Mendocino Grille & Wine Bar

One of the first restaurants I dined at on my move to DC. Service was great… menu options kind of limited, but it is a smaller, intimate restaurant.
Menu changes seasonally, and while I visited it was right before Fall so perhaps beets were in season, but I had the BEST risotto I have EVER had in my life. It was a beet, gorgonzola risotto and the dish was MASSIVE. Easily could feed two if not three. I would even go as far as say this is the top 10 dishes I’ve ever eaten up til now. I recently peeked at their menu and disappointed that it’s no longer there. BRING BEET RISOTTO BACK!

From start to finish one of my best dining experiences in DC!
We went last night for Restaurant Week and were pleased to find the restaurant to be quiet/​intimate, geographically situated on the edge of the usually boisterous M Street scene. Our server was quite knowledgeable about the menu and helped us select a few «signature dishes.»
I started out with the house charcuterie plate which included: duck liver and pork pâté along with bread, mustard and pickles. The servings were generous and the flavor combinations were brilliant.
I next had the braised pork cheeks atop grits. The pork was lean and could be cut with a fork… I looked down and noticed that my socks had in fact been knocked off!
Finishing up, with a cheese plate (which apparently I’m into these days) really brought the whole meal together with a wholesome, salt-​of-​the-​earth theme. The experience left me daydreaming of becoming a farmer as I drove home content, full, and looking forward to my next visit to this restaurant.

I had a nice dining experience with my friends to celebrate a friend’s birthday at Mendocino. Its ambiance is very elegant and romantic. They offer good selection of not-​too overpriced wine. The food was excellent and satisfied my taste buds.
We started with sharing appetizers: Roasted Veal Breast Raviolini, Mussels Littlenecks Cockles and House Charcuterie Plate. They were pretty good. For entrees, I had the veal tenderloin with sweetbreads. The veal tenderloin was so tender and delicious, especially, the sweet breads (they were so rich and flavorful). My friends had Lobster stuffed caroline fluke, Roseda strip loin with a seared foie gras, and Market fish (Sturgeon). I tried a bit of their entrees. They were delicious, especially the foe gras. It was fabulous. The crème brûlée to end the meal was excellent.
Overall, Its ambiance, service, wine selection and food were excellent. However, I wish they could serve bigger portions of food here…

Unfortunately, my last meal at Mendocino did not live up to previous occasions. The raviolini was uncompromisingly sour and the California sturgeon bathed in a flavorless shellfish broth. The one item I truly enjoyed on my plate was the crab sticks that accompanied the sturgeon. Although this particular meal fell well short of its general grandeur, the service remained stellar, the wine and beer pairings are still impeccable, and I know the kitchen is usually solid if not spectacular. Hopefully, this visit was an anomaly.

Mendocino is a beautiful small wine bar on M street in Georgetown; I wavered between 3 and 4 stars for this review, but ultimately decided that there wasn’t ANYTHING that Mendochino did poorly besides overprice the small-​ish selection of food, so I went with the 4 stars.
(that being said, if tapas were 7 – 8 $ and main plates around 20, it would warrant 5 stars and a LOT of my return business)
The ambiance of Mendocino cannot be overstated; it’s perfectly dim and romantic, cozy and personal. The food is artfully arranged, interesting, and a HUGE treat for your taste buds. Every bite is explosion of perfectly blended flavors, matched perfectly to the season with whimsical flair. Tofie pasta with shittake mushrooms and a light parm was exactly what the chilly air and sweaters demanded; the braised veal and marrow could NOT have been more perfect.
Wine and cheese selection here is fabulous; it makes a great date spot. (Evidenced by the couple attempting to swallow each others faces, for our entertainment, directly outside the restaurant. Bravo to you, well dressed man of culture, for the non-​discrete ass slap you gave her as a parting gift. Bravo.)

My first time in the Georgetown area, so I relied on Unilocal for a good dinner recommendation. Glad I did because Mendocino was very good. It is well-​located, and very elegant and romantic on the inside.
We started off with glasses of wine — the Pinot Blanc, which I loved, and I don’t remember what my husband had.
Then asked our waiter for recommendations for a 4-​cheese plate, and he brought us:
Drunken goat (very good)
Dante sheep cheese (delicious)
Somport cow cheese (just ok, too rich)
Hook’s paradise blue cheese (pretty good, too mild for me, I like really strong blue cheeses)
Although it’s just cheese, this was REALLY filling, so I suggest getting just 2 cheeses if you’re two people.
Next we got the house charcuterie plate, which was a bit disappointing — the pâté was good but the duck’s liver was hard to eat more than a few bites off. But this might be because we had overdosed on the cheese and were looking for something lighter.
Next came the littlenecks, mussels, and cockles dish. This was arguably our favorite of the night. It came topped with «squash spaghetti» which was absolutely perfect! The whole dish was fragrant, and the shellfish were incredibly well-​cooked. Didn’t see any cockles though — just littlenecks and mussels but it was so good that I didn’t mind.
We shared the trofie artisanale to end the night. I’ve had trofie once before — it’s basically a pasta made with no egg, just flour and water — and remembered really liking it. The mendocino trofie was siimply delicious, in a simple rosemary parmesan sauce. Despite being stuffed at this point, we finished it with no problem.
One of the highlights of our trip — highly recommended

Executive Chef Samuel Whitcomb’s style is a true departure from former head Chef Barry Koslow’s subtle touch. Gone are the elegant, and delicate courses of white fish wading in clear broths. In their place are heartier dishes with far richer (and heavier) components.
Our first course was an admirable squash soup duo composed of two varieties seasonal squashes. The portions were rather too grand, though, for an opener. Second course, the veal tenderloin with sweetbreads was a delicious and rich combination of buttery flavors counterpointed nicely by a slight smear of apple butter. Crème brûlée to finish was excellent.
The ambiance is the same, but we left a little more «stuffed» than usual and missed the lighter touch of times gone by.

A Georgetown gem which is some of the better food had in a while. The atmostphere is a bit noisy and cramped but the food does impress.
A cheese plate which they take great pride in & matching wine list to boot For dinner, i ordered chicken (which is rarely done) roulade which combined great flavors. A touch salty for my pallet but my wife thought I was crazy so may just a fluke.
Overall, one of the better restaurants in our DC trip for a couple days. Highly recommend this one…

Had a horrible dining experience here. Sat us next to an obnoxiously loud table in the corner that cursed and screamed which echoed out of the corner. Had to yell at each to talk at times. People next to us told us they were sorry for us that they couldn’t believe they sat us there. Restaurant did nothing.
Food took way to long to come out. Food was ok but not spectacular.
Will not go back. Awful.

Undercooked pork! Hence the single star. I had such high hopes for this place. We went early on a Saturday evening and they weren’t busy, so there’s no excuse for failing to cook the pork loin properly. Actually, the pork loin was not just undercooked, but part of it was overcooked, making it dry and tough. Maybe the oven was broken?
There were other problems. Not only did the pork put us at risk of getting trichinosis, the air conditioning was severely inadequate. We went on one of those sweltering DC days when all you really want is air conditioning, but this place was barely cooler than outside. As a result, we sweated the whole time. Not fun. So, for dessert, we ordered the ice cream and sorbet. The ice cream was good, but the sorbet had big lumps of ice in it – like a snow cone. If I want a snow cone, I’ll go to a sidewalk vendor and pay like $ 1 for one. Honestly, this sorbet was really weak and should be taken off the menu.
Overall, I was extremely disappointed. Sure, the wine is list good, but you can get good wine almost anywhere these days. Mendocino Grill needs to put more effort into its food!

It’s not that it was bad. But it wasn’t that great either. We had the pork terrine appetizer to try «something different», and that was actually pretty delicious — the high point of the meal. For entrees, my husband had the arctic char, which came with beets and potato purée, and without paying much attention to the piece of fish itself, we both thought this was pretty tasty. I had the special which was some kind of organic pasta with baby shrimp, which I thought was good — but my husband thought tasted like dishwater. I’m not sure which of the two of us has bad taste but I think anytime someone says food tastes like dishwater, the public deserves to know.
I’m also docking a star because the waiter told us the dessert special — some kind of chocolate and peanut butter combination — had the texture of mousse. I love mousse and was sorely disappointed when chocolate cake came out instead. Also? Not a fan of the banana sauce. It’s like the chef was trying hard for an edgy flavor combo and it just came out gross.
This place wasn’t all bad though — it’s cozy, has a good wine list and after three courses we felt satisfied but not stuffed, which made it a good dinner date spot before meeting friends out in DC (nobody likes a food coma on a Friday night).

I don’t go to Georgetown often, but this is my fav for a glass of wine. Although open since the lat ‘90s, you wouldn’t know it by looking at it; it doesn’t have that dated feel to it a lot of places get. It’s actually quite small and narrow, with stone walls, that kinda give you the impression that you’re dining in a cave. Speaking of which, I’ve eaten at both the tables and at the bar, and I prefer the bar; I only wish it was a little bigger; it gets pretty crowded. To me Mendocino is a wine bar at heart, a wine bar with more than just charcuterie and cheese (although they do have an excellent selection of cheeses), a wine bar with real food.
The menu is seasonal, changes quite frequently, and is committed to naturally raised meats and seafoods. I generally prefer sitting at the cherry wood bar and grabbing some appetizers. Things I’ve enjoyed in the past are the goat cheese tart and the pig trotter croquettes; mmm, pork! Prices are a little steep, but this Georgetown, after all; it kinda goes with the territory.
Mendocino was one of the first places in DC to use a Cruvinet-​type wine system that keeps the wine fresh by pumping in nitrogen as the wine is dispensed. They offer 20 wines by the glass (in two sizes), about evenly split between red and white. As you’d expect by the name, this restaurant focuses on California wines and serves wines exclusively from the US West Coast, with several bottles from its namesake county. Despite some of the high prices of wines by the glass, to their credit, they do offer many bottles for under $ 50.
A great date spot, or just a place to grab a glass or two before moving on to somewhere else.

THIS ONLY A BAR REVIEW:
Loved the atmosphere… loved the feeling of being in a cellar of some sort, white linens, good ambient light… and of course— great company. the wine is expensive— but the bottles they come out of are too… and i have to say that my glass of wine was superb… and we are a tad bit snobby when it comes to our vino… the bartender was knowledgeable, had recommendations for our two (very different palates)… loved it. it was a fun date splurge.

Wine bar? No napa cab’s? Joke.
For the prices don’t bother. I sat at the bar. Chairs misserable — uncomfortable. Had to beg waiter from Albequeque for more $ 17 glasses of wine. Cheeses are the best part.
For steak menu says «market» ask waiter so I ask for fillete mignon he says new York strip. I say no he says Bison. Turns out to be a stew. So I’m trying to enjoy decent red wine with a steak & he suggests Bison stew? Don’t bother with this weak attempt at a hq resturant.
Try Fino’s nearby. Itialian so a different experience but better.
I’m from California.

This is really 2.5 stars — but not enough for 3 stars in my opinion…
The high points —
Good wine (but limited selection from their namesake county — Mendocino) and good cheeses!
I’d say the rest of the food is good-​average — good, but not really wow.
The low point —
I’d say it’s a bit high priced for the quality.

A friend from high school was in town and he called to take me to dinner. I decided to look on the Washingtonian’s website to pick a new place I hadn’t been before. I live in Chinatown and felt like I have had about enough of the restaurants in my neighborhood. So I picked Mendocino since it was the first place on their Top 100 list that I called and had a reservation for the same day.
Service: Our service was excellent and the waiters suggestions as far as entrees and appetizers was fantastic. We didn’t have any issues with service like other reviewers.
Décor: The place was much tinier than I thought it would be. Which made it perfect for catching up and being able to have a conversation. it was quite intimate and would probably be a great place for a date. The bar is quite small, so if you arrive early there is a chance you may not be able to sit at the bar. That was kind of annoying. We had to wait about 15 minutes for our table and there wasn’t much space to actually stand and wait.
Food: Everything we had was fantastic, especially the appetizers. We tried two of the specials, the pork belly and the puff pastry with goat cheese. They were both heavenly, they alone deserve 5 stars. The dinner entrees I would give 4 stars– they were good, but nothing surprising. I had the mushroom burger and my friend had a steak. I really wanted the lamb shank, but they were out that night. Dessert was also amazing, we had the gingerbread and it was sooooo great!
Wine: The wine list was extensive and there were some really great selections. I was pleasantly surprised with how many wines there were for under $ 50, and good wines at that.

One of the best restaurants in DC? Really? I don’t get what people’s fascination with this place is. I’ve been to Sonoma also, which I thought was about 3.5 stars, but this place is the pricier cousin and I wasn’t too blown away.
The mussels and fries appetizer I had here was pretty darn good, but thats about where it ended. I ordered a steak which was served at room temperature, probably because it was already cut into slices for me. I’m not 5 anymore, I can do that myself. Dessert wasn’t memorable and neither was the alcohol.
What was memorable was the service, which was particularly bad. They crammed us into a table way in the back where we had waiters constantly swinging doors open inches from our head, yet for some reason said waiters didn’t pay any attention to us.
The kind of place where I would try again to maybe get a second opinion, but frankly I’m just not inclined to overpay for this kind of experience again.

Was here on a business dinner recently.
Excellent wine selection and, perhaps more importantly, a knowledgeable staff who can help with pairing. The service is also excellent! We found both bar and wait staff to be very friendly and professional. Dinner was over three hours, so I suppose we also felt unrushed :)
I would have given a fifth star if my gnocchi had been better. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but not up to the standard I was expecting. It was presented in an interesting way; baked with some melted cheese on top and was flavorful, but, again, not the experience I was looking for. That sentiment was shared with the others at my table. We were all happy with our entries (the grilled salmon was reported to be quite good), but they fell just short of our high expectations.
Dinner was completed with a nice cheese platter, which included some absolutely excellent creamy goat cheese.
Mendocino is intimate and perfect for business dinners or special occasions. I fully expect my next experience there to be five stars.

I took my bf here for his bday. He wanted a place that had a nice wine selection — and I must say that i was very pleased with this place. Although it is relatively small, it was still very cozy and nice. the décor was very modern and comfortable. the wine selection was really great. they had a lot of blends as well. my bf and I did the glass by glass selection so we could try more than just one. He ordered the rabbit sate and the steak, and i ordered the scallops and a fish dish. all were very delicious. and the apple dessert was VERY VERY tasty. we had absolutely NOOO leftovers. YUMMY!
my only complaint about this place was that our server was kinda slow and when we needed something we had to flag him down, which i didnt appreciate.
overall, good food and good wine. You can never complain about that!

Skip the dining room and eat at the bar.
And for exceptional value, come on a Sunday night and take advantage of the half-​price bottles of wine.