Fiction @ J. Bookwalter is the only Washington State winery restaurant selected; this is the second time in six months that national media has recognized the restaurant for excellence
RICHLAND, Wash. (Feb. 28, 2017) – Fiction @ J. Bookwalter, the on-site restaurant at the J. Bookwalter Winery here, has been named one of the best winery restaurants in the United States by the editors of FOOD & WINE magazine.
Fiction @ J. Bookwalter is one of 17 on-site winery restaurants nationwide and the only winery restaurant in Washington State to be honored by FOOD & WINE. The list includes wineries from California, New York, Oregon, Massachusetts and Virginia in addition to Washington State.
This is the second time in past six months that Fiction @ J. Bookwalter has been recognized for excellence by national hospitality, wine and travel media. Last August, the restaurant was named one of the 10 best on-site winery restaurants in the U.S. in a nationwide poll by travel editors from USA Today.
“We believe that we offer our guests an incredible food and wine experience with each and every visit, and recognition like this underscores that belief,” company president John Bookwalter said. “There are more than 9,000 wineries in the United States and many of them have on-premise restaurants. So it’s a great honor to be included in this exclusive group selected by one of the world’s leading media outlets for wine and food.
“I’m incredibly proud of our team because they live up to this award daily by delivering an outstanding and memorable food, beverage and service experience for our guests that is inspired, stylish and local.”
Noting that J. Bookwalter winery is located in the heart of Washington wine country and has a heritage that extends back 10 generations in American agriculture, FOOD & WINE editors praised Fiction @ J. Bookwalter for its inventive, creative menu that ranges from casual to upscale.
“Under executive chefs Francisco Mendoza and Justin Webb, the menu spans comfort food (smoked steelhead pizza, lamb burger with rosemary chevre) and more upscale fare (Kurobota pork tenderloin, duck breast with melted cabbage)” paired with world-class wines from J. Bookwalter, the editors wrote.
Fiction @ J. Bookwalter serves lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch featuring local ingredient-driven dishes such as wild Pacific halibut, Snake River Waygu beef strip loin and Draper Valley chicken and mushrooms. Live music sets the soundtrack several nights per week at the restaurant and winery.
FOOD & WINE bills itself as “the ultimate authority on the best of what’s new in food, drink, travel, design and entertaining.” The print version of the monthly magazine reaches more than 925,000 subscribers each month while the digital version, www.foodandwine.com, attracts 8.5 million unique visitors monthly.
About J. Bookwalter
J. Bookwalter specializes in producing some of Washington’s finest wines through meticulous winemaking and exceptional vineyard sources. The winery’s tasting room in Richland includes a full-service restaurant, Fiction @ J.Bookwalter, and was named one of the best tasting rooms in the United States by Sunset magazine. J. Bookwalter also has a modern tasting studio in Woodinville.
For information about J. Bookwalter Winery, please see www.bookwalterwines.com.
