By Sam Turner |
Staff writer
Restaurant review
After attending Augusta University for the past three years, I have made it a goal to explore my own hometown in search of great food and drinks on a college budget.
The first restaurant on the list is Craft and Vine: https://craftandvine.com/.
Craft and Vine opened in 2013 and is located on Broad Street across from Mellow Mushroom. From the outside, Craft and Vine has a sophisticated, secret appeal to it. Once a guest walks through the frosty glass doors, they are transported to a 1920’s speakeasy with modern flair.
The menu changes daily and has a wide variety ranging in snacks, small plates, charcuterie boards, and brick oven pizzas.
For guests 21 and over, the cocktail menus have unique finds as well as bar top favorites that can be found on the happy hour menu.
During my visit, I had the chance to taste a few popular menu items that are big enough to share between two and four people.
My date and I partook in the popular pretzel bites with a pimento cheese dipping sauce, mussels and a three for $15 charcuterie board. Our cocktails of choice included an Old Fashioned, French 75 and a feature cocktail, Summer Storm.
The pretzel bites can be found under snacks on the Craft and Vine menus and are $8. These are by far my favorite snack item.
The pretzels came to the table steaming hot with a side of the pimento cheese dipping sauce. I am not a huge fan of pimento cheese, but the sauce was delicious. The pretzels were soft and not overly salty. This dish was enough to share between two people comfortably.
The next dish was the three for $15 charcuterie board. When picking the items for a charcuterie board, guests have the option of choosing between five cheeses and five meats.
My date and I chose the Soppressata salami, Nanny Moon’s Gouda, and the smoked cheddar.
The Soppressata is a dry cured, pork salami based in burgundy wine. The gouda cheese is made with cow milk and is semi smooth and creamy. It is a little sweeter since it is not smoked. The smoked cheddar is like a traditional cheddar with a little bit of a smoky bite to it.
All three choices on our board pair well with Craft and Vine’s Oregon Pinot Noir wine.
The last food item shared were the Prince Edward Island mussels. I have had mussels a few times before; however, they were not as flavorful as the mussels ordered from Craft and Vine. The mussels are cooked in Manzanilla sherry, garlic, onion and Thyme. The flavor is mild yet flavorful. The mussels are served in a broth with a side of bread slices.\
To complete our dining experience, my date and I ordered a few cocktails from the happy hour menu. The bartenders are experienced and always serve up a drink well.
The first cocktail is a bar classic, the Old Fashioned. The Old Fashioned can be ordered any time but is discounted during Happy Hour (5:00-6:30, 10:00-close). The drink was served on the rocks and garnished with an orange peel.
The next cocktail was a French 75. It is a perfect cocktail for those who enjoy gin and sparkling wine. Served in a gauntlet, this drink is garnished with a lemon peel and can make any guest feel as classy as the drink looks.
The final cocktail during the visit was a feature cocktail for the week of August 21. The drink was a bartender creation called a Summer Storm. This drink had a base of tequila with lavender bitters, simply syrup and lemon. The cocktail was served in a martini glass topped with a lemon garnish. The taste was very smooth, and lavender could be tasted in every sip.
Whether a guest is looking for a simple cocktail, appetizers or a small meal to share, Craft and Vine is the perfect place. The atmosphere has a modern speakeasy feel with an Indie pop playlist in the background. The snacks, small plates, charcuterie boards and pizzas are perfect for sharing and has room for a college student’s budget to breathe.
Overall, the experience at Craft and Vine was superb and I will definitely be visiting again with friends.
For more information contact Sam Turner at saturner@augutsa.edu.
