The Vault Bistro, Wine Bar, & Event Space has broken into the bank of Blaine’s wine tasting scene. As the only downtown wine bar, The Vault is a spot for everyone to enjoy a vibrant bistro experience.
When Joni and Alan Finston purchased the former Bank of America property at 277 G Street in November 2016, they didn’t envision a wine bar at first. The building was initially going to be another arm of their physical therapy business.
“The thought originally was a health food cafe,” Joni said. “We said, ‘OK, at the very least we are going to do a studio for group fitness,’ which is what we did next door.”
The Vault started as just a wine bar with a limited menu due to its small kitchen.
“The kitchen was basically a slightly remodeled employee break room,” Joni said.
After a kitchen remodel in May of 2023, the wine bar’s menu expanded to meet the needs of their customers. Today the Bistro serves high-quality meals alongside up to 700 wines throughout the year.
“We’ve got an insane wine list,” Alan said. “It’s all hyper seasonal. It’s all hyper local.”
In an effort to limit waste, they source their ingredients locally and even grow some of their own herbs and berries across the street in a garden. Joni said customers have tasted the difference in their fresh ingredients.
“About 95 percent of our menu is sourced within 100 miles of our restaurant,” Joni said.
The Vault doesn’t just offer high quality wine and food. It also offers a casual fine dining experience that is hard to find north of Seattle, the Finstons said.
“We’ve had people come in from Seattle who’ve done our wine dinners or done our tasting menus, and they’ve said, ‘This is as good or better than anything in Seattle, and we pay four times as much for it in Seattle,’” Alan said.
In an effort to maximize their community reach, The Vault hosts weekly events like trivia night 7-9 p.m. every Thursday and live music 7-9 p.m. every Friday.
“It’s really about making it about community,” Joni said.
Restaurant recommendation: Joni, Alan and lead server Lexie Dixon recommend readers try the combination of the ribeye steak and the Vault Syrah by the glass.
This article is part of a series in The Northern Light highlighting Blaine and Birch Bay restaurants.
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