Bottles and Bites: Wine Bars with Fab Food

Inside this sleek, modern bar you'll find 30 wines by the glass from small European producers served aside hearty, rustic food. Between sips, diners munch on sharable small plates, like the English pea crostini (pictured); the wood-fired flatbread with mission figs, mortadella and Gorgonzola cheese; chorizo-stuffed Medjool dates with smoked bacon and piquillo pepper-tomato sauce; or the marinated hanger steak with de Puy lentils, melted bone marrow, spinach, tomato, oranges, and fried capers. We're salivating. Grab your coat and we'll meet you there!

Website: avecrestaurant.com

New Yorkers are lucky to find wine bars from every Mediterranean-hugging country right on their own island. The list is endless: Buvette, Gottino, Mario Batali's Bar Jamon, El Quinto Piño, Salumeria Rosi, and, of course, Terroir. Clearly we're not the only ones who flock to Terroir. Due to popular demand, the Riesling-loving, meatball sandwich–wielding wine bar has spawned two additional locations.

Website: restauranthearth.com

The Butcher Shop is a triple threat: a wine bar with a kick-ass menu designed by an award-wining chef as well as a working butcher shop. The rotating list of wines by the glass have a "sense of place," hailing mostly from small European producers. With a name like The Butcher Shop, you might assume that they make their own sausage, and you would be right. The Hot Dog à la Maison — described as a hot dog for grownups — starts with housemade pork sausage served in a toasted, buttery, brioche bun topped with briny bread and butter–style pickled fennel and artisan rosemary potato chips. When the last delicious morsel is gone, you can take home some gourmet goods, like the spicy tomato soup; chicken pot pie; and locally sourced game, beef, and poultry.

Website: thebutchershopboston.com

Craving comfort food and vino? Max's Dive Bar will hit the spot. Their famous fried chicken has been featured on the Food Network and, according to the restaurant, it pairs well with champagne. We like the sound of that! Southern-food favorites are definitely a draw, but so is the Kobe beef burger made with homegrown Texas Akaushi beef and topped with a choice of locally produced artisan cheeses. The patty is served on a craft bun aside plenty of Max's addictive crispy fries. And if you liked the sips you sampled, you can go ahead and buy a bottle (or a case) on your way out.

Website: maxswinedive.com

Italian-inspired tapas, flatbread pizzas, cheeses, and salumi plates are some of the bites you can savor at this little gem. Wines are sourced from boutique producers in Europe, California, and the Pacific Northwest and are varietals you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. Here, they encourage folks to try new things and make their clientele realize that wine should be fun and exploratory. On weekends, you can pop in for brunch and sample their popular bottomless blackberry sangria.

Website: vintageenoteca.com

At Tinto, a Spanish-inspired tapas bar, celeb-chef Jose Garces serves a variety of montaditos, including a sweet jumbo lump crabmeat mixed with a light crème fraîche-mayo-dijon blend (pictured). But the idea of a tapas bar is to sample an array of bites, and here there is no shortage of options. Choose from the variety of brochetas, seafood, or bocadillos like the braised shortrib with bacon, asparagus, and celery root aioli. The exclusively Spanish wine list covers reds, whites, cavas, and sherries.

Website: tintorestaurant.com

Opened in 2010, by James Beard award-winning chef, John Harris, Bouligny Tavern serves up a well-crafted menu comprised of delectable small plates, including hot and cheesey Gouda beignets and fried gnocchi with truffle and Parmigiano (pictured). And you can't leave without savoring the salty-sweet combination of melted dark chocolate, sprinkled with sea salt and a touch of olive oil on a crostini.

Website: boulignytavern.com

Local, farm-to-table food is the backbone of Bolsa. Their most popular dish? The bruschetta four ways: ripe Texas tomatoes on local goat cheese; pickled red onions with thinly sliced Red Delicious apples, Petit Basque cheese and toasted almonds; 1-year aged Proscuitto di Parma with Medjool date–compote; and smoked salmon with crème fraîche. For something more substantial, dive into a beautifully prepared local Berkshire pork tenderloin seared then roasted in the oven to maintain its juiciness. The most popular menu item, though, is the Banana Rum Tile: a deconstructed Bananas Foster with caramelized bananas served over a white chocolate cream on a vanilla wafer crust with caramel sauce.

Website: bolsadallas.com

For DC-ers, there is no better place to unwind than the neighborhood Cork Wine Bar. Wines are sourced globally, but all on the list fall into the old world style. The menu, however, is decidedly modern, with new takes on classic tapas, like their bruschetta with avocado, pistachios, toasted pistachio oil, and sea salt. Or try their twist on the Parisian croque madame — a grilled ham and cheese sandwich that's filled with prosciutto and fontina on brioche, pan-crisped, and served with a perfectly runny sunny-side-up egg.

Website: corkdc.com

Hot, fresh pizzas topped with porcini mushrooms and truffle oil; grilled spicy Spanish chorizo; inventive salads chock full of manchego cheese and toasted almonds; and locally made chocolate truffles round out the menu at Chapel Hill's popular West End Wine Bar. The wine selection trots the globe from New Zealand to Chile and each sip is available in both 2-ounce and 5-ounce pours to encourage sampling throughout your meal.

Website: West End Wine Bar