Poring over neighborhood wine bars

As a wine drinker who likes to eat while I drink, I set out to sample the fare at some of the area's many wine bars. Measured by kitchen prowess alone, each of the following won my admiration. All offered wine by the bottle, glass and "taste" and provided guidance where necessary. Yet drinking in the atmosphere (and I mean that both literally and figuratively), what impressed me most was the way each of these casual hangouts feeds into the idiosyncratic soul of its neighborhood. Did I skip your favorite? Come share it on my blog: www.seattletimes.com/allyoucaneat.

Verve Wine Bar & Cellar (Columbia City/Rainier Valley)

Hours: 4-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays (kitchen closes at 9 p.m.); 4-11 p.m. Fridays (kitchen closes at 10 p.m.), 1-11 p.m. Saturdays (kitchen closes at 10 p.m.).

The dining area is decked out like IKEA's idea of a wine-bar-as-cafeteria. And this is certainly the right place for an impromptu visit over a cheese plate or dessert. But with chef Garrett Brown doing his one-man mojo in the kitchen, Verve helps cement the notion that Columbia City is a culinary hot spot. Sitting at the long bar, we reveled in the riches of a thick slice of seared foie gras with grilled figs ($16 -- including a glass of sauternes). And we raised a revelatory eyebrow over his Jidori chicken: half a bronzed bird whose plump little joints and breast were flattered by fingerlings, pancetta and seasonal mushrooms (matsutakes and "the Kobe beef of chicken" -- for $16? No way!).

We didn't need to wonder which wine works well with the oven-blasted Brussels sprouts (our Camano Cellars syrah stood up to the challenge of that surprisingly sensational bar-snack), but you might consult with owner and wine mistress Kate Bond or servers who let you try before you buy. Two dozen bottles stock the wine list -- each available by the glass or paired as a reasonably priced flight ($10-$17.50). But you may also hit the thoughtfully stocked retail racks, add a $10 corkage (waived on Wednesdays), opening a wider world of options.

Poco Wine Room (Capitol Hill)

Hours: 5 p.m.-midnight Mondays-Thursdays, 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays. Happy hour 5-6:30 p.m. daily.

I can't decide whether or not we walked in on a private party upstairs at this dual-level dynamo, but the action had all the hallmarks: laughter; animated conversation; an empty champagne bottle; and a platter that may (or may not) have held an array of cheese, charcuterie or chocolates. Sitting or standing around small tables in this intimate Capitol Hill den, revelers were doing what owners Peter Moore and Bart Reynolds intended: making themselves at home. Spotting two counter seats overlooking the diminutive downstairs wine bar, we joined in the festivities and took our cue from a waiter whose love for his job was apparent.

"Have the short ribs," he said, pouring from a wine list divided between Pacific Northwest labels and picks from "Around the World." That robust if surprisingly steak-like braise ($10) was a fine pairing for the Fidelitas cabernet sauvignon ($6.50) and Chateau Pasquie Terrases ($5) -- each a generous "half-glass." A mini-casserole of penne and fusilli -- crunchy on top, creamy underneath -- scored as truffled mac 'n' cheese ($10). Modest in scope, the wine list highlights wines averaging $30 to $40 per bottle and reflects the owners' interest in little- or lesser-known labels. At happy hour, it's $2 off the glass-pour, with an $8 discount per bottle.

Smash Wine Bar & Bistro (Wallingford)

Hours: 5-10 p. m. Sundays-Thursdays, 5-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. Happy hour 5-6:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and all evening Sundays.

Smash has the quintessential Wallingford view -- of sushi-lovers standing outside Musashi's waiting for a table. I love Musashi's, but I'd rather be wining and dining (or just sipping and snacking) in quiet comfort, here where chef/owner Dana Hannon frequently shows up in the dining room to chat. She might find a Regular Joe sitting at the tiny bar with a cocktail and his newspaper, a couple doting over a date-night dinner or gal-pals indulging in her strawberry rhubarb crisp. We started with a "Nibble" (an understatement, as we were bowled over by her substantial smoky "baby burger" built with cheddar, bacon bits and barbecue sauce; $6). "A Few Bites" later we visited Asia (via a crisp duck and shiitake spring roll, $9) and made a stop in Europe for a rustic onion soup capped with a crouton and a stinky-good cloak of gouda ($8).

Our sweet tooth was tested by a "Big Bite" (caramelized scallops in a sea of tropical fruity beurre blanc, $19), and we cheered the finish: a proper American cheese plate ($13) served with a tiny honey-pot for dribbling over West Coast wonders from Humboldt Fog, Willapa Bay and Rogue River. Kudos to our waiter -- whose casual approach to his job as chief cork-dork marked him as my kind of wine guy: one as willing to introduce us to the big, bold flavors of his favorite Walla Walla blend as sport us a complimentary fourth "taste" when we ordered a trio of dessert wines ($15).

Olives Cafe & Wine Bar (Edmonds)

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. Happy hour 4-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays.

Olives made its debut as a specialty-foods shop, later transformed into a petite wine bar and expanded this summer into the store-next-door, more than doubling seating capacity. Chef Michael Young caters to his clientele with 60 wines by the glass, offering fun flights (pouring four glasses rather than the more common three) culled from a global list. He's got the Edmonds lunch-trade wired, with a bargain-priced soup-, salad- and sandwich-heavy menu (average price about $8) but truly shines at dinner when his small plate/large plate format is a welcome diversion from the north-of-Seattle norm.

Young pulls that menu off with the panache one might expect from a guy who honed his craft at Aqua in San Francisco. Witness his incredible Idaho trout fish 'n' chips with truffle-salted shoestring fries ($19), seared diver scallops with melted leeks and chanterelle cream ($24) and potato-crusted halibut with bacon vinaigrette and manila clams ($24). Show up Thursday evening, when the daily specials include a $5 small-plates menu (4-8 p.m.). There's also a $2.95 happy hour nightly. Tuesdays, selected bottles are half-off. A liquor license is in the offing.

Twisted Cork Wine Bar (Bellevue)

Hours: Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Wine bar menu: 2-11 p.m. Sundays-Tuesdays and 2 p.m.-1 a.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays. Happy hour 3-6 p.m. daily.

I changed my twisted attitude about Bellevue as a wine-lover's destination after a visit to Twisted Cork -- O/8 Seafood Grill's sipsters'-counterpart. Here, expense-accounters staying at the Hyatt crowd chef Dan Thiessen's dining room while others hang loose in (and at) the wine bar, a spacious venue offering the intimate embrace of its "Champagne Lounge." From this cozy perch -- a veritable supper-club stage set -- the Twisted Cork became the show and the wine list my entertainment. That deep (and deeply annotated) bible spouts 70 glass-pours, including sparklers from near (a $3 "taste" of Woodinville's own Domaine Ste. Michelle) and far (an $80 flight of vintage bubbles from France's famous Champagne houses).

Like the drinking options, the eats include something for Champagne tastes (the butter-roasted lobster tail from the O/8 menu, $52) and beer pockets (an $8 burger or a bowl of $4 fries -- among the many bar noshes discounted during happy hour). Don't miss the chef's signature soy-and-miso-splashed sashimi scallops -- as brisk as they are beautiful ($13/$4.95 happy hour). Sure, the bar menu's options lean toward the rich (see: a classic crab bisque rife with Dungeness or the chocolate truffle ganache), but to enjoy the riches herein, you don't have to be. Live music Wednesdays through Saturdays.

Nancy Leson's blog excerpts appear Wednesdays

in the Food section. Reach her at 206-464-8838

or nleson@seattletimes.com

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