Vinya Table :: Coral Gables, Miami

Vinya’s Table at 266 Miracle Mile, in Coral Gables is a new wine bar/restaurant/market. (Their 2nd location) It is an attractive restaurant with 152 seats, tall ceilings, archways that line the walls, and private nooks to make you feel like you have a modicum of privacy. The restaurant provides a lovely bar area as well as private dining rooms. There is a market in the front and back of the restaurant which I will discuss in more detail later. You can also dine outdoors on the sidewalk and delight in some serious people watching. Either way, you can enjoy some casual bites on this New American menu.

The menu includes a burger, spring roll, salad, pasta or a simple protein. You could also go for something more ambitious like a lamb baklava, lamb moussaka, ceviche, scallop and wagyu tartare. Even more so with the lobster thermidor, tomahawk steak or smoked bone in short rib served with red cabbage slaw, chimichurri aioli, homemade BBQ sauce and corn tortillas. This also goes great with their truffle fries BTW. Not everything was perfect, but overall we had a good meal. There is something for everyone on the menu. The food is inspired by their Latin roots, European travels, and Florida produce. The executive chef is Mariano Araya and the chef de cuisine is Xabier Otieza who comes to us from San Sebastián, Spain. 

What stands out for me is the impressive and diverse wine menu under the direction of Allegra Angelo, who I’ve known and followed since her days at Michy’s. Wine lovers can rejoice, she has curated a top notch collection from all over the world. She also offers an extensive by-the-glass program, and 40 wines under $40, as well as a market located up front and a higher end market in the back of the restaurant, designed to elevate your at home bar cart experience. There are also rare and collectible wines, such as Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Library Napa. There are basically wines for every palette and pocketbook. Allegra also provides flavour descriptions and recommendations like big style, legend, beach day, I like meat, I like seafood, terroir dream, somm choice, Allegra’s fave, killer value, pizza night and so on. You can pick any bottle from their shelves, pay a small corkage fee and get no high restaurant mark up. What a fabulous idea! You can get a glass of reasonable wine but they also offer Chateaux Margaux at $299. They also offer handcrafted cocktails which are excellent, and the restaurant uses proper glassware. 

The staff are well trained by manager Evelyn. They are friendly, courteous and welcoming. When we finished our meal we did a little shopping in their wine market. It was an enjoyable experience from beginning to end.

Happy dining,

Shanea

01/19/2022