First off, let me confess to a bit of private hypocrisy. I’m on report (loudly in personal and quietly in public) saying that I’ve considerations in regards to the large variety of “experiential” bars and eating places which have taken up helpful funding funds, premium areas and diner {dollars} in Nashville. I’m primarily speaking about gargantuan chain incursions from faraway cities like Chicago, Detroit and Vancouver, and given my druthers, I’m simply not that excited to jot down about these on the expense of native, unbiased eating places who want help.
Nonetheless — hypocrisy alert! — I admit that when new eating places and bars have roots in cities like New Orleans, Atlanta or Charleston, or occur to be run by world humanitarian future Nobel Peace Prize winners, I are typically far more gracious. I really feel like these cities perceive the Nashville vibe higher and really feel extra like sister cities moderately than land-grabs attempting to wring the final steakhouse {dollars} out of conventioneers.
That is all to say that typically I miss masking a brand new restaurant opening accidentally, and typically it’s no less than barely intentional. So I have to apologize to Postino, a comfy neighborhood wine bar that has been open inside strolling distance of my home since November of 2024. I knew that there have been virtually three dozen places of the restaurant throughout seven states, so I figured it was in all probability simply one other cloned restaurant dropped right into a neighborhood based mostly on inhabitants density and common family earnings estimates.
However just lately, I acquired a really well mannered invitation to go to, lengthy after most eating places would have given up on attempting to seize my consideration. It simply occurred to fall on an evening when my girlfriend and I simply couldn’t muster the power to buy something, prepare dinner something we had in the home, and even scrape collectively some leftovers. We would have liked some self-care, and Postino gave the impression to be a simple choice.
After discovering a parking place in 12South that was truly nearer to my home than to the restaurant, we ducked out of the rain right into a heat oasis. I couldn’t imagine this was the previous Taqueria del Sol house, as a result of it has been fully reconfigured. The quirky decor of previous televisions and radios masking the primary wall made no sense, nevertheless it made me smile to see.
Provided the selection of coated patio, sales space or eating room seating, we opted to be in the midst of the motion the place I may see all three areas. A useful server walked us by way of the menu and defined a bit in regards to the idea as we made our selections. I knew Postino was a wine bar, however I didn’t understand that a lot of the wines on their checklist have been made specifically for the restaurant. That defined why the costs have been so cheap, significantly with $6 glasses earlier than 5 p.m.
I additionally wasn’t conscious of their cocktail program, together with some enjoyable new spring drinks like a watermelon spritz, a peach whiskey bitter and a Violet Femme, a lavender-infused twist on the basic Bee’s Knees. The bar showcased a small whiskey choice, however whoever was doing the shopping for will need to have a fantastic relationship with Sazerac, as a result of I noticed high-end choices like Eagle Uncommon and Blanton’s on the highest shelf and Buffalo Hint within the effectively.
I settled on a pleasant 2023 Malbec whereas we put in an order for one thing off Postino’s “snacky issues” part of the menu and constructed considered one of their signature “boards.” Our snack was an order of grilled petite filet and rooster skewers served with a Sicilian garlic yogurt sauce. The meats have been seared onerous till they have been crispy, however not dry, and the slight chew of the sauce was a pleasant complement to the flavors of the grill.
The protocol for making a board is to choose 4 totally different (or all the identical in the event you actually like one) bruschetta toppings from a listing of choices starting from conventional brie, apple and fig combos to extra adventurous selections like mushroom and mascarpone. We fairly loved the smoked salmon and pesto together with some pleasant boquerones, and we have been shocked how filling the small board was.
Better of all, we didn’t must raise a finger on a night after we simply needed to take pleasure in one another’s firm. Opposite to frequent perception in regards to the lifetime of a meals author, I prepare dinner 85 p.c of the dinners we eat. Might I’ve whipped collectively these skewers and that board and popped open a pair bottles of wine? Certain, however that might have concerned a variety of procuring and chopping on a night after we simply couldn’t.
That hour I might have spent board constructing was as a substitute on a regular basis it took to take pleasure in a stunning meal at Postino and get again dwelling in time for our pups to do their nightly puzzles, and typically that’s precisely the expertise we’re in search of! Apologies to Postino for not getting there sooner, however we’ll be again once more sooner moderately than later.
