In a city overflowing with wine bars, The Tasting Room at Uptown Park has distinguished itself with an elegant and comfortable interior design, a large and diverse selection of wine, and a friendly staff to help you find the perfect glass or bottle of wine.
But what most distinguishes it from other wine bars -- as well as its two sister locations in Midtown and River Oaks -- is the Uptown Park location's full kitchen and food menu. In addition to wine bar staples such as panini sandwiches and cheese plates, this location offers full lunch and evening menus, as well as brunch on Sundays. It also offers a Reserve Room for more formal dinners and special events. An event last April, the Gourmet Weekend, featured a nine-course tasting menu by Tasting Room Chef Steve Super hosted by Gourmet magazine.
Alas, Chef Super's talents did not go unnoticed by the corporate office, and he was recently recruited to helm the kitchen at the new Max's Wine Dive in Austin (both Max's locations in Houston and Austin are owned by The Tasting Room).
In his place, The Tasting Room has hired Executive Chef Matthew Lynn to lead the Uptown Park kitchen and to revamp the menu with pizzas, tapas, charcuterie and cheese plates, and desserts. Chef Lynn was previously at the Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico. But he does have established Houston connections, having previously worked as a chef at the Brownstone Restaurant several years ago.
The Tasting Room at Uptown Park recently hosted a complimentary media tasting event to highlight several of Chef Lynn's new dishes. All of these dishes are available in both the Reserve Room as well as the main cafe area. The tapas and pizzas in particular will undoubtedly prove to be a draw for customers looking to nosh and snack while they sip their wine. A few samples of the tapas are below.
