Va de Vi Bistro & Wine Bar--Walnut Creek (Eclectic, international-inspired cuisine)

Before an afternoon of shopping in Walnut Creek, my friend and I decided to have lunch at Va de Vi. Located at 1511 Mount Diablo Blvd., they are nestled right in the downtown area. They have an outdoor seating area with a relaxing waterfall and heat lamps as well as an indoor dining area and bar. As this is a pretty busy spot, I would recommend making reservations.

http://vadevi.com/

My experience here was very nice as the atmosphere is very modern and somewhat upscale, but also casual enough to go in jeans and t-shirt. The portions are smaller than most places, but I don't mind as long as the food is good. The food was good. Here's what I ate.

Mint Julep. Since I'm on a bit of a bourbon kick, I started off with this bourbon-y, mint-y cocktail and asked that it be made with Bulleit Bourbon. This one was a bit on the sweet side for my taste, but it was still very refreshing.

Bread & Butter. This did not automatically come with the meal, but was included if asked for. I'm so glad we asked for it. The bread was a crusty olive loaf that came with what tasted like a European-style, high-fat content butter. It was so creamy and sweet. I could've had this for a meal.

Trio of Sliders. These little burgers were served on house-made buns, which were very soft and tasty. There were three different kinds. From left to right. Tuna with bacon, pineapple, and teriyaki sauce. Tuna can get a bit dry if overcooked, but this one was very moist and delicious. Next to that was a piece of fried chicken thigh with chile sauce, tomato and pickles. Also a very moist piece of chicken. The last one was crispy pork belly with pickled onions and a spicy aioli. This was the best out of the three. I love a good pork belly, and even though it was a small piece, it was very well prepared and satisfying.

Roasted Butternut Squash. This was a very interesting dish and worked best if each ingredient was eaten together in one bite. The squash was prepared with caramelized onion puree, chard stem agrodolce, fried sage leaves, and calabrian chile macaroons. Each item added a little something to the dish. The squash was fresh, savory and cooked well without being too mushy, the fried sage gave a nice aroma and crispiness and the macaroons were a bit sweet. Very inventive and delicious.

Roasted Alaskan Black Cod. This was probably the prettiest dish we had. A soy glazed, perfectly prepared piece of cod was placed atop a potato cake, then topped with seaweed salad, pickled ginger and pickled fish eggs. Wasabi butter and orange oil was poured around it all and every ingredient was well balanced; literally and in taste. Very nice.

Dessert Tasting for Two. A miniature version of four treats came with this dish. This included chocolate souffle, meyer lemon tart, pastry cream profiterole and toffee bread pudding. The chocolate souffle was definitely my favorite out of the four. It was chocolaty, light and fluffy with oozy chocolate spilling out when cut into. The cream that came with it was also lightly sweet but dense and creamy. A great way to end a great meal.

Va de Vi has a wide selection of international wines as well as delicious food. They offer wines by the glass and also pre-selected flights that are clearly labeled so you know what you're drinking. If in the downtown Walnut Creek area, I would highly recommend stopping in for a bite and a drink.