Inside My Table #81 | Restaurant listings
A Flight of Wine Bars
As time goes by, old friends often change. The same may be said of Houston’s evolving wine bar/tasting room scene. In 2002, when we did our first wine bar round-up, we scraped the barrel to find nine; our 2004 update listed 12. Truth be told, many of these were just bars or restaurants that had a nice wine-by-the-glass selection, but weren’t strictly wine bars. This year we reviewed many more candidates, were more selective and cut some old favorites that have closed or aren’t true independent wine bars. This year’s 14 selections are amalgams of wine bar, retail bottle shop and accessories boutique, many with small food plates thrown in for good measure.
13 CELSIUS, 3000 Caroline at Anita, 713-529-8466. “This is so not Houston,” said a couple of customers on our visit. “Its like a place we recently went to in New Orleans.” Ultimate compliment? This resurrected 1927 Mediterranean-style building offers several history lessons as you relax on black leather sofas and enjoy a large selection of cellar-stored wines. The creation of Ian Rosenberg and Mike Sammons, it’s a friendly community gathering place. $$
CORK CAFE, 25712 Highway 290 at Spring-Cypress, Cypress, 281-758-1682. Comfortable and inviting, this wine and coffee bar is the brainchild of Kaleb Kothe who tired of the consulting business and decided to follow his heart’s desire into wine. The creative cork-tiled floor softens the noise level, and there’s indoor and outdoor seating. A great wine destination for those in the northwest part of town. $
COVA, 5600 Kirby at Nottingham, 713-838-0700, and 5555 Washington at T.C. Jester, 713-868-3366. Sophisticated and upscale are hallmarks for both of Monsterville Horton IV’s creations, with the Washington Avenue spot being less sedate than the Kirby original. Salads, hot and cold tapas, and other more serious foods complement a well-chosen and wide-ranging wine inventory. At the Washington location, there’s jazz on Sunday evenings 6 to 10 pm. $$$
DECO, 510 Gray St. at Brazos, 713-659-4900. Yes, it’s a bar, but with a respectable wine-by-the-glass offering. The come-on is “25 wines for $5,” and the list changes every couple of weeks. The atmosphere is hip, and New York lounge music with a jazzy focus soothes after a hectic day. On Thursdays after 10 pm a band plays live music. Small food plates such as tapas and pizza are offered. $
D’VINE WINE OF TEXAS, 609 Bradford Ave. bet. 6th & 7th Sts., Kemah, 281-334-8300; D’VINE WINE ON THE STRAND, 2301 Strand at 23rd St., Galveston, 409-763-8463. These small-batch wine production franchises offer wines by the bottle and glass. They will even make custom wines for you and custom label them for your cellar or for gifts. Cool and comfortable, the Kemah tasting room has the feel of a Tuscan villa. The Galveston location is located in the old Wentletrap restaurant space and exudes an Old-World charm, highlighted by a bar from the St. Louis World’s Fair bought by oil man/developer George Mitchell. About 14 different wines are offered. No food is available, but you can bring your own to nibble on. $$
OPORTO CAFE, 3833 Richmond at Cummins, 713-621-1114. This wine and snack bar strives for a distinctly European feel and features primarily wines of Portugal, Spain and Italy, plus several Ports and the four major types of Madeira. Light food plates such as pizzettes and paninis are offered for lunch and dinner. The place is extremely casual and offers live music on Friday nights, often flamenco guitar. $$
SALUD! WINERY, 3939 Montrose at Branard, 713-522-8282. Brothers Brad and Charles Odom offer this small-batch winery and tasting room in a style similar to D’Vine Wine, but it’s not a franchise. About 40 wines are available at any one time. Custom labeling and custom wine recipes are available. Light food plates mainly cheese, charcuterie and breads are offered. The interior is designed like an Italian palazzo. $$
SONOMA RETAIL WINE BAR & BOUTIQUE, 2720 Richmond bet. Eastside & Kirby, 713-526-9463. Open since February, this establishment offers an upscale, laid-back atmosphere with wine flights, tastings, by-the-glass offerings and bottle sales. If you bring your own bottle, there’s no corkage fee with the purchase of food or other wine. Small plates such as warm brie with fig preserves, cheese plates and paninis are offered. There’s live music Thursday through Saturday nights, with “acid jazz” provided by a DJ on Fridays. $$
TAVERNA WINERY & RESTAURANT, 12820 Hwy. 105 West, Conroe, 936-588-6464. This hybrid retail outlet includes a tasting room and wine-merchandise gallery. Sample five minute wine sips for $5, linger over a favorite with small plates of food (e.g. calamari, pate, olives), buy by the bottle (yes, you can have the bottle served in the adjacent restaurant without an added corkage fee) or take home a case. The wine list favors New World wines, though we did spot a few French, German, Spanish and Italian bottles as well. $$
THE CORKSCREW, 1919 Washington Ave. at Silver St., 713-864-9463. It’s not quite Marfreless, but this wine bar/bottle sales establishment offers a dimly lit side room with soft couches and chairs to encourage “conversation.” The feeling is rustic and intimate with several serious and humorous wine quotes decorating the walls. Simple, small food plates are available. A cellar room is available for private parties. $$
THE TASTING ROOM, 1101-18 Uptown Park Blvd. near S. Post Oak Blvd., 713-993-9800; THE TASTING ROOM LOUNGE, 114 Gray St. at Brazos, 713-528-9463; THE TASTING ROOM RIVER OAKS, 2409 W. Alabama at Kirby, 713-526-2242. These well-managed wine rooms by Jerry Lasco and associates all offer wines by the glass and bottle, tastings, flights and bottles for retail sale. But each differs in atmosphere: TTR feels like a French bistro, TTR Lounge is much smaller and more intimate, and TTR River Oaks offers a candle-lit, banquette-filled lounge area with pillows and magazines. TTR at Uptown Park now features a gourmet market and expanded tasting room. Is this the next Starbucks? Keep your IPO money handy. $$
THE WINE BUCKET BOUTIQUE AND BAR, 2311 W. Alabama bet. Kirby & Shepherd, 713-942-9463. Giving credit where it’s due, Junico Velarde launched this combination wine bar, retail store and accessory shop long before others implemented similar ideas. The cool, comfortable and intimate atmosphere of the wine bar beckons one to relax for hours with glasses of quality wine. Cheeses, breads and other small plates are offered. Nice outside seating, too. $$
VINE WINE ROOM, 12420 Memorial Dr. bet. Gessner & Beltway 8, 713-463-8463. Literally the coolest wine bar we visited, not only are the wines protected from heat, but shawls are offered to the ladies if they get too cold. Owner Joe Rippey offers about 150 wines at $39 or less per bottle and 50 wines at $20 or less. Sirius radio provides the musical background, and about 15 wines are offered daily by the glass. There’s live music, usually jazz, Tuesday and Saturday at 6 pm. $$
VINEYARD ON THE SQUARE, 16135 City Walk, Sugar Land, 281-277-1851. This wine bar and bottle sales shop is the classiest place we found. Located next door to the city hall (how convenient for the city council after a stressful day) in the upscale Sugar Land Town Square, this lounge offers comfortable modern furniture for relaxing and tasting mostly California wines with some European bottlings. Selected wines are $5 per glass, and live music is offered on Thursdays. A limited appetizer menu is provided. $$
$—Inexpensive
$$—Moderate
$$$—Expensive
