Oakville Grille and Wine Bar **

The Oakville Grille and Wine Bar (WaPo review is here) was a lunch-time choice recently as the clouds threatened a torrential down-pour and I had time to kill before my hair cut at nearby Salon Nader in Bethesda on Old Georgetown Road. The first thing I noticed as I was the first customer is the music -- an eclectic mix of music I cannot begin to describe. I could have been an old fart and asked them to turn it down, but it wasn't THAT bad.

In any case, my one visit to Oakville was not disappointing at all. The wine list has many wines by the glass, though given its supposed homage to the Oakville section of Napa Valley, many of the bottles standing around as ambience were pretty standard $10 bottles, but the list of wines by the glass was actually quite pleasing -- many choices, from $8 to more than $20. I chose a Vino Verde from Spain that was pleasant, fruity without being noxious, and paired well with my tilapia BLT, though the BLT came on what looked like store-bought wheat bread. The bread provided on your side plate is served hot, though the crust is set, so I suspect it was heated in an oven. It is good, though, don't get me wrong.

A pleasant experience overall. Worth stopping in if you find yourself a bit peckish in the area.