So Vino Wine Bar & Bistro

I know this restaurant is closed now, but, before it disappears from public knowledge, I wanted to say this is the only restaurant I’ve ever been to where I have canceled the rest of my meal based my appetizer and the service. The staff acted like they were doing us a favor by stopping by. The terrine was prepared by someone who does not know what good terrine tastes like. The wine was mediocre to bad. I vowed never to eat or drink here again.
Let’s hope the owners pull it together with Café Moustache.

I’ve been to SoVino before and everytime I go, it’s the same: always partially empty. It’s a nice place… the waiters are SOO friendly and considerate.
I’ve never had to look around for my waiter or wait around much. They always seemed to know when you needed something.
And on all occassions i’ve been they’ve given me and my group of friends complimentary popcorn with cheese. and last night, we got complimentary s’mores with a fire pit, crackers, chocolate and all. Veryyyy impressed. But that was it.
The place has a calm ambience and the crowd is an older crowd. The sitting area outside is nice and one time there seemed to be a few people outside, but usually it’s quite empty.
But i’ll be back. I like that I can actually hear my friends’ conversation and i’m not drowning in the loud music like all of the the other wine bars i’ve been to around Houston.

I love, love, love So Vino’s ! I first visited the place on a girls’ night out a friend had planned. I had never been to a wine bar before and for my first experience, this place could not have been more perfect!
The waitress was very nice and patient. For our table of 4, we decided to order wine by the bottle (which is actually the smarter and cheaper way to order if your table has the same tastes in wine) Hands down, the best bottle of Riesling I have EVER tasted! Absolutely amazing!!! For dinner I ordered the Spicy Shrimp Pasta which was delicioso! Dessert, which reminded me of a miniature campfire s’mores roast, was given to us on the house by the owner… who actually came and personally greeted us at our table. He was such a sweet and welcoming little man =)
The lighting gives a fun, sexy feel to the place. I would definitely suggest So Vino’s for a nice romantic date with your significant other.
So Vino is also great for planning a birthday dinner. We reserved a table for about 20, which was set up directly in front of the bar. We ate, sipped, and hung out for a couple of hours letting the wine soak in before hitting the night scene in Midtown. (They even refrigerated the cake for us until we ready to sing!)
Whatever the occasion, So Vino’s is an excellent place to start your night off before hitting the town! Two thumbs up! =)

Not my favorite wine bar in town. Actually, has anyone else noticed that the trend in wine bars is ebbing? That’s a shame; I prefer wine. So Vino’s wine is so-​so mediocre. Sorority girl chic, not wine snob amazing. I’m strictly referring to the wine selection and décor. Nice, but eh.
I was here recently for an event; and it was packed (!) If I had been a normal customer in the bistro section of the bar, I would have left. I noticed that the tables emptied as the crowd overflowed into the dining area. Perhaps it would have been wise if the restaurant had been completely rented out for the event, as it’s a pretty small space. One note: there is a party room in the far back right of the restaurant. It’s not very big, and awkwardly looks to have just been plunked down in the middle of everything.
The wine I had, a Pinot Noir, wasn’t very good. It tasted a few hours away from turning to vinegar. Surprising since the bar area was packed, and the evening was mild. I perused the dinner menu, and when my eyes fell on the dreaded feeder fish (Tilapia), my mind was made up: one glass, then head on the bigger and better plans.

I took my fiancée 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!

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 jalapeño bowtie pasta did not have any trace of flavor or spice, where was the jalapeño?
All in all… So Vino has a weak showing for holidays and brunch. If they haven’t fixed this problem, stick to dinner.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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 pâté 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.

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.

I initially tried out SoVinos for one of my friend’s birthday party and we pretty much took over the entire 2^nd 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 pâté 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 pâté 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!

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 entrée.
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 entrée. 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.

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 Gruyère 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.

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 30^th 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 entrée, 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 gruyère 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 décor 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.

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.

The valet thing is a little annoying, but there is street parking for free on the side streets so no big deal.
The décor 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.

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 pâté 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 entrée 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!