Dining

Grape Expectations

Postino WineCafé opens in burgeoning Grant Road restaurant corridor

BY VALERIE VINYARD In Italian, “postino” means postman. And the aptly named Postino WineCafé, a new restaurant on East Grant Road, delivers the goods.

Besides a well-appointed wine and beer list, the lively eatery features panini, salads and a variety of cheese and meat boards.

10 | APRIL 2020 The Grant Road location, which opened March 2, is Tucson’s first but Postino’s 12th. The first Postino opened in 2001, and three locations are in the Denver area, two in Houston and the rest in the Phoenix area. Postino WineCafé is housed in a 4,000-square-foot low-slung building located on the southeast corner of Grant Road and Tucson Boulevard. The eatery joins a growing enclave of restaurants in the area that include Kingfisher, Dante’s Fire and Culinary Dropout.

Postino boasts signature garage doors, plush vintage couches and custom-built walnut wine walls. There’s a 150-squarefoot art wall made up of upcycled sign letters sourced from local vintage shops and floor-to-ceiling retractable windows that convert the restaurant into an open-air space. An outdoor patio is tucked behind a living wall of plant vines. The communal bar features Arizona and Tucson craft beer and more than 30 wines by the glass.

From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Postino offers $5 mimosas and live music. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., happy hour includes all wines by the glass and pitchers of beer for $5. On Monday and Tuesday evenings, diners may partake of the $20 Bottle & Board, where a bottle of wine and a board of bruschetta costs a mere $20.

“Tucson has an insanely passionate dining scene that has a ton of depth to it, and we instantly fell in love,” says Postino CEO and co-founder Lauren Bailey. “The Tucson community welcomed us with open arms, and we look forward to returning the favor every night over a bottle of wine and some tasty bruschetta.”

The menu starts with “Snacky things,” ranging from the olives ($6.75), a combination of about a half-dozen varieties, to The Carpaccio ($14), which is shaved raw bistro filet and comes with Taggiasca olive, red onion, arugula, Parmigiano-Reggiano and paired with focaccia crostini. The “Soup of the Moment” ($4 for a cup, $7 for a bowl) changes regularly. Salads ($10-$11) include a Caesar with Parmigiano-Reggiano, garlic dressing and baby gem lettuce; a brussels sprouts with kale, bacon, spicy Marcona almonds, dried cherry and lemon Manchego dressing; and a raspberry chicken with chicken salad, mixed greens, almonds, apple, pecans and gorgonzola topped with raspberry vinaigrette.

Postino’s list of panini ($11) include the Tuscan tuna, which comes with albacore tuna, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, white cheddar, pickle, dijonnaise; the roasted turkey with provolone, tomato, greens and house pesto; and the vegetarian, which comes with a variety of veggies and

Postino WineCafé 2500 E. Grant Road, 342-0098, postinowinecafe.com smoked almond hummus, avocado, cashew and goat cheese.

Indecisive diners can choose Select Two ($11.50), which includes their choice of a half-sandwich, half-salad or soup of the moment.

The Boards, however, are where Postino shines. There’s The Bounty ($15.50), which comes with crispy cauliflower, market vegetables, guindilla pepper, spicy Marcona almond, herb cucumber cream and smoked almond hummus. Or try the Pub Board ($14.25), which comes with a soft pretzel, Schreiner’s chorizo, cornichons, aged cheddar and Peruvian corn nuts.

Diners also can create their own bruschetta board ($15) and choose four of the dozen varieties that include burrata, bacon, arugula and tomato, salami and pesto or ricotta, dates and pistachio.

Diner Gerald Gay, 40, recently ordered a Postino bruschetta board for the first time. He described the environment as “pretty laid back.”

“When I dined there, it was midday and all of their giant windows were open,”

he says. “It was overcast and cool, which made for a pleasant dining experience. I liked the way you could mix and match the bruschetta. Each piece of bread was a new experience.

“They were a little pricey, but the serving size was bigger than I expected.”

A $5 kids’ menu features options such as PBJ, grilled cheese or sliced turkey and provolone. Each kid’s dish comes with a drink, fruit and chips.

Three $8.50 dessert choices are simple but delicious. Choose among crème brulee, a salted caramel sundae and chocolate bouchon, which is warm chocolate ganache and vanilla bean ice cream. The sundae arrived with vanilla bean ice cream covered in warm salted caramel sauce and came with a crunchy pretzel stick and chocolate-covered corn nuts.

“I think Postino blends well with the nearby restaurants and will help make Grant Road the go-to place for great food,” says Kim Romero, a University of Arizona student. “A lot has changed in the area— for the better—over the past few years.”