’t try it, but the red dessert wine flight includes two Quady wines (other than the «Elysium») which I have yet to see anywhere else. I look forward to ordering those next time. God, I love dessert wine.
Enology feels like a real neighborhood treat; I didn’t find it loud, as some others had mentioned, but it was only about half full. I hope it remains that way when I return, because it was perfect.

2.5 stars.
The cheese was good. The wine was great. The chocolates were mmmmm. But I can sum this place up in one word. LOOOOOUUUUUUDDDDD. LOUD.
We went to tonight — on the early side too (we were seated at about 6.30p). It had a vibe of what I’d describe as a cross between a sports bar and a wine bar. Not a natural combo. The music was BLASTING and it was an assortment of garage rock and brit pop, which is FINE in a different type of place — I like loud music as much as the next girl — but when you’re trying to have a not-​inexpensive-​meal where the focus is supposed to be on the wine and food, it just was jarring and unpleasant. Add to that an extremely loud group at the bar screaming over said-​overly-​loud music about their favorite basketball teams, and an oddly huge flatscreen TV propped somewhat precariously by the bar. It was just WEIRD. (Am I off to think that a gigantic flatscreen TV is out of place in a wine bar?)
One other comment — they were out of 2 of the 6 things we ordered (again, it was only 6.30pm) so that was sort of a bummer.
Agree with previous reviewers that the wine pours are a bit on the conservative side, given what other places pour. But, the servers were attentive and knowledgeable, the cheeses were fresh and generous, and the chicken liver pâté was heav-​en-​ly. The place could really benefit from turning down the stereo and refocusing on atmosphere, or deciding what it wants to be: a neighborhood bar or a restaurant that someone would actually want to enjoy a meal in.
Given the wine bar competition growing in DC, I wouldn’t go back. Maybe it was just a bad night. Oh well.

** note: they now open at 5pm**
Waiter had his hands in his pockets as he talked to us– hate that– but he was friendly and chatted with us for a bit. Candle needed to be lit on our table (even though it was still sunset, so I’ll grant them that). And the pour needed about 2 more sips. Since this is not the case, I will probably stick with happy hours as much as possible with $ 2 off.
Nice wine selection, beautiful classy interior and perfect for chilling with friends on a Sunday afternoon, especially for us Woodley Park people who have it within walking distance. I was particularly happy with their white blend selection– the «melon» zin, riesling blend was very nice and the waiter knew right away to answer our question about whether it was dry or sweet (dry).
Will possibly grant more stars when I try the food and a few more wines. Definitely going back.

I headed to Enology tonight with a friend because we both wanted to toast to her recent 21^st birthday. We went right at 5:00 for happy hour, and the place was deserted… which was a good thing because the service could use some improvement. Our server was very sweet and helpful but she seemed to be struggling and flustered with just three tables, and our food was brought by another server to two different tables before we finally yelled to them that it was ours.
Despite the service issues (which I think are due to the place being new) I thoroughly enjoyed my wine and flatbread. During happy hour, there is a list of wines which are all $ 2 off the glass, as well as $ 2 off cocktails and discounts on cheese and other food items. The $ 10 flatbread was a great price for the amount of food we received (definitely enough for 2 as a small meal).
I also liked that everything in the restaurant is domestic and that you can even order flights of wine that are designed from very local places in VA. Overall, I’m a fan of Enology and will be back next time I’m in the area.

Another reason to try Enology (besides the many already articulated here): what else are you going to do while you’re trying to kill an hour (or two) waiting for a table at 2Amys? My boyfriend found ourselves in that situation this past weekend. The bar at 2Amys was characteristically overflowing so we put our names down and made a bee-​line for Enology. At a little past 8:00, the place was half-​full (though significantly more people poured in over the next half hour). We decided to do the less obvious and go for some non-​wine drinks. I got a cucumber martini and Boyfriend got Old Pogue Bourbon on the rocks. We were both new to our drinks (note: they only use domestic liquors here) and they went down splendidly.
Atmosphere: Clean lines-​trendy and very different from Veritas’s dark brick. I almost think I like it better because I could barely see the person sitting next to me at Veritas. Also — is it just me or is there some unwritten code that guys in groups must shun wine bars? Anyways, not surprisingly, I saw only cute wine-​loving couples and groups of women happily chatting away. And one guy came in solo (sat at the bar next to me) and enjoyed a glass of red wine w/​flatbread (which looked very good).

I heard about this place from a co-​worker who wanted to come here after our shift Saturday night. I knew a new place was going in where Zebra Lounge was but I had no idea it had opened already or that it was a wine bar!
There were 4 of us and we got there around midnight. We were seated in the lower section that looks out on Macomb. The interior was pretty — very modern and clean. I really enjoyed their music too — I’m not sure if it was a playlist or something — but I recall hearing the Shins and Weezer in the mix somewhere so yay for that!
The wine book was very impressive and well organized. The list of meats, cheeses, flatbreads and chocolates (!!) looked fantastic!
We decided that we’d get some flights and then share/​taste each other’s selections. (We all work at Lia’s and do wine tastings often so it only seemed natural to do it here too.) I chose the reds — Variety Pack. There was a pinot noir, syrah and a cabernet. I don’t remember the names of each, but I liked them all. I really like how they deliver the flights to your table — they have this wire contraption that carries all 3 glasses. It was pretty neat.
I wasn’t very hungry so I wasn’t planning on ordering food but two of my friends were so we picked some meats, a cheese and pâté to share between the 4 of us. Bresaola, duck breast and a domestic prosciutto were our meats, truffled chicken was the pâté selected and I don’t remember what the cheese was. The meats were served with a mustard spread and pickles/​olives and some bread. The pâté was served with the same mustard spread, olives and bread. The cheese was served with some quince jam, olives and bread. Good thing I hate olives. :-) The bread wasn’t the greatest — it was a bit dry and cold. I’d have preferred it warmed a bit or toasted or something.
I was pretty set with my wine… I can’t handle too much anyway these days. But the guys were wanting some more to drink — so one of them got the pinot gris grappa and the other got this mixed cocktail — strawberry vodka, lemonade and a balsamic reduction. I was a bit intrigued but wasn’t sure how that would taste. Jeff gave me a sip and it turned out to be pretty good. However, I wouldn’t let Zein come near me with the grappa so I’ll just take his word for it that he liked it.
Our server was very friendly. We asked him a lot of questions when making our selections and if he wasn’t sure about a recommendation, he didn’t hesitate to go ask someone who might know the answer. If he hadn’t tried a wine yet, he was honest enough to say so and give as much advice as he could on what he knew. For only having been open a week, I was pretty impressed with his knowledge of the menu.
Oh, one last thing I forgot to mention — they present the check in a rocks glass. I thought it was pretty cool.
Enology is a nice addition to the neighborhood — I hope it lasts!

Does anyone not love wine? Quite possible, but I haven’t met the person, actually I knew one girl in college who didn’t like wine, but she also didn’t like shopping so we won’t count her as a human. It’s really surprising to me that until recently DC didn’t have many wine bars, so I was very excited to try the newest one. Unfortunately I was misled by the address and thought it was in Georgetown, so I was completely overdressed, like, there-​were– girls– there– in-flip-flops-and-cargo-shorts-and-I’m-wearing-a-Donna-Karan-Collection-dress type of overdressed, but that’s my own fault, and my dress was awesome, and so were my shoes (they have little fish on them) I DIGRESSSSSS!!!
Enology serves only domestic wines, beers and spirits, which is interesting, I won’t criticize it, I might have chosen to include a couple countries who invented the main beverage I am serving, but I didn’t let it bias me. Despite their continentally confined wine list the choices were extensive including a few great Reserve wines. I chose to try a couple flights of white wines, the ones which my server indicated might be closest to a Pinot Grigio. These were the wines:
«Truly Eclectic» Flight of White Wine
Arneis Seghesio Russian River Valley, California
Rkatsiteli, dr. konstantin frank, Finger Lakes, New York, 2006
Albarino Verdad, Santa Inez Valley, California
«White Bordeaux» Flight of White Wine
Sauvignon blanc, groth, Napa Valley, California, 2007
Smillon, l’ecole no 41, Columbia Valley, Washington, 2006
St. supry «virt,» Napa Valley, California, 2006
I had three cheeses (see pic), my favorite was the tarentaise, and my only complaint was that the bread slices they served it with could have been fresher and crispier and I would’ve loved some nuts.
Cato corner «hooligan» Colchester, Connecticut
Thistle hill «tarentaise» North Pomfret, Vermont
Typress grove «purple haze» Arcata, California
I also had a flatbread (see pic), the Puget Sound: crème fraîche, oak smoked atlantic samon, sliced red onion, snipped chive. It was tasty, but I wish again that the bread had been crispier and that the red onion be a fresh slice, not sauteed, nor pickled.
The interior of Enology is better than most other DC wine bars, neutral colors throughout, dark wood accents and an under-​light marble top bar, they could’ve done the typical DC anxious interior, with 100 different materials and colors and woods, so I it was nice to see something somewhat composed. It definitely lent a much more relaxed, cooler ambiance.

4.50 Stars
Tonight was the second night of the soft opening for Enology Wine Bar and I have to say it looks like they have a hit on their hands!
I brought a good friend of mine along tonight to partake in a evening of what I believed was going to be a great night tasting only American wines, sprirts, cheese, charcuterie and desserts.
The theme for Enology, which means the study of wine, is an all-​domestic concept. The wines, beer, liquor, and food are all from or produced the United States. Even the music is an all-​American playlist.
I have been waiting for this place to open as I remember the old Zebra Lounge and wanted to check out the new space and can I tell you the space in amazing.
I loved the subtle tonal colors, chrome accents, light airy feel, the automatic blinds that come up just as dusk hits, the wood floors, and I think one of my favorite things is how they took bottom of the wine bottle theme and translated it throughout the entire place from the logo to the wood paneling under the bar to the business cards.
So it was very busy when we walked in the door and waiting just a few minutes to be seated as I had requested to be seated at the end of the bar so that we could check out all the action from the bar and the kitchen. My girlfriend commented on the hooks available for our handbags under the stunning white marble bar she also liked the fact the bar was under lit so you could see your handbag.
After reviewing the menu and seeing the cool pairings, we decided to start the evening with a glass of roederer estate «brut ros,» Anderson Valley, California, then we ordered a full a complement of cheeses that I have to say blew us out of the water.
The sides provided were just a lushes as the cheeses, dried mission figs, the olive oil — garlic red tomatoes, roasted red peppers and of course the great bread.
Then we looked at the pairings of wines; and chose two great pairings that really should me that the US has some really thoughtful, well defined and amazing vineyards. We had the Truly Eclectic and the New Yorker and the wines really showed what is truly best about America. These are the flights:
New Yorker: tocai friulano, millbrook «estate, hundson river, 2007, rkatsiteli, dr. konstantin frank, finger lakes, 2006, riesling, hermann wiemer, finger lakes, 2006
Truly Eclectic: vermentino, l’uvaggio di giacomo, lodi, california, 2005, auxerrois, adelsheim, willamette valley, oregon, 2006, rkatsiteli, dr. konstantin frank, finger lakes, new york, 2006
Of course there are things that we missed out on I was really looking forward to trying the flatbreads. But was told by the management that they didn’t feel like they were ready to put out a product that was not up to the standards they had for Enology.
So until they can work that out they will not be on the menu. Which I have to say I really appreciate as I have been too many places that should just have not served something as it was not that great so Kuddos to the management for this.
To end the evening we decided on some chocolates and some dessert wines which I have to be honest I don’t remember what they were other than they just rocked with the chocolate truffles we had.
The open for business on Friday June 13, 2008 and I think they will be a great addition to the neighborhood. I know that when the windows and the patio are in full swing this place is going to be amazing.