A friend of the fellow was in town last weekend, so we found the time for a relaxing Sunday evening out to catch up with her. The goal of the night was to sample the wares at The Violet Hour, — talked about elsewhere, — but we started off with a bit of food to pad the coming alcohol and popped into nearby Feast.

The space at Feast, looking out toward the patio. (Source)

Feast is a nice space and, since the weather was pleasant, we snagged a table outside on the patio. The menu was varied and affordable, with a good array of slightly upscale, but casual offerings. The drink menu was geared towards wine with a wide selection including many bottles we were not familiar with.

To begin, the lady and the fellow each picked a white wine flight — her’s sweet and bubbly, his citrus focused — and our friend chose the rosé on special that night. Overall, the selections were a bit disappointing. The rosé, despite being highly recommended by the server, was sickly sweet and was sent back and the lady found her flight merely OK. The fellow had better luck, though, and his flight included a lovely Greek wine with hints of grapefruit and melon as well as a very, very light Pedro Ximénez. Regardless of the varied quality of the wine across the table, it was a highlight to hear our friend talk about her wine’s “legs”; she has quite the palate!

For food, the lady picked the chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese and thyme in a lemon-butter sauce with potato gnocchi and spinach. She liked this savory dish, though the gnocchi was more than just a touch over salted. The fellow opted for a butternut squash ravioli served with spiced walnuts, sage and goat cheese in a balsamic syrup. The dish skewed sweet rather than savory (OK for the fellow, less liked by the lady), but had a great mix of flavors that was very enjoyable. Our friend chose a simple steak tortilla salad which she was rather silent commenting about. (Bad sign?)

Next up, we crossed the block to the unmarked entrance to the Violet Hour for a Sunday evening treat. (The biggest part of that treat being no wait for a table!)