Welcome to Cedar Park's newest hot spot, The Grove! We headed over early last night to try it out. Reservations are available, but we didn't like the times that were open (4:45 or 9:15). So, we took a chance and managed to sneak in after a 10-15 minute wait. The atmosphere was very Austin cool with a peaceful winery vibe. The patio would be great for a fall or spring visit, but last night was way too hot for that. While we waited for our table, I enjoyed my first frose and Mike supported Whitestone by drinking a blonde. After being seated, we had the tough task of deciding what to eat. The menu sounded delicious, but there was only so much room in our stomachs. We opted to skip appetizers, saving room for drinks and desserts.

While waiting for our meal, we split a Malbec flight. Our wait carried it out in a really cool device and it was accompanied by a card that gave us details about each wine in the flight. We liked the first one the best and agreed that the last was a little too much for us. The menu had about 10 different flights depending on what you wanted to try, which I think is a genius idea.

Watching the various plates and drinks pass by made me really excited for our food. It was not a disappointment. Mike picked pizza and it was delicious. The bacon was probably some of the best bacon ever and all the toppings were fresh and perfectly paired.

I picked the Grilled Pork Tenderloin. It was marinated in a Tex Mex lime seasoning and accompanied with black bean, corn, and pepper mix. The flavor of the pork was amazing! The citrus and spice were on point and the pork was cooked perfectly. We agreed that this might have been the best pork we've ever had.

Midway through our meal, I let Mike know that I would be requesting the dessert menu. He appreciated it, so he didn't stuff himself full of pizza. The Grove didn't have a printed dessert menu, but our waiter gave a great description of our options. There were many standard choices, such as creme brûlée, pineapple upside down cake, and chocolate torte. Those all sounded fine, but when he described the chocolate Nutella dessert, we were salivating. It was a small, moist chocolate cake on top of chocolate, strawberry, and Nutella sauce. The cake had been cut open and filled with a Nutella mousse and covered with more sauce, topped with a strawberry. It was decadent and the perfect finale to our experience. We loved everything we tried last night and look forward to returning. I may have found my birthday dinner spot, perhaps I'll be able to celebrate on the patio.

The New Austonian