Date Night Wine Dinner at The Grove, Cucina & Wine in Hobe Sound, Florida
Date night, wine and yummy food sounds like the perfect evening to me! Last week, Cole and I were invited to try a “new to us” spot up in Hobe Sound (only 20 minutes from the heart of Jupiter and such an easy (and scenic) drive up US-1) and WOW were we impressed by The Grove, Cucina & Wine. The theme for this particular wine dinner was South Africa which meant not only were we going to have a South African inspired menu but also were going to try tons of delicious South African wines. –side note, my SIL & BIL went to South Africa last summer and have been talking about the amazing wines ever since so I was so so excited to give them a try!–
Before we dive more into the the different dishes let me first tell you about this little gem of a place! Don’t let the fact that you are turning into a strip mall deter you as this is truly a diamond in the rough spot that will blow your socks off! Once you hit the outdoor dining space you are immediately transported to a little cafe in Italy thanks to the fun colors, Italian inspired decor and beautiful greenery. As you open the door and head inside you are met with tables made out of wooden wine crate tops (you will see tons of box tops from the most exclusive wineries all over the world), walls filled with wine and smell the delicious aroma of whatever the chef is preparing that night.
I thankfully got to spend some time with the owners, Jen and Luis, and learn about their history and the why behind their yummy spot. Luis is a wine sommelier and has worked with some of the most prestigious wine brands for decades and decades. This guy knows his wine and truly brings his passion to not only the restaurant side of the business but also the Wine Club (yep, I said Wine Club…..as in you sign up for some fabulous monthly wines, get invited to these incredible wine dinners first and tons of other fun benefits! Click HERE to learn more). Jen and Luis have traveled around the world tasting the most delicious cuisine while eating the best bites they could find. Their joint passion for culinary is seen from the way the restaurant flows to how they interact with their staff to the incredible food coming out of the kitchen daily. Jen started WordTraveling.com blog years ago and her family and her have traveled the globe with it inspiring you to go, live, learn and give.
Now let’s get to this South Africa Wine Dinner…
The Wines
As I mentioned above, my sister in law and brother in law went to South Africa last summer and spent some time at some different wineries and they came home raving about them! I have been wanting to try some ever since so the fact that this was a South Africa wine tasting dinner was perfect. We had an amazing wine host from Maverick Beverage, Sloban Hook. Sloban walked us through some of Protea’s best wines, wine from Barista winery and from Anthonlj Rupert. They were delicious. My personal favorite was the 2022 Chenin Blanc from Protea. It was crisp, delicious and perfect for summer time or as Sloban said the perfect “Porch Sip.” Cole and I also really loved the 2022 Dry Rose as it was yummy but not too sweet and the 2017 Cabernet Franc from Anthonlj Rupert was definitely a crowd pleaser.
The Food!
So I’ll be honest, I usually stay within my culinary bubble of favorites when it comes to food — cue the Italian, American, Asian Fusion dishes you always see on my IG and with my recipes here on the blog. But man was I impressed with the bold spices and immersion of flavors with the menu prepared by the chefs for this South African dinner. One of my favorites parts of going to this wine dinner was that not only did you learn about the wine but the chef would come out and speak about his inspiration of each dish! For this foodie, that was such a fun touch!
Some of my favorites from the courses served were the Tunih Fish Meatballs (serious YUM!) and the Algerian Rosemary Lamb. Although those were my favorites, Cole and I were both impressed with each dish and the attention to detail the chef and his team paid to each dish.
All in all, we had the BEST time at The Grove, Cucina and Wine! I have a case of South African wine to pick up, joined the monthly wine club and am already looking forward to our next Wine Dinner. If you love delicious food, friendly staff, fantastic wines and a place that makes you immediately feel like family this is your new spot! Cheers friends!