Vinoteca Poscol

Marco Wiles just opened Vinoteca Poscol (1609 Westheimer, 713-529-2797) in the space where Montrose Cafe used to be. "Every week, I get offers to open a restaurant," he tells Dish. "When this place became available, since it had already been a restaurant, all we had to do was to clean it up a bit and put our mark on it."

Wiles is serving antipasto plates that are small in comparison to the larger dishes on the menus of other Italian places. "It's a classic Italian wine bar that you might find anywhere in Roma, Milano or any other Italian city," he says. "We're using the very best ingredients available and making it as authentic as possible. Some of our customers come in wanting a salad, then a main course, so they are a little surprised since all we're really doing here are dishes that are served in Italian wine bars."

The reasonable prices only encourage you to try more dishes. When Dish visited, it was difficult to choose just one or two items from the menu. A piccolo misto di salumi (small plate of mixed salamis), which included slices of the homemade salame finocchiona with fennel, along with a bargain bottle of Val Di Suga Brunello Di Montalcino and a selection of three cheeses — fontina, robiola and blu di bufala — proved to be a substantial amount of food. A small plate of risotto was an incredible value at $9.

Got the latest info on ­restaurant ­openings, closings, special events and gossip? E-mail us at dish@houstonpress.com