Winky Wink Wine

This post is by future Austinist contributor Karin L. Kross.

Sometimes, you're on your way to a movie or a show and you just want a quick bite to eat, but you want something a little more interesting than fast food. Or maybe you want to meet up with some friends in a quiet, civilized place where you can get a glass of wine and some food without TVs distracting everyone. In either of these sitations, the Wink wine bar is the place for you.

The wine bar is a relatively recent addition, sharing the building with, but not attached to, the popular restaurant. It's subdued and simple, with small tables and a bar for seating; the main attraction is the wine. The list is expertly curated, not so long as to be overwhelming, and covering a wide range of styles and varietals. The staff is very helpful if you're feeling indecisive, and they'll offer sound advice whether you're a wine novice or a connoisseur. (We fall somewhere in between.) Not only are all the wines available by the glass; you can also get them in 2 oz. servings, perfect for designing your own "flight" of three or four different wines.

(If anyone can explain to us how "flight" came to be used as a term for a wine sampler, we would be very grateful.)

To accompany your drinks, there's a short food menu which basically covers the appetizers available at Wink, plus a few other snack-like selections (olives, nuts, a cheese plate). We liked the tart flambe quite a bit, and our normally paté-averse dining companion liked the chicken paté almost as much as we did. The cheese plate is also very pleasant: three very different cheeses, accompanied by walnuts, thinly sliced apples, and crisp baguette rounds.

On weekends, the Wink wine bar is open until midnight. If the bar scene is fatiguing you, this is an excellent alternative for chilling out on a Saturday night.