Last night we attended a Rustic Wine Dinner at Flat Creek Enoteca in Marble Falls, TX. from 7-9 pm.  They offer a wine tasting room and casual dining experience with deli-style ordering, but table service at the communal table is provided by the wine staff for these special dinners every Thursday evening.

Enoteca is an Italian word which literally means “wine repository”, but it is used to describe a special type of local or regional wine shop that originated in Italy. Sometimes snacks or food is also served like a wine bar, like this one.

We have previously been to their Flat Creek Estate Vineyard and Winery many times, where we are wine club members. However, we had not visited their new location since it opened last year, so this seemed like a good opportunity to check it out for an early Valentine’s Day dinner without all the traffic and crowds in Austin this weekend.

The weekly Rustic Wine Dinner begins with a “Flights & Bites” appetizer featuring chef selected small bites paired with the weekly featured wine flight. Following “Flights & Bites” you enjoy a preview of the Chef’s specials for the upcoming week presented in a seated 3-course meal served with your favorite glass of wine from the flight.

Tasting Room

This shows the tasting room, with some of the people who shared dinner with us. They have a 60-inch custom oak wood-fired oven which is used for cooking everything, which was actually designed and built by one of the dinner guests. Since we arrived about 15 minutes early because there was no traffic, we had a glass of 2013 Viognier until our dinner was ready to be served.

Communal Table

This is the table where we had an intimate dinner with seven people. We really enjoyed a  wonderful dinner, great wine, and interesting conversation.

Flights & Bites

Preceding our dinner, we enjoyed these Flights & Bites. We had three glasses of wine (one white, two red) that were paired with corresponding bites that are listed below the photo. Left to right, there is a glass of 2013 Cuvee Blanc (62% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Viognier, and 8% Pinot Grigio), 2009 Syrah (100%), and 2012 Super Texan (86% Sangiovese, 11% Tempranillo, 4% Syrah).

Asiago Pimento Cheese
Pancetta Crisp
Paired with Cuvee Blanc 2013

Tomato, Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Flatbread
Paired with Syrah 2009

Olli Norcino Salame
Parmigianno-Reggiano
Paired with Super Texan 2012

We selected a glass of wine from the Flight to enjoy with Dinner. I selected the Cuvee Blanc since I thought that would go nicely with the quail.

Appetizer

This shows the Panzanella Salad which was the appetizer for the 3-course dinner that followed the Flights & Bites.

Panzanella Salad
Tomato, Fresh Mozzarlla, Red Onion & Tomato Vinaigrette

Main

This shows the main course for the dinner, featuring Texas quail from Bandera, which is described below the photo.

Braised Texas Quail
Red Wine Pan Jus
Herbed Zucchini & Potato Rosti with Feta

Dessert

This was the dessert for our dinner (with description after the photo).

Brown Butter Cheesecake
Pecan Crust & Raspberry Glazed Blueberries

All Done!

That was delicious, and nothing was left as you see here.

We had a great evening, and look forward to future dinners. If you’re ever in the area, stop by and check it out. They are located at 112 US Hwy 281 in Marble Falls, TX 78654, about 40 minutes west of Lago Vista on FM 1431 or slightly over an hour from Austin via US 71. Their hours are 11 am – 9 pm on Tuesday – Sunday.