Brand NEW Smashing Grapes Restaurant- A happy hour must!

Smashing Grapes is a brand new restaurant that opened its doors last week in Annapolis, MD! They will also be opening another restaurant in Gambrills, MD where the old Greene Turtle used to be. Their website describes the restaurant as "a fusion of Mediterranean and California coastal cuisines , paired with world class wines and craft cocktails that will transcend the expectations of even the boldest of palates."

Tara and I have been anxiously awaiting for their opening day for over a month and a half. We knew we had to try this new restaurant as soon as they opened. The restaurant did not take reservations at the time but may change later on.

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Smashing Grapes will be a new happy hour spot with their unique modern furniture, bistro lighting, and firepit tables outside. If you are there for a firepit table, there may be a wait. Tara and I went to the third day of the restaurant being open and we were told a couple had been at a firepit table for six hours! Needless to say, there can be a waitlist for tables here.

Smashing grapes has 300 wines to choose from; some are only by the bottle which can range from $20-$240. These wines are from all over the world.

Why would this not be a go-to date night and just happy hour? Well, to be honest, we were not 'wowed' with their food pricing for what you received. Each couple split a salad, flatbread, and three drinks. That added up to be $70 per couple. Andrew and I are regulars at Coopers Hawk where we do pay slightly more for a date night but we get a good amount of elegant food and at least two drinks each for that price.

While looking at the menu, you may see two terms; Old world and New world. Old world refers to wine made in Europe that is considered the birthplace of wine. While the term New world refers to anywhere outside the traditional wine areas such as California, New Zealand, Argentina and many other countries and cities. An Annapolis winery, "Dodon," made the wine list on this menu. Tara and I visited this winery in August and we absolutely loved it. So, we were very pleased to see them on this menu.

Smashing has 2 Sommeliers at the Annapolis location. You may be wondering what a sommelier is? This individual is a knowledgeable wine professional that has gone through excessive wine training. It can take someone 5-20 years to achieve the highest certification as a Master Sommelier which only has a 8% pass rate.

We were very pleased with the outstanding hospitality and attentive nature of the staff at this restaurant.

I got a sparking rose' which was more on the dry side with a crisp finish. Andrew ordered ACE pear cider, which smelled like a green apple jolly rancher and he later on order a Tangy Bumbu which was sweet but had a hint of an apple moonshine.

Tara ordered a chardonnay and said it was the best chardonnay she has ever had. We are all excited to go back, buy a bottle, and sit around a cozy firepit table.

Let us know if you go to Smashing Grapes and what your thoughts are!

Cheers,

Shannon