The Vault re-visited…

We finally made it into the Vault last night to see (and taste) for ourselves. If you like a quiet atmosphere, stay upstairs in the dining room. If you are the life of the party (or just like to be around the one who is) the downstairs area may be more your style. Each floor has its own fireplace (okay, so what if we won’t get to use it until next February?)… and these are the only real fireplaces we have seen in the downtown area. When it was cold last winter we kept looking for a place to go warm up with a brandy in the evening, but we were disappointed in other restaurants/bars that what appeared to be a fireplace was all for show (no flue, no warmth).

The downstairs just screams “take me to the kasbah!” There are cool nooks and crannies to hold intimate conversations where you can hardly be seen, but there is also flatscreen tv for those inclined to stay glued to a screen. The food proved to be traditionally Mediterranean —- we were very happy to see a wide range of fish on the menu with few high-carb offerings —- which means we can go there after vacation and remain on a much-needed diet after living (and eating out in) downtown for the past couple of years! The tidbits we sampled had a burst of flavor worthy of making the mouth water just hoping for more — lamb with a honey-saffron coating, bruschetta and small but spicy potato pieces (that I couldn’t pronounce the name of much less spell). The menus are varied — lunch, tapas and dinner-sized plates — with plenty to please the palate whether you want a small or large meal, even including burgers for the kids and a steak for the meat-and-potatoes types. We can’t wait to get back from vacation and go downstairs for the actual Grand Opening!
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