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Categories: American (New), Wine Bars [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Fourth Ward, MontroseMon-Wed. 5:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Thu-Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
"So maybe had I still been living in Houston would the prices here have bothered me. Paying what I have in California and Hawai`i, I actually…" read more »
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I have only been on Monday nights because any wine under $100 is half price. You cannot beat that deal and I am always happy with the selection and choices. The short ribs are amazing, the sauce truly puts them over the top. I have only ever dined at the bar, the service is friendly and accommodating.
The only issue is the forced valet, though the last time I was there so late that the valet had gone home for the evening and left my keys with the bartender.
Its been 8 months since I last visited So Vino, and that's because my last visit was a disaster. The experience was quite disconcerning because I really enjoyed So Vino when it first opened and now everything seems to have gone south.
After my friends and I had received our food... I noticed that my tuna steak was wayyyyyy overdone. So I asked the waiter if this is how they normally cook it. He said no, and took my dish back. I then waited for about 45 minutes while my friends ate their food and So Vino somehow took nearly an hour to cook a rare tuna steak. How is that even possible??
It finally came and I was just over the whole thing. The deal breaker is that they didn't offer to comp anything or even take off the tuna.
So I have just had a bad taste in my mouth, and I haven't returned to what once was my new favorite place. Oh well.
So Vino, which is part of the Montrose Trifecta along with Dolce Vita and Indika, is a wine bar… Read more »
Service: only pay attention to you if you are 20 years old and plastic!
Food: So-So- nothing to write home about. My husband hated his chilean seabass- he said it tasted like mush!
Wine Selection & Rec's: Great wine selection- terrible recomendation!
Seating was cramped and the servers acted as if we were putting them out! I dont think I'll be back for anything but the bar!
After reading the NY Times article "Mind Your Blackberry or Mind Your Manners" it reminded me of our Mother's Day brunch at So Vino. So I dug up my notes and was quickly disappointed (again) with such a great restaurant. It hurt to write this review, but it's needed...how else will Manfred know?
Let's start a week before Mother's Day. My wife was searching for a brunch spot to take her mom. After making numerous calls and searching the web, we decided on So Vino. We picked this place because they offered a set menu and their regular brunch menu. I have been to So Vino a dozen times and had great service and food. I have recommended this place to friends and also brought others here for special occasions. We were very excited to introduce my in-laws to So Vino.
So we arrived with our reservation in the books. The hostess watched us enter after leaving the car with valet. I don't know why she did not open the door for us, she was not busy. She then tried to seat our party of four at a table that seats maybe three. We asked for a larger table and she walked us to one. Our table was promptly dressed with water and muffins. We placed our adult beverage order and proceeded to the menu. However we were only offered a fixed brunch menu. We asked for the regular brunch menu.....and nothing. The waiter stated it is only a fixed menu. We looked around for Elizabeth or Manfred. We spotted Manfred and asked our waiter to send him over. This is where the ship begins to sink! He came over and kindly greets us. We explained the problem to him. Unfortunately, he told us that it was a "logistics" problem on behalf of the restaurant! WTF? How can you not prepare for Mother's Day brunch? Has he not seen the Nextel commercials? If firemen can run the world, how hard is it to pre-order extra food/staff or fix your website? So as my wife continued to talk to Manfred, he pulled out his blackberry and checked an email. WTF x2? That's a slap in the face. It's flat out rude to check an email when someone is talking to you. It all boiled down to that they could not prepare any of the regular brunch items.
We ordered from the undesired fixed menu. The food came out in a timely manner. But the food did not compare to normal So Vino quality. The crab cakes and roasted potatoes were cold. My jalapeno bowtie pasta did not have any trace of flavor or spice, where was the jalapeno?
All in all...So Vino has a weak showing for holidays and brunch. If they haven't fixed this problem, stick to dinner.
This place is great because they have a different menu than all of the other "wine" bars around… Read more »
Well, I didn't even get a chance to try them out, so my 1 star is for the customer service. Here's my story:
I planned a special night for my BF's birthday and was looking for a place that was opened late and served food late on a weekday. I came across So vino and called them up in the afternoon to make sure they were open. I was told the kitchen was opened till 11pm on that day. We got there shortly before 10 and were informed that the kitchen was closed, nobody new about the 11pm thing. We left, needless to say, very angry. The evening was ruined. I decided to follow up and called them the next day. The manager that I spoke to actually remembered talking to me and confirmed that the kitchen was supposed to be opened till 11pm. He had no idea what happened, interesting. Well, was I offered anything to make up for a ruined evening? Yes, a glass of wine on the house, thanks! if they wanted to get me to give them another chance, they should have given me a free dinner for two, that's my opinion. I never went back, there are plenty of great places in Houston, these guys should make a little more effort to make the customers happy
Came here on a Monday night for the half-price bottles. I had a great time and was really impressed with the service. Our waiter and the manager were both very attentive and friendly. I was surprised at how well we were treated considering that we weren't dressed as well as the rest of the patrons and we looked about 5 years younger than everyone else in there.
When we arrived, the patio was full, so we sat inside. The decor was open, airy, and well-lit, if not a little too well-lit. We didn't order any food, but everything I saw that came out looked good.
The wine selection was decent and bottle prices ranged from $40 on up.
I will definitely be returning in the future.
I took my fiancee here the night of my proposal and the staff was very accommodating. I had my cousin call in advance and Pedro reserved us the back room for dessert and champagne after dinner. He hooked us up with a free dessert and 2 glasses of champagne on top of the 2 that we already ordered. The waiter was very nice and everyone congratulated us on the way out. We'll try this place again for dinner/wine sometime, but for now, high five to So Vino!
If you're looking a for a laid-back yet trendy and inviting dinning destination for a date, birthday/anniversary or just drinks with friends, So Vino will not fail you.
Founded by longtime Houston restaurateur Manfred Jachmich and lawyer-turned-wine-connoisseur Elizabeth Abraham, So Vino is centered around the unique concept of featuring southern hemisphere wines--wines from South American countries Argentina and Chile, in addition to South Africa, New Zealand, Australia... I learned that farming grapes in those countries is cheaper (better climate, soil, etc), thus those wines tend to me less expensive. What a great concept to bank on and share with Houston, So Vino!
I had the liberty of participating in a menu tasting at the home of the lovely Mrs. Abraham. She is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about wines, and is thrilled to offer any recommendations on food and wine pairing when visiting the establishment. (She first introduced to malbecs and I'm forever indebted to her.) Since the tasting, I've revisited So Vino on many occasions, most recently the other night for their one year anniversary party. They had an amazing turnout and complimentary cocktails, but my friend and I knew we couldn't leave without dinner.
Here are some suggestions to help get your decision-making going: Start with the house cured salmon board ($10.95) with Dijon shallot remoulade and dill-seasoned boiled new potatoes; or create your own cheese plate. I highly recommended the Shiraz Braised Shortribs ($19.95). Describing the meat as "tender" is an understatement. It falls off the bone and melts over the plate of Gruyere polenta. Do order this at least once, if not *every* time you visit. The crispy pizzas are also a safe and simple choice.
Service is always great, be it at the bar or in the dining area. There is a small patio out front to take advantage of on a breezy day and a secluded room for private parties. I recommend visiting on Mondays for their half-price bottle night. It's the best way to start your work week.
I initially tried out SoVinos for one of my friend's birthday party and we pretty much took over the entire 2nd level of the restaurant dining area. We were assigned 3 servers and never had to wait for service. When I first entered the place I thought their bar area was fabulously decorated and the dining area was quite small. That night, we enjoyed their wines more than ate the meal so I decided that I had to revisit the restaurant again to try out their entrees. We started with the duck pate which was delightfully creamy and tasty. Then I ordered the Braised Short-Ribs with polenta and was utterly speechless. It was so tender and full of flavor. It was extremely enjoyable with a nice bottle of Vale de Peña Malbec.
The second time I went I added the beef carpaccio to the duck pate and enjoyed both. This time I opted for the special: Chilean sea bass. It's an off the menu dish that is always available. It was good but I preferred the short-ribs. Since then, I go to SoVinos once a month when I need my short-rib fix. I have a favorite server there that knows how to take care of his clients. For my birthday dinner, I wanted to sit outside to enjoy the weather even though there was a slight chill that night. He noticed that I was a bit chilly so he proactively brought out an individual heater to our table to keep us warm. Talk about being attentive to their customer right? I love this place!
I have been to So Vino so many times. Dinner and drinks there have always been fabulous and the service is usually close to perfect. But, I went recently with a friend for some wine and appetizers. We sat at the bar, ordered our wine after a long wait. The bartender was on his cell phone behind the bar...a very important call, I'm sure. He then left the bar area to greet and sit with someone he knew who came by the bar.
When he decided to come back to work, we ordered appetizers, mine was fine. My friend's crab cake was not that great.
Then disaster happened. The bartender knocked over a wine glass from a high shelf over our heads. The glass shattered all over the bar, into our food and wine. No one asked if we were ok or said, I'm sorry. They did clean up the mess quickly and kept repeating that it was tempered glass. Within a few minutes, we did have a new bottle of wine and appetizers in front of us. When I asked how they were going to handle this, the said they would comp glasses of wine. Unacceptable, considering we had a $68 bottle of wine ruined, that we had just started. So, I said...how about a bottle? They conceded and In the end, they charged us for one bottle of wine and not the two appetizers.
Just a bizarre experience all around considering my past visits there. I will go back but, it's going to be a while and probably just for dinner.
So Vino is my favorite wine bar in Houston! The unusual perspective of highlighting foods and… Read more »
My last visit here was for a friend's birthday several months ago. We had a party of about 15 people and were seated right in the middle of the restaurant. A perfect spot to see everything and everyone around the restaurant.
This place looks nice, very feminine in detaling (Clean white drapings, candle lit, sophisticated), a hushed and intimate atmosphere. When I suggested the birthday girl to have her dinner here... she was highly impressed. She told me I did good!!! Well, I thought so too until we had our dinner. That's because I've been here on another occasion but never had the misfortune of ordering an entree.
My distribution of stars really coincides with Cory O's review. Like her, I give the wines selections 3.5 to 4 stars. 5 stars for the price point where else can you get a bottle of Caymus Special Select for $165? Or a '03 Silver Oak Cab for $116. Maybe at a fine liquor store but not at a restaurant. So yes, I was impressed by their prices. The Two Hands Moscato was delicious and reasonably priced. All the girls in our group loved it. That Moscato would be a nice compliment for Sunday Brunch.
Also like Cory's, I felt the food was more of a two. The truffled popcorn was only an okay for me. Unfortunately the white Cheddar shavings made the popcorn really salty. And drenching it in truffle oil didn't help. I had the mussels for my entree. Too be honest I don't remember how it tasted, all I do remember was it not being that great. Also one or two of the mussels still had some sediment in it. The polenta cake that accompanied the mussels... I took one bite and didn't finish the rest.
After hearing about how great the Braised Short Ribs were, hate to deflate you guys but I did not like it at all. Sorry Farrah, but it's not all that! Tender... yes, but I just don't see why it's a must order. Just not crazy about it!!! Man do I wish I remembered how everything tasted that way I can validate my opinions. Again, all I can remember are comments and reactions from myself and others. And there weren't that many positive ones from everyone's dish.
Despite me still being hungry, we all had a good time. Most importantly, the birthday girl enjoyed herself. She was more about the company and ambiance then the food itself. Like another reviewer stated, So Vino is first and foremost a wine bar. That being said, you should eat somewhere first and then come here with your date for wine afterwards.
I went here last Friday on accident. I was planning on checking out Mango's, the new vegetarian place that opened up 1 block down. My friends wanted to go to So Vino instead so here we go...
We got 2 bottles of malbec, 1 was fantastic but I can't remember the name. The other was llama...not so great. It had a sour/bitter after taste.
I got the sausage and sweet pepper pizza. The pizza was good but the "sweet" peppers were not existent. They were plain ol bell peppers.
I enjoyed myself here mostly because of my company but it wasn't fantastic. The service was good though, pretty attentive.
I'd heard about Sovino and been wanting to try it for a while, and finally had the chance this past wednesnay night. I arrived at 6:45 for a 7pm dinner reservation, thinking I'd arrived at the wrong place because there were two private parties in session and it didn't appear as though they were serving guests. As I stood by awkwardly, the manager offered me a complimentary drink at the bar to make me more comfortable, a very nice gesture which instantly put me at ease.
I had dinner with a girlfriend and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food! My husband had been there before and thought the food was just ok. But everything we ordered was superb. Duck pate, excellent. Short Ribs with polenta - TO DIE FOR (when my friend tried it, she said "I could lick the plate, it's so good." Chilean Sea Bass, pretty good. Brownies ala mode, tasty but not too sweet - perfect.
This is a great place for a date, for dinner and drinks, a great place to lounge or have a leisurely meal. Our dinner started at 7:30 and we didn't leave til 10:30 because we were so busy talking, and it was the perfect place for it. Can't wait to go back!!
Ok, I guess I have a reputation of poorly reviewing places without even going in (Max's Wine Dive)... but this one is a must.
So I was trying to meet my friend for dinner at Dolce Vida. So I bus it out there from work, but I am early (ok, the truth is he was late, but that is neither here nor there). I decided that I would pass the time by drinking (my favorite way), so I headed across the street to So Vino.
When I walked up, these two petulant, "I am better than you" wine-snob waiters said, "NO, we are closed." So I looked at my watch, confused, and looked back up at them, to which they responded with "sorry... buddy... but we are closed." No explanation, just pure stupidity and arrogance.
So I walked across the street to Dolce Vida, and as it turns out, they were closed too. The reason that both places were closed, as the manager of Dolce Vida kindly explained to me, was because the city had a problem with the water, and it had been shut off, so no place in that block could open for business.
Now, why would the manager of Dolce Vida take the time to chat to me about why it was closed, and the servers at So Vino have such an attitude and not even tell me why?
I will tell you why... because they are pricks. And it will be a long time before I go to some place like that and waste my tip money on them.
I really wanted to like So Vino. I've been getting their newsletter for months, telling me about their happy hour and new lunch and brunch menus, but I never was able to check it out until last week. I invited some girlfriends to meet me for happy hour, as the sangria sounded good and it was HOT outside.
Parking- only valet. I guess you could park in the neighboring lot after hours (don't quote me on that) but there's really only about 6 spaces in front of So Vino.
Menu- my friends had ordered a carafe of the white sangria before I got there, mmm it was soooo good. Very refreshing, no wonder we sucked it down and ended up ordering 4 during our whole visit (word to the wise, they are $30 each, surprising considering you only get about 4 glasses out of them and sangria by the glass is $4 during happy hour!). Another friend got wine, and she liked her selection but I can't remember what it was. As for food, we ordered the appetizer trio ($14.95) that came with bruschetta, empanaditas (they are pretty small), and crab cakes, as well as an order of sliders and grilled calamari. I guess I am used to the sliders at Reef/Little Bigs, but these suckers were TINY- as in one bite, almost like a mini meatball. They were good, however, same goes for the calamari. When our 5th friend arrived, we decided to order a salami pizza and salad. The pizza was really good, thin crust, perfect amount of salami. My favorite part, however, was the fact that the bar cocktail tables (more like a bench) had a space underneath the table where you could put your purse!! Hurray!! No more hanging it on the back for other people to hit when they walk by or being forced to leave it on the floor (bad luck, ladies!)
We ended up leaving to meet some friends down the street, and faced a dilemma since we all drove separately. Thankfully the valet let us leave 2 cars there and pick them up later.
Overall I just wasn't really that impressed by So Vino, oh well there are lots of other wine bars in Houston! I'll come back on a Monday to try out their 1/2 price wine.
If I had to judge the restaurant alone on appetizers and wine, this place would get five stars.
If I had to judge the restaurant alone on entrees, this place would get a two.
While I'd usually be generous and bump up the 3.5 rating up to a 4, the distracted service and the ridiculous valet is keeping me from doing so. Let's start with the good.
We called ahead about half an hour or so to make a reservation on a Friday night. They got us in and we were seated immediately. Unfortunately for us, we were seated next to a huge table of girls celebrating a 30th birthday. It got loud. Quickly. I doubt I'll ever sit in the main dining again. I'd rather have the mobility (and relative quietness) of the bar.
The wine we ordered was affordable and okay. Not the best, but since we were trying to splurge on the rest of the evening, we were willing to go cheap on the wine.
I wanted to try the truffled popcorn (sorry, Lisa A!), but the hubby is such a sucker for a meat and cheese platter that I knew I didn't have a chance. I'm so glad we got the platters for our appetizers. It was probably the best meat and cheese plate I've ever had. Ever. We played it safe with the manchego and tried the morbier and shropshire for kicks. They brought it out with the obligatory honey, but the true star was the delicious preserve that complimented the cheeses perfectly. Yum!
We got all three of the meats (c'mon, at $3, it was a steal!) and while they had a pretty generic selection, it hit the spot: capicola, bresaola, prosciutto. They didn't skimp on the portions and they brought it out with a delicious dipping sauce that was nice and tangy.
Also worth mentioning is the dessert wine that I got. I love a good moscato after a meal and the one I got (Two Hands, Brilliant Disguise Moscato Sparkling, 2007) was only $10 and heavenly. The port that the hubs got was fine, but by no means would I call it vintage as it is labeled on the menu.
Now for the bad. And really, it wasn't terrible--just disappointing. We'd heard rave reviews about the short ribs. The menu even mentions how Texas Monthly did a write up. And really, the flavors were good (they were Shiraz braised). But the meat. Wow. I'm sorry, I understand that it is tender, but I also don't expect to be eating pot roast on a bone either. Perhaps I need to get out more, but every single time I've had short ribs (pork and beef), they've been that fattier, solid type of meat--not a falling apart, brisket/pot roast type of meat. With meat like that, of course it is falling off the bone!
As for my entree, I went with the Shrimp and Grits. When I read "Southern Style", I didn't know it would mean a can of stewed tomatoes dumped on my shrimp. Had I known that, I would've done something else. The shrimp was obviously not cooked in whatever soup-y sauce they concocted and had no flavor. They might as well have served the shrimp separately. I should be complaining though since the sauce was such an odd mix of flavors--it literally tasted like stewed tomatoes out of a can with a really spicy aftertaste. The spice was what actually made the dish tolerable! Sad, sad.
Now, the worst part. The very worst part. My meal came with grits. My husband's meal came with gruyere polenta. Both sounded good, but wow, oh, wow. The polenta was actually grits. And the grits was actually oatmeal. And neither had flavor. Which actually came in handy with my dish since the spice got a little much towards the end--it acted like a soothing agent. Bad, bad, bad!
The thing that threw off the entrees even more was the presentation. Both of our meals were served in a large, bowl-like dish and the polenta/grits/oatmeal concoction was just slopped onto the plate with and the rest of the entrees were just thrown on top. When there was so much thought put into the gorgeous decor of the place, it just seemed odd to not take two second to plate well.
Last thing worth mentioning--if you're going to force us to valet, get someone who can get off the phone for the whole 15 seconds it takes for him to park our car. I really, really, really hate to be forced into valeting when there is obviously a very open lot available (even if it is complimentary), but it is even worse when I'm fearful that the idiot behind the wheel is going to crash my car cause he can't get off the phone. . .or at least invest in Blue Tooth!
I know this is still a semi-new restaurant, so I'm willing to give it another try. However, I think I may have to just stick with the appetizers for now until they earn my trust again enough for me to venture back into their entrees.
My fiance and I came here to celebrate our engagement with our friends. I have to say that the service was great. We wanted to surprise our friends and the staff helped us to set everything up. The wine list is pretty decent, however I didn't feel like the staff was incredibly knowledgeable. The food was just alright. My salmon was slightly over cooked and the orzo it was served with was very bland. However, as a nice gesture at the end of the night the wait staff brought out a round of deserts to help us celebrate. Kudos to So Vino for the great service.
So Vino is just so-so. Very pretty bar and much larger inside than I was expecting. Everyone seemed to be very friendly. The bottle of cab was delish and went quickly, but the food didn't move me. Goat Cheese and Beet salad was okay. Much too light on the beets. Although the duck came with a tasty sauce, the meat itself was flavorless and dry. The black truffle pate was good, but the preserves were not served with them, and were brought out after we noticed something missing. With other restaurants in walking distance, I don't see myself jumping up and down to come back here to spend my money on mediocre food, but maybe to have a few glasses or bottles of wine.
This in my opinion is one of the coolest wine bars in Houston. The outside patio is nice and the inside is tastefully decorated.
The wine selection is decent and they have a full menu if you are hungry with the usual suspects like cheese and charcuterie.
One of the things I definitely have to recommend here are the S'mores! You get all the ingredients: graham crackers, chocolate, marshmellows and some fire in the middle to roast your marshmellows. Very cool.
This was the rest of my bachelorette party evening. A new, hip wine bar most of my friends hadn't heard of. I knew based on local press items and b4ueat that food was not their forte so we just came here for drinks after dancing.
A friend reserved space for 12, but late at night, it really wasn't necessary. We got to sit on barstools around a high table that had a bar of wood directly underneath - perfect for ladies to park their clutches and cameras. Our waiter was attentive, even asking me if I still wanted my wine after someone else ordered a bottle of champagne for the whole table. And he brought out plates and forks for us to finish off the cake from dinner.
Parking was not a problem late when we got there 11:30. We closed out the place, but it was a nice establishment to enjoy some good drinks and conversation without any obnoxious frat boys or drunks hanging around.
Opened only a week, definitely take a look, then a drink, followed by a snack, and, if you can, a meal!
Extensive wine list, (you can also buy bottles at a discount), excellent food, upscale ambiance, good service.
I had a fresh arugula and baby lettuce salad with tangy goat cheese, pistachios, and a bright vinaigrette. Excellent. The duck cognac pate was tasty, two mustards spicy, with crunchy cornichons. The beef tenderloin was TENDER, easily cut with a knife (almost no pressure applied), a high quality piece of meat.
Beware - the bread is stale french baguette. Maybe they'll improve on it.
Second beware, potentially long food waits as Sovino is working out the kinks in their first month. The steak entree took more than an hour to exit the kitchen. But in the meantime we were treated to a glass of wine to compensate, (multiple apologies), and a taste of an Oregon pinot noir I was eyeing to compare with the Argentinian bottle I bought.
Ambience is glitzy wine bar: antique persian rugs on the walls, boughs of flowers, wood bar, and a private dining area. Wine is served in Riedel glasses. Unfortunately, with no sound paneling I'm not sure what the noise level will be when packed - but I'll be there to find out!
SoVino, open for just a few months, is trying to be an upscale chi-chi destination. They have some of the language of chi-chi-ness down: modern, minimalist decor, tall ceilings, neutral earth-tone colors. Oh, there is valet even though there is a parking lot right in front of the place. They put cones in the parking spots to prevent you from self-parking, so I'm definitely docking a star for that. I never get this about Houston: why people try so hard to be so fancy even when it's absolutely stupid and ridiculous. Look, we are a city of parking lots. Embrace it.
I am uneducated about wine, so I can't tell you much about the wine list, but the selection appeared to be large.
Service was good. Everyone was attentive and friendly. The food was mostly disappointing though. There are just a few things on the dinner menu, so you'd think they'd really master those dishes. Nope. The chicken dish was really dry and tasteless. The short ribs were just OK.
So come here for drinks, but go elsewhere for a meal.
The valet thing is a little annoying, but there is street parking for free on the side streets so no big deal.
The decor in here is really modern and unique. Some real thought went into it and it works.
The food, though a little light on the portions, is not too pricey and it is very high quality. You get your value for the caliber of the dishes for sure. I had about 4-5 different appetizers and everything was delicious, exciting, and interesting.
Service was very attentive without offering refills to my water glass every time I took a sip. Very professional, no idea how they found waiters in Houston who don't call you "Dude" or "Chief", but they did.
Goodness, where do i start! As our Party arrived we got seated right away!
The ambiance is nice and modern.
It went down hill rather quickly! The outside temperature was 50f. The restaurant had the a/c going full blast and so was the obnoxious music.
As Starters we ordered the truffle pop corn , crab cake,salads and olives.
i'm not too sure what the cold pop corn and the white unmelted cheddar cheese had to tase like but it was bad! the salads were not 100 percent either,no dressing and no nuts!
We asked a waiter about the chilling temperature and the loud music to please turn it down just a bit , we were told that the music is going to be loud because that is the way it is in this restaurant!
The entrees came and no flatware was brought with it
As much as i love dessert s, we couldn't wait to exit this loud environment! i had to stop at the house of pies to purchase a pie to share with my friends at home!
I really really like this place. It has great food (the tomato salad is fantastic!) , & great selection of wines within all price ranges (they carry wines from the Southern Hemisphere...i believe we had about 3 bottles on my first visit. Also their servers are really on top of things. I had the pleasure of meeting one of the owners and she was so sweet, extremely knowledgeable, and, might i add, very pretty; she even gave our table a bottle of champagne. If I had to list a con for this place it would only be that I wish they had more entree selections. But that's about it.
last night was my third visit to so vino and my most memorable. why, you ask? b/c monday nights are 1/2 off bottles of wine night... so we ordered three!
we started off with the jansz brut rose, a sparkling wine from tasmania that was wonderfully priced on the wine list for $24 a bottle. do the math kids. yes, we paid $12 for it. it paired nicely with the truffle popcorn that paul t is wondering about. 2 words: YUM ME!!! this stuff was awesome!
then our flights of apps arrived and included the roasted beet & goat cheese salad, the heirloom tomato & burrata cheese salad, and the house-cured salmon. both salads were wonderful and very well dressed, i would order them again.
next we opened our second bottle of wine, the 2006 turley juvenile zin. it paired perfectly with the braised short ribs and gruyere polenta. we also ordered the truffled taleggio and mushroom pizza which wasn't anything too exciting.
before ending our meal, we couldn't resist ordering the other turley on the menu - the 2006 turley old vines, also a zin. we wanted to taste both turleys at the same time. next, an order of smores was fun for the pyros at the table (all 3 of us), we even shared with a neighboring table. continuing the theme of decadence, we got a second dessert - the mosaic - which was a vanilla semi-freddo wrapped around mango and raspberry sorbets and sliced. it was delicious.
service was amazing. the owner of so vino kept stopping by our table to check on us too. i believe my girls and i have found our new monday night spot.
Having heard alot about SoVino I was excited to try it.
I have to agree with Mello on the parking situation. The parking lot is very small , with every parking spot only a few steps away from the door. Having valet parking was just ridiculous.
Walking into the restaurant I noticed the bar right away. It was very modern and sleek as most of the restaurant is. What threw off the decor were a few pieces that seemed more antique than modern and it just wasn't cohesive to the design. That being said the ambiance is very nice. There was music, a good mix of house and international music, but it wasn't loud.
I asked my date to pick the wine as it was his birthday. He chose a chardonney, though I can't remember what it was. The wine list was good though definitely not as extensive as other wine bars.
For an appetizer we ordered the duck cognac pate. It was good. A good creamy consistancy and a good flavor but it was nothing spectacular.
I ordered the sassy seed salmon with orzo and baby bok choy. I ordered it medium rare but it was more medium. But it was a good dish overall with the seasoning on top of the salmon being the best part. I wish I knew what it was.
My date ordered the pan-seared breast of chicken with pasta and that was definitely very ordinary. The chicken was pretty tasteless and slightly dry. I never order chicken when I eat out. It's just too simple.
For dessert we ordered the creme brulee but were informed they were out so the waiter recommended the cheesecake on the house. That was a very nice gesture and having told the waiter it was my date's birthday he put happy birthday on the dish in raspberry sauce.
A good dining experince but not great.
I'm impressed with this place! It's absolutely beautiful inside, modern but it has it's soft touches too. Very nice bar area and there enough tables to go around for a quaint restaurant area. They also have a private dining glass room for up to 15 ppl. Wines are great, soncentrating on Southern regions of the world i.e. Australia. We came here for dinner last weekend and were blown away. I got the duck and it was roasted perfectly with my wine reduction. My gf got a pizza that was thin crust and about 8". Our friends decided on the braised ribs which were tender and the shrimp and grits (Be careful, theyre VERY spicy). Yes their menu is somewhat limited, but if you go to their website and look, its perfect. It seems to go with the flow of the restaurant. And they do touch every food group, i mean, cmon, duck?! lol. Oh and the cheese selection was great along with the prosciutto cuts. I like their apt list cus it was long and interesting, very helpful for the bar patrons. Try the truffle popcorn and yelp it! I was so close to ordering but wimped out :) Anyway, I'm docking a star for the parking in the front, unlike Max's these guys zone off the whole lot, so we parked on the side street. Besides that what really matters is perfect.
Special Offers at Pappas…
Neighborhood: Galleria/Uptown
Happy Hour at Cova!
Neighborhood: West University
Neighborhood: Rice Military
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Highland Village
Category: Pizza
Neighborhood: Sixth Ward
Category: Wine Bars
Neighborhood: Upper Kirby
Category: Wine Bars
Neighborhood: Montrose
Category: Italian
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