Grub Street - First Look at Wine Kitchen, Now Open on Divisadero

Yesterday we alerted you to the soft opening ofWine Kitchen (507 Divisadero), the new NoPa restaurant and wine bar from a pair of chefs who've put in time at Bar Tartine, Spruce, and Commonwealth to name a few. Today we bring you a look inside the space, which makes it's official debut tomorrow night, January 10, at which point the full menu will be in place. (We'll link you to that shortly.) For now they're serving a slightly limited menu, as well as an international list of 50 wines, with about half of those by the glass.

Co-chef-owners Greg Faucette and Jason Limburg say they're aiming for a casual, fun, neighborhood spot with relaxed service but attention to detail. They say that with their
fine dining background "comes a dedication to quality and consistency," and they hope that comes through in their menu and dishes.

Daily Candy - Get Tipsy at Wine Kitchen

In the competition for neighborhood bars, it’s easy to be swayed by the next PYT to post up. (Hello, first-impression rose.)

Still, in the end, we all fall for the nice guy next door.

Meet Wine Kitchen, a no-frills watering hole opening this week.

Owners/managers and former line cooks Gregory Faucette and Jason Limburg are two buds making it all about you. Think of their new bar/eatery as the anti-wine bar: casually sourced decor with a best-friend’s-living-room vibe, a nonintimidating selection of international varietals they love, and a developing small plates menu of upgraded bar food (fried gnocchi with horseradish and chives; pulled pork belly sliders topped with chicken skin, cucumber, and Fresno chili pepper).

The comfy setup encourages getting-to-know-you-better conversations, and the bartender may even remember your name.

Things are really blossoming.

UrbanDaddy - NoPa’s New Wine-Equipped Date Spot

Herewith, your requirements for a good date spot.

Wine. Good lighting. Decent food. Plush sofas. More wine. Oh, and a bar strong enough to hold up on the high seas.

This place has those things (even that super-strong bar): Wine Kitchen, a low-key new wine spot in NoPa, soft-opening as early as tonight.

It’s an unassuming place. There’s cowboy undertones in the saddleback stools, wine-barrel art and grassy air plants, but it looks like it could’ve been lovingly plucked from the plains of Argentina. Only instead of malbec, you’ll find an international wine list, as well as bottles and tap vino from as close as Carneros.

There are three parts to the space, depending on what you’re going for. The window-lit dining area in front is best saved for couple-y meal sharing. The co-owners worked in the kitchens of Per Se and Bar Tartine, so you’re in good hands ordering fried gnocchi with short ribs and pork-belly sliders to go with, say, a cab franc from the Finger Lakes.

If you’re in the getting-to-know-each-other phase, start at the long sailboat-grade (read: spill-proof) mahogany bar. (Basically, this means the wood’s tough enough to build boats out of. Remember this in case of flood.) Sink a few glasses or grab some pints of Anderson Valley’s bourbon stout.

Then, if you happen to stay for a second bottle... or a third... you might hear the black leather sofas in the back corner calling.

It’s either them or the wine.