ROOTS WINE BAR
The gist: Good wines from 56 serve-yourself taps meet surprisingly serious Gulf Coast market cooking at this lively young Second Ward hangout.
The hook: Many things could have gone wrong at this wall-o’-wine-taps concept. But they didn’t. The wines issue from bottles held at cellar temperatures and stabilized under argon gas, so they stay in fine condition. They’re smartly chosen from a good mix of Old and New World producers, many of whom use natural methods. There’s a nice range of prices, and pours of 1, 3 or 5 ounces. Cards bearing wine notes make it easy to remember what you liked.
Your credit card gets you a plastic card that makes the tap wall work. Servers take your food order, and you pop up and down, or inside and out, to match your wines — which makes it feel like a party.
What to order: The tight menu changes, but look for ideas like crispy-skinned snapper or dashi-buttered squid-ink noodles with mushroom conserva. New chef Andre Garza is a Culinary Institute of America grad who’s worked at Le Jardinier and the late Bramble.
Outdoor option: An inviting big front terrace, plus a side corridor that has the feel of a New Orleans alleyway. The view? An urban meadow with grazing carriage horses.
3107 Leeland, 713-818-2709; rootshtx.com