My companion and I have lives that have recently become a little more stressful. This time of year is frazzling for both of us due to our jobs, and sometimes a nice, quiet night out is the only way to soothe our nerves.

We had plans to visit a new restaurant, but when those fell through, we decided to check out a place that has slowly evolved into one of Manchester’s nicest spots to unwind. The place is called UnWine’d, naturally.

I’ve heard a few folks express concerns over whether the food there is any good or whether they would be comfortable there. The stumbling block in these people’s minds seems to be that the establishment is a wine bar, not a full-fledged restaurant. Perhaps they have visions of a pretentious place where wine snobs get together to compare notes.

Epicure is sure some wine snobs do go there to hang out - after all, UnWine’d has one of the most adventurous, yet well-rounded wine lists in the area. But if you enjoy a good meal and appreciate a leather sofa, you will be more than comfortable here.

I could carry on about the wonderful port I had at the end of my meal, but I’ll leave those discussions to the wine snobs.

To start off, UnWine’d offers a nice selection of small plates a group can order and share among the table. The server was helpful but not pushy with food recommendations. My companion and I started with a gourmet Bleu Cheese Fondue ($9 for a one-person serving) and Blue Crab Cakes ($10). Blue was the theme of the evening. Both plates arrived quickly.

I am a fan of fondue, but I haven’t found many that make good use of bleu cheese. In this case, I did find the bleu cheese a bit pungent - I was hoping it would be more mellow - but it is this pungency for which bleu cheese is known. We had soft bread chunks, carrots and cauliflower to dip, and my companion devoured much of the generous helping.

I moved on to the Blue Crab Cakes. It’s hard to say enough about them, so hopefully it will suffice to say they were perfectly crabby, spicy and delectable. They were served with a drizzle of chili aioli sauce, which kicked the taste up a notch.

For our main meals, my companion chose the Filet of Beef Tenderloin with Bleu Cheese Sauce and Herbed Mashed Potatoes ($17). I chose the Twin Quails with Spinach and Bacon and Vegetable Couscous ($15).

Now, I know those sound like very stuffy things to eat. Again, I assure you, they were easy to enjoy and required not a drop of snobbery to order. Both meals were specials. The establishment usually offers a beef, poultry, seafood and a pasta selection in addition to the regular entrees and appetizers.

The quails look delicate and complicated, but they really are very easy to eat. The small poultry was roasted, skin on. The skin was subtly spicy, and the meat was juicy and practically fell off the bone.

The side items stood up to the strong character of the quail. The spinach and bacon were just fantastic, and the couscous was tasty without taking over my entire palate.

My companion was very happy with his meal, too. The filet was a quality cut of beef cooked just as he had ordered it. The bleu cheese sauce was a perfect topping. In this case, the cheese was more mellow. The mashed potatoes were otherworldly, they were so good.

Even though we were stuffed, we tackled the dessert menu with gusto. We had an easy choice - we ordered the Dessert Sampler. The sampler provides small helpings of the housemade cheesecake, tiramisu and chocolate-chip mint ice cream dessert. I’d get the sampler just for the chocolate mint dessert. It’s from the owner’s grandmother’s recipe, and it’s not available separately. The sampler is made all the sweeter by two chocolate-covered strawberries.

By the end of the night, my companion and I had completely unwound. If wine’s not your thing, don’t fear. There are other beverage options available. If you feel like trying the wine but don’t know where to start, the staff is very helpful and knowledgeable.

Come dressed up or dressed down, it doesn’t matter. All they care about here is that you relax, have a good time and leave happy.

Epicure’s credentials are good tastebuds, a healthy appetite and a sense of culinary adventure. Drop a note to the Undercover Epicure at epicure @telegraph-nh.com or at The Telegraph, P.O. Box 1008, Nashua, NH 03061.