It’s summer in Austin and some of us are weird enough to still want to dine outside even though it’s 100 degrees out. The wine garden at Lenoir is a quaint little oasis in which to beat the heat with its happy hour wine specials, snacks and most importantly, mister fans. The wine garden sits behind the main restaurant under huge, majestic live oak trees. Whitewashed wooden tables and benches are scattered about among log benches draped in Mexican blankets. You can almost imagine sitting around with friends and a few bottles wrapped in blankets in front of a campfire, provided that it would be January. Happy hour is offered outside Tuesdays through Sundays from 5 to 6:30 PM.
Selected bottles of wine and cider are offered at half off and glasses of both plus beer are also available. Drinks and snacks are ordered from the friendly staff ensconced within the vintage looking patio bar. Chalkboards detail the wines and snacks that are offered and there are a few nightly specials of larger, shareable plates. We hit the wino jackpot with a half price bottle of lovely Grüner Veltliner, which happened to also be a liter bottle. $22 for a liter of wine on a Sunday night wasn’t a bad way to end the weekend. The 2015 Austrian Grüner from Zumm Martin Sepp was a perfect pair for the hot evening with a dry, crisp body, good acid and notes of lemon. The finish had distinct notes of white pepper and radish, adding complexity.
Both of our snacks were delicious, the first being the pork tacos which were each served on a masa tortilla that was scented with a bit of a red pepper, and topped with a salsa verde and thinly sliced white onion. The smoked fish salad was also very nice with big chunks of white fish and cucumber that were bathed in a house made aioli and served alongside crispy melba toast. The culinary star of the evening, however, was the lionfish served two ways. Dave and I were happy to see this on the menu as lionfish are often cited as highly invasive species during our diving trips. One of the ways that our guides have encouraged us to assist with the control of their populations is to order them at restaurants whenever possible. We had only seen lionfish on the menu one other time in Bora Bora. The presentation was fun and dramatic. Lionfish have venomous spines with patterns similar to a zebra. One of the “ways” that it was served at Lenoir was to rest the grilled flesh atop a half of the fish, spines and all, and then top this with a house made salsa and onions. The fish was tender and perfectly seasoned, without the mildly spicy salsa overwhelming the dish. Small, warm masa tortillas came along for the ride as we Austinites like to turn most anything into a taco. The second “way” was a zingy and fresh ceviche made with the lionfish, lime juice, chunks of peaches and cucumbers and a tiny bit of red onion. This was served next to four fried masa tortillas which had puffed just a bit to become perfect vehicles for getting the ceviche where it needed to go. The Grüner paired wonderfully with the ceviche as the acid was able to hold up to the lime juice and the citrus notes were complimentary.
Should you find yourself longing to dine al fresco, even in the brutal Texas heat, Lenoir’s wine garden is a delightful little find.