Vino Lounge

I do applaud James Porter for his dedication to the Slow Food cause as he has hosted a couple of «Localvore» dinners featuring great local farmers. I also like think the concept of Tapino is appealing, although I do not care for the center it is in. I read the «foodie» blast from Chef James and obviously he is passionate about Food and Wine and ingredients. We share a culinary hero in Marco Pierre White.
I have never dined in the restaurant, but I have had late night wine munchies at the bar on my drive home from work. I guess I think the cheeses and the charcuterie are fine. I think Porter’s version of Chef Charlie Palmer’s lobster corn dogs are fun, and better than an nitrate-​filled dog at Sonic. The French Fries were greasy and not my cup of tea.
The wine list is above average, but I believe it would be better if a bona fide wine professional tended to its maintenance. I think Chef Porter should focus more on his localvore angle more and really carry the banner to North Scottsdale’s foodies.

Decisions, decisions. Does my review belong here or under Tapino Kitchen and Wine Bar? Either way, it’s the same address. Since I drank 1 glass of wine at the bar area, near the entrance in the outside patio lounge, I’m writing my review here.
HOW DO YOU FIND TAPINO? Seems like an easy thing, no? Well, when you’re not familiar with this part of Scottsdale and you have scant details to go by — like «it’s at the corner of Shea/​Scottsdale» — you can easily miss Tapino, no matter how large the font on the outside of the building is, because, to be honest, you can’t see the building from the street. So, take a turn onto 70^th St off Shea and turn into the plaza there. It’s in the same area as Sushi on Shea. Once you know this, you should have an easier time finding the place. (Let’s hope.)
The décor is very modern. The high bar chairs we sat on had velvet blue cushions. Very swanky. The music is very down tempo. I really liked the atmosphere. You really can do no wrong in my book, when you use bottles of wine as a focal point in design. I love looking around and seeing bottles on display.
Word to the wise: The inside was like a meat locker, though. Super chilly inside around 5:00 p.m. on a Sunday. I didn’t think that was necessary. So, bring a light sweater or jacket!
Bathrooms are clean, too, although they seem to take on a more «down trodden» appeal, in direct constrast with the lounge style. But, hey, it’s just a bathroom, right? Atleast they had a bowl of mints on the sink!
At any case, my friend and I were the only two in the bar area (and maybe the entire restaurant? Tapino looked dead.) So, we got top-​notch service. Our waiter was a sarcastic guy, but that’s okay. I was having trouble spitting out my words anyhow. I went with their $ 5 glass of Viognier (The White Knight from Clakrburg, CA). Our server was sure to check back in with us, «How is it? Is it different than the one you had yesterday?» Yes, it was. And considering my first-​ever experience with a Viognier was at the Tempe Arts Festival from a winery in Sedona, I’d have to say I’m liking this wine!
Uhm, if you’ve never had a Viognier, I INSIST you try it. Yes, it’s white. But it tastes unlike any white you may had before. Definitely not fruity like a grigio or riesling. And it’s not oaky like a chard can be. It isn’t had to swill like a savignon blanc (ick), either. It has a very distinct taste — very smooth with more character than you might anticipate. My friend seconded this when she sampled it.
She went with a red from Italy. Not sure exactly what it consisted of, but when prompted, our server was eager to rattle off the delicacies of this wine. I sampled it and it was very smooth.
The 5 $ wine list is a great draw to Tapino. You can try wines from France, Italy, Germany, Cali… It’s great! And they do have a little menu to choose from, but we refrained from noshing.
All in all, a SUPER place to go IF you’re in the area and want to stop for a glass of wine. I’d recommend it for that reason alone. As a stand-​alone destination, well… if I lived in the area, sure. I’d love to go here when I have a hankering for vino, especially the Viognier. But I won’t make a special trip out to Tapino, unless, of course, I realize I can’t find The White Knight (or any other) Viognier elsewhere.

The lovely Phoenix CM, Gabi K
organized a UYE while I was in town, and it happened to be at the Vino Lounge at Tapino restaurant. The restaurant itself is really big, with a cool bar and interesting wine rack designs throughout. The Vino Lounge itself is an area located on the outdoor patio with low, modern seating and white, sheer, free-​flowing drapery that blocks out the bright sun. We sat down around 6pm just in time to enjoy the beautiful sunset. We were able to enjoy the 5÷5÷5 happy hour menu for the first hour we were there and I ordered a glass of their Malbec, and we ordered a few things off of the food menu: lobster corn dogs and pomme frite. I agree with Stevey P, the lobster corn dogs were super disappointing but the fries were good. Later I tried their version of sangria… ummm…not so much. First of all, sangria should not be served in a martini glass, just my opinion. Secondly, sangria is all about the fruit, and there was simply no fruit in my drink except for the garnish. Still hungry and interested in what other small plates they had to offer, we ordered some manchego that came with a spread of quince paste (yum!) and almonds. Very nice! I also ordered the selection of warm olives and I have to say I’m not used to warm olives but they were pretty good. I thought that overall the quality of the food and presentation were excellent, however the portions were really, really tiny. I mean I understand the small plates concept, but c’mon! Our waitress, January, was super helpful and filled us in on some random local trivia, and that was that Scottsdale tap water is ranked among the top 3 best drinking waters. Two bottled waters among them. Damn! That’s some quality drinking water!

I ventured up to North Scottsdale for the UYE because I like hanging out with Unilocalers and I’ve been wanting to try Tapino. Like Gabi said, since we sat in Vino Lounge, I’ll post my review here.
It’s so cozy and relaxing on the outside patio and the light, airy curtains give an illusion of privacy and seclusion which is a nice touch. Our server January was incredibly sweet and attentive, and made us feel right at home. The $ 5, $ 5, $ 5 happy hour special is good for wines and martinis, but not so great for tapas. I found the $ 5 tapas selections a tad luckluster as I believe there were only about five choices, none of which appealed to me.
I had the sauvignon blanc which was delicious and my husband tried both a pinot grigio and a wild berry martini. He thought the pinot grigio was just OK, but really enjoyed the martini, which he let me sample (it was good). For food, my husband had the duck confit tostadas (part of the $ 5 tapas deal), which he described as average. I had the fromage d’affinois, which was really creamy and extremely delicious! I only wish they gave you more bread because I ran out before finishing the cheese. Gabi let us try some of her scallops and they were very good as well… incredibly tender and moist. My bite literally melted in my mouth. For dessert, we tried the chocolate debauchery (chocolate crème brûlée, lava cake, smore, and truffles). Most of what I sampled was good (not too rich), but I found the lava cake a tad on the dry side. I would have preferred it to be more moist and gooey.
I give it 3.5 stars, but I’m rounding up to 4 because of the relaxing atmosphere and good service.

The «petite» lobster corn dogs didn’t live up to the hype, but I wasn’t disappointed with Vino Lounge at Tapino. They were just as described and while I can’t whole-​heartedly recommend them, they were quite the novelty and I’m happy I tried them. Petite was an accurate description as well, and this might as well go for the other tapas on the 5−5−5 menu. Presentation is paramount here, with the corndogs displayed upright on a fancy wooden tray and the chocolate debauchery dessert laid out across a large plate with precision.
Let’s face it, their happy hour menu is a highlight here for sure and its availability on weekends is a major plus. The cabana style patio beckons you with a South Beach Miami flavor, that is, if a King Kong IKEA showroom swallowed Ocean Drive. Yep. Those same white slipcover couches decorate the patio, which isn’t a bad move considering the wine accidents to be had here.
Our server handled our large party very well, but early on the hostess/​servers wouldn’t let us move tables or seats together when there was clearly room and the ability to do so.
Like others have said, it’s not a place to go if you’re really hungry, but it’s great if you’re fine noshing on ambitious and creative appetizers such as duck confit tostadas or beef carpaccio with garlic aioli and fried capers. The pomme frites were soggier than they should have been but the seasoning was right on.
The wine here was terrific. I quaffed on a French syrah and sipped my friend’s sauvignon blanc, and both were delicious selections for the measly $ 5. The chocolate debauchery dessert is a must if you have the room to do it. Overall, Tapino is really a great wine bar and worth the drive to Scottsdale. I am looking forward to the next visit.

Since we sat in the Vino Lounge for our UYE last night, I guess it’s appropriate that I post my review here :)
It was kind of a quiet Sunday evening, but it was the perfect place to chill with a group of people. The breeze on the patio was refreshing and like Kristin said, they did a good job with the décor with the white linen curtains shielding you from a view of the parking lot…
January, our server, was extremely outgoing and sweet. I had several glasses of the Sauv Blanc which was light, crisp, and fresh — the ideal beverage for the warm evening we had! It went well with the food I tasted as well… I tried the petite lobster corn dogs (how can you not order those?!); the handcut pomme frites dusted with indian curry and murray river saltl short rib, seared scallops with yellow curry foam and mango caviar; roasted baby artichokes with brown butter and fifty-​year-​old spanish sherry; and wild mushrooms with cognac and chervil. My bf had all of those as well as the cheese plate. We enjoyed everything we had, even though the servings were pretty small. I expected the items that were on the dinner menu to be larger portion sizes, but everything was on the small side, so be prepared!
The menu items we ordered added up and got a little bit pricey, but it was a fun evening, so it was worth it! Thanks again to all of you who came to hang… we’ll have to do it again soon!

I love Vino Lounge just as much as I love Tapino, which is a whole lot. The inside part is dark and cozy while the outside patio is just as cozy in a different way. The big comfy couches and blowing white curtains bathed in red light make for a very warm atmosphere (while shielding you from a view of the parking lot.) The wine list is very extensive, most of which is in the bottles that they offer, not in the wines by the glass. They do not carry Cuarenta y Tres but they do give a healthy glass of Sambuca if you want to put it in your coffee or espresso. (Not the same at all but much appreciated!) The Happy Hour is great (better for wine than tapas) and the late night menu is a very welcome touch as there are limited places that serve food that late in Scottsdale. And of course its off the yummy menu of Tapino.

Really great happy hour. The wines by the glass are $ 5 and are a much better value than the tapas they have on special (also for $ 5). The tapa plates are tiny, hence the 4 stars only.
Must have: eggplant canelloni, manchego cheese, pancetta dates, Foie gras (just because I LOVE foie gras)
Skip: Lobster corn dogs — while this was interesting, you couldn’t taste the little crumb of lobster inside.
So-​so: yucca frites, French fromage
All in all, a lovely way to spend an early Sunday evening.

Save Money: Tuesdays through Fridays, from 5pm to 7pm, 30 wines are available for $ 4-​$ 5 per glass.
Great wine list and flights.
Vegan report: NONE. You could ask them to make the beet salad vegan. but nothing on the menu is vegan. use your creativity.

Very nice atmosphere for a date or with friends. If you are into wine, this is a great spot.