We started with a customer favorite, meatballs with marinara sauce.
These meatballs were pretty good -- moist and flavorful with a slightly spicy marinara sauce. They weren't as good as my meatballs (as my husband reminded me, I have a terrific meatball recipe, which I never use), but they were inexpensive, paired well with the wine, and certainly beat your typical bar fare.
We had the bruschetta at the same time as the meatballs. To be honest, it was a little bland. Skip it.
We were still a little hungry after the meatballs and bruschetta, so we decided to have some cheese. You get to choose three cheeses off of a pretty impressive list, which are paired with crackers, bread, assorted nuts, grapes and honey. We went with cheddar, cambozola (a blue cheese/brie hybrid) and something called the "Drunken Goat" (a goat cheese cured in red wine). Almost everything on the plate was lovely, although the Drunken Goat didn't have the red wine flavor I was hoping for. Choosing the cheeses and trying something new was fun.
The staff at Absolve could not have been more friendly or accommodating. There was one waitress and one bartender, and except for a dishwasher, who made a brief cameo in the restaurant, they seemed like the only staff on site. I don't know if they have an ownership interest in the place, but they certainly work like they do.
Absolve Wine Lounge is a great place to bring friends or a date. The atmosphere is very quiet and soothing, the wine list is impressive, and the food and the service complete the package. Even without a Groupon, we'll be going back. And that is quite a compliment from a family that loves its Groupons.
