Austin

(From February 2011) It proved a little too breezy for alfresco dining on a recent outing to this bustling Second Street wine bar, but we slipped into a comfortable corner table with a street view and watched the passersby as we sipped a divine and not-too-pricey pinot from Oregon and noshed on lamb lollipops (jazzed with goat cheese, mint, balsamic reduction, crispy prosciutto, and a fig demi). The Cru house salad—wild arugula, cherry tomatoes, candied walnuts, and ricotta—came dressed with a nice apple cider vinaigrette and provided the just-what-we-needed light dish. Our companion’s grilled salmon in a basil-citrus sauce was as close to perfection as it gets. Beer & wine.

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(From January 2011) A recent clear night called for a patio table on the expansive deck shaded by oak trees adorned with glowing white lights. We love the menu’s playful selection of bruschetta toppings—particularly the Brie, fig, and apple. Keeping the carb thing going, we also tried the Popeye and Olive Oil pizza, a flavorful combination of fresh spinach, roasted peppers, and crisp bacon (although it was a little heavy on the gar-lic). Perhaps our favorite dish was a comforting bowl of plump, spicy meatballs bathed in a rich marinara and served on a bed of tender spaghetti—mamma mia! Beer & wine.

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(From July 2011)

Chef Jean-Pierre Lacoste has added panache to lunch with a playful new menu of blue-plate specials. Choose one main and two sides from a list of gourmet Southern comfort classics such as kobe beef meat loaf, crunchy shrimp cakes, and gooey mac and cheese. We greedily finished every crumb of crisp, spicy fried chicken with chile-spiked honey and accompaniments of wilted collard greens and grandma-style butter beans spiked with house-made bacon. How better to finish than with rich red velvet cheesecake? 

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(From July 2011)

It was one of those magical nights. A free sparking spot about half a block away. Sweet. A pour of a red wine we'd never heard of that proved to be light and delicious. Even sweeter. And so it went the whole evening. We enjoyed a perfectly executed spinach salad with feta and olives dressed with balsamic vinaigrette. Then an entree of coffee-rubbed lamb T-bone (could have eaten about a pound of that) with crispy polenta cake (wow!), saffron yogurt, and celery salad. An interesting conversation with out-of-town visitors next to us (turns out we have mutual friends) finished with a glass of prosecco and a dessert of panna cotta, red-wine betties, and granola tuile. Then we walked back to our carriage to make it home by midnight.

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(From September 2010) We know just as many foodies as wine buffs who gravitate to this long, dark, but always welcoming place. The food is excellent for a wine bistro (the wine list is super, by the way, and the servers’ advice is spot-on). Before we knew it, we were deep in conversation and sharing a beet salad (with avocado, grapefruit, and pistachios on arugula), crisp-tender shrimp drizzled in chile oil, and meaty little pork ribs glazed with honey. The small plates top out at $14, the “Bigger” plates at $20. To beef up the early-week crowds, Vino Vino offers jazzy, no-cover music Mondays and Tuesdays. Beer & wine.

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