The Metropolitan Grill

The wine list at The Metropolitan Grill arrives looking like a leather-bound greatest hits of American steakhouse drinking — Napa Cabs front and center, Washington reds making a respectable local showing, and enough three-digit prices to make your eyes water before you've touched the bread basket. It's confident, curated for the power-lunch crowd, and makes absolutely no apologies for what it is. If you came here hoping for a funky Jura ouillé or an orange wine from Georgia, wrong room.

Several hundred labels deep, this list is built around the classics: Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley Cabs, and Washington State Bordeaux-style blends that make total sense alongside a dry-aged ribeye. Caymus, Silver Oak, Jordan, Duckhorn, Cakebread — the gang's all here, and they've been here for decades. The international selection exists as a polite gesture rather than a real commitment, and anything outside the Cab-and-Chardonnay axis feels like a footnote. Washington State producers get a fair shake given the restaurant's Seattle roots, which we appreciate — at least the list has some regional pride baked in.

Roughly 15–20 options by the glass, running $14–$24, which is reasonable for the neighborhood and the format. You're not getting surprises here — expect familiar names, familiar regions, and a rotation that changes about as often as the dining room's furniture. That said, the pours are generous and the program is competently run; this isn't a list where the by-the-glass wines taste like they've been open since Tuesday.