Do you which wine bar I'm talking about?

Question

I remember walking around downtown Houston and seeing a neat looking wine bar & lounge. I seem to remember a green couch next to the window too. Does anyone know of a good wine bar downtown that is street level and it's either near Hard Rock Cafe or Benihana or the Doubletree Hotel? I know that is a varied area, but those are the places I know I went last year and I can't remember the name of this place for the life of me! I would really appreciate it if you could help. I'm trying to find it again so that my husband and I can go down there around Valentine's Day maybe.

Answer 1

I am a Concierge for some of the richest people in the world. Feel free to ask me about anything to do with travel, dining, nightlife etc. [e-mail]

Here are some suggestions for you. All of the restaurants have a great wine list. I know you were more looking for a lounge but some of these places would serve to be a great location for V-Day.

La Colombe d'Or
3410 Montrose Blvd.
Houston, Texas 77006 USA
Cross Street: Hawthorne St.
Neighborhood: Montrose
Phone Number: 713-524-7999
Dress Code: Ties suggested
Hours of Operation: Lunch Mon.-Fri., Dinner nightly
Atmosphere: Romantic.
Average Price or Price Range*: $$$$$ ($75 and up).
Cuisine: French.
Payment: Credit Cards Accepted.
Description: This lovely French restaurant is located in an elite small hotel that was once the 1923 mansion of a Houston oil tycoon. In the style of traditional nouvelle cuisine, the French-Continental menu is minimalist, but expertly prepared. Don't miss the incomparable lobster bisque, topped with chunks of Louisiana lump crab meat. Meat dishes reign supreme here, with simple Prime tenderloin of beef leading the pack. Melt-in-your-mouth tender, the filet is sliced into roulades and served in a brothy sauce with hearty seasonal vegetables. Seafood aficionados will want to sample the roasted redfish with tomatoes and fennel; or the smoked salmon steak with avocado, fresh mint and lemon. The real stars, however, are the desserts. Chocolate lovers will be driven to partake of the Palette de Chocolat, a mosaic of white, light and dark chocolate mousses, some spiked with liqueurs.
* Average price includes the cost of dinner with one drink and tip.


Masraff's
1025 S. Post Oak Lane
Houston, Texas 77056 USA
Cross Street: Woodway Dr.
Neighborhood: Galleria
Phone Number: 713-355-1975
Dress Code: Casual elegant
Hours of Operation: Lunch Mon.-Fri., Dinner Mon.-Sat., Brunch Sun.
Atmosphere: Romantic.
Average Price or Price Range*: $$$ (under $50).
Cuisine: Continental.
Payment: Credit Cards Accepted.
Description: This casually elegant Galleria-area hideaway has become the place to be seen for Houston's upper crust. Father-son team Tony and Russell Masraff have kept it all in the family along with Tony's cousin, Georges Masraff, who heads up the kitchen and hails from New York's Tavern on the Green and Windows on the World. Within a pseudo-Tuscan setting of cathedral ceilings and chandeliers, an ambience some might consider a touch chilly, Masraff has crafted a menu of American classics with a European accent. Highlights include lobster bisque under the dome; layered smoked salmon Napoleon; an impressive seafood platter; and several choices of pork, beef, veal, chicken, wild game and duck. Hang out at the spacious bar for drinks or appetizers of pizza from the wood-fired oven.
* Average price includes the cost of dinner with one drink and tip.


Pesce
3029 Kirby Dr.
Houston, Texas 77098 USA
Cross Street: W. Alabama St.
Neighborhood: River Oaks
Phone Number: 713-522-4858
Dress Code: Business casual
Hours of Operation: Dinner Mon.-Sat.
Average Price or Price Range*: $$$ (under $50).
Cuisine: Seafood.
Payment: Credit Cards Accepted.
Description: Pesce is a seafood palace with distinctive style in both the food presentations and the drop-dead gorgeous interiors. Peachy walls and white-linen tablecloths offer a warm contrast to the giant tropical fish tank, which stands in the entrance to welcome you to the seafood delights inside. You're also greeted with a complimentary appetizer of smoked-fish mousse, served with several fresh-baked breads. Then you can order a beloved starter here, playfully called the martini, a glamorous blue-rimmed cocktail glass overflowing with shellfish and crunchy Korean kimchi. Also popular is the oyster bar situated at a center island of the restaurant, which shucks out several half-shell varieties from the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf. But the main attraction is a menu of globally inspired entrées designed by chef Mark Holley, like herb-crusted striped bass with white truffle mashed potatoes; or seafood stew with gigantic shrimp, fish, mussels and clams. Also good are the mahi mahi and whole roasted branzino. For toppers, we can’t resist the mountainous lemon icebox pie.
* Average price includes the cost of dinner with one drink and tip.


Zula
705 Main St.
Houston, Texas 77002 USA
Cross Street: Capitol St.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Phone Number: 713-227-7052
Dress Code: Trendy chic
Hours of Operation: Lunch Mon.-Fri., Dinner Mon.-Sat.
Average Price or Price Range*: $$$ (under $50).
Cuisine: Contemporary.
Payment: Credit Cards Accepted.
Description: Inspired by Bellagio in Las Vegas, Zula is decked in cool colors, mostly from the hues of a peacock’s feathers. Purple is prominent, as are deep teal and golds, all brilliantly displayed in whimsically oversized banquettes and contemporary torchières. Co-owner David Edwards, who also owns the Mercury Room Lounge, boldly describes Zula as a place to see and be seen. A huge center staircase to the second level of the historic building and giant angled mirrors surrounding the restaurant help accomplish this goal. For a luxe beginning, order the foie gras with fig-blackberry compote or the shrimp barbecue Creole-style. For a seafood entrée with panache, we like the Gulf red snapper with mussels and fennel. Lunch on the Royale burger with cheese, a nod to the film Pulp Fiction, or the lobster Club sandwich. Besides catering to the office lunch crowd, Zula is also aimed at the lively nighttime scene downtown.
* Average price includes the cost of dinner with one drink and tip.

Answer 2

One chill place is called Air Condition on Pico Blvd in Santa Monica next to a dive bar called The Joker. They just have a bunch of wine, wine by the glass, a cheese plate, and no other food. The atmosphere is pretty trendy and relaxed at the same time.

Answer 3

Well there are not too many wine bars in downtown houston, there is one in midtown called the tasting room with great wines and a small selection of charcuterie and cheese, there's also max's wine bar in washington it's supposes to be pretty good.