Bazin's On Church

Last night we decided to take advantage of Bazin's suggestion to "Wine Down After Work".

Bazin's on Church is a fabulous upscale restaurant in Vienna. It's owned by Patrick & Julie Bazin. Patrick is former Executive Chef of the historic Occidental in Washington DC. It's a very inviting place - with soaring ceilings & expansive windows, gleaming wood & exposed brick and a contemporary look that manages to be warm & welcoming at the same time.

Bazin's has a very small bar (it seats maybe 10?) and if you visit the bar between 4:30 and 7:00 Tuesday to Thursday, you can try their wines-by-the-glass at half price. They have a very extensive list of wines by the glass. Most places have a chardonnay or two, a pinot grigio, maybe a merlot, a cab and a shiraz - but Bazin's offers 7 champagnes, 14 whites, 14 reds and 5 roses by the glass. (The full wine list is even more vast!) So if you're in a "rut" and always drink the same wine when you go out to dinner, it's a great way to try something new.

Last night's bartender was Chris. He's definitely an asset to Bazin's. With super friendly eyes and a low key, but still charming manner, he definitely made us feel welcome. And he was great about answering a million questions about the wines - both patient and knowledgeable. He doesn't just pour drinks, he's truly a professional bartender.

By about 7:30PM, the restaurant was full and there was a nice hum of families & friends catching up on their daily activities - maybe a few business diners, but mostly locals who appreciate having a fine dining restaurant so close to home. With all the wonderful dishes walking by the bar and the smells wafting temptingly through the air, we decided to have dinner at the bar too.

And all I can say is WOW. They do offer a special "Rush Hour Dinner" from 5-6Pm on Tuesday to Thursday (3 courses for $26.95), but we ordered off the regular dinner menu. Well, kind of. We started out with the baked fontina with toasted bread, garlic & thyme as an appetizer. It reminded me of being in Switzerland or Canada and ordering raclette, but with different flavors. Yum! And then we moved on to dinner. My husband ordered the veal medallions with bacon & a red wine sauce. And the risotto on the side was "to die for". I have no idea what it was, but it tasted like mac n cheese - except better because it was risotto .

I, on the other hand texted my girlfriend who comes to Bazin's a lot and asked her what to get. (Her father taught Emeril Lagasse how to cook in culinary school, so unlike me, she is a real "foodie"). Among other things (the miso sea bass and blue cheese flatiron steak), she recommended the lump crabmeat salad with avocado, cucumber, microgreens and a passion fruit vinaigrette. Well, that sounded great, but it's not on the dinner menu. She told me to ask if they would do it (it's on the lunch menu). So I did - - - and of course they said yes. And I'm so glad they did. You might think that all lump crabmeat salads are the same - but NOT this one. Oh yeah baby!

After dinner, we finished with a warm chocolate tart, chocolate sorbet & chantilly creme. Plus some coffee & more chantilly creme. And then it was time to roll on home . . . sated & satisfied.

And only 1 mile to the house!

I LOVE LIVING IN VIENNA!

More posts about restaurants in Vienna: Travel Around The World Right Here in Vienna