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wine bars

Wine Bar Espionage

The GroveOn my way home from work, there’s this new wine bar called The Grove, on Bee Caves Road just west of 360. It’s actually called a “wine bar and kitchen,” and its ALWAYS packed. Seriously. The place shares a strip mall with a Jimmy John’s, a nails place and a Reids cleaners, and when I drive by at 6 or 7 every weeknight, the parking lot is invariably full.

I turned into said parking lot to check things out last night, and snapped a few pics from my car, feeling like an unsophisticated Kinsey Millhone. I even went to the lengths of going inside to scope the place, and looked at the wine list though I did not have time to have a glass — we grouted the kitchen floor last night at Castle Scamp, an activity which I can not, dear reader, recommend to anyone for any reason.

There was a small bar with tables (packed), a restaurant floor of tables (packed) and a large outdoor patio (empty because we were expecting rain last night). The list offered about 10 flights that seemed to range from $11 to $16ish, and a long, extensive by the glass list on top of that, and a long bottle list on top of that. I did not get a look at the menu, but this is definitely worth investigating when I can finally shake the dust of home improvements from my heels and venture back into the world of wine again!

Have any of you been here? Is it a chain, or a local sensation? I’ve done no research, I admit, but I’m dying to know if this place is a gem or a gyp… discuss!

0 replies on “Wine Bar Espionage”

It’s a wonderful local creation! We live down the block and have been going regularly since they opened.

The owner is Reed Clemons, who has operated quite a few other notable Austin joints, like the Bitter End Bistro & Brewery, the B-Side bar, Mezzaluna, the Granite Cafe, and Capitol Brasserie.

They’ve just started playing live (acoustic) music on the outdoor deck, too (at least on weekend nights).

The food is light but tasty — their pizzas are as good as anywhere in town.

Oh, and on Saturday afternoon, they are more than happy to let us bring our dogs out on the deck while we have a few glasses of wine (which is nice since we can walk there with our dogs).

Reed says that they are planning to open a coffee bar and wine lounge in the adjacent space to the wine bar. That’ll be nice too.

Grouting sucks. I feel for you. It seems like such a good idea at the time, but when you have no more fingertips left, not so great. Hope the remodel is winding to a close. Can’t wait to see the finished product!

The Grove is a nice place. We ate there soon after it opened. The staff was friendly and helpful. They have numerous flights to choose from.

As for grouting – it you’re losing fingertips you’re doing something wrong. Grouting is very simple – just work the grout in with your float and wipe clean. I always wear gloves since grout is slightly caustic. Be sure to use a good sealer afterward – it will prevent the grout from absorbing kitchen stains.

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