Help me break out of my "rut."

I love Volare, but where else can I go for good bar food and wine?

[Robin Garr]

El Camino? Equus/Jack's. Porcini? Um ... Brasserie Provence's bar looked very promising. St. Charles Exchange? Decca downstairs, and Proof, and Rye, and Harvest and Wiltshire. Actually, your question kind of defines NuLu, doesn't it? Marketplace? Buck's?

Thank you, Robin. A very good list. For this evening Brasserie Provence is it! However, I am saving the list! Thank you again!

Becky and I ate at the bar at Bourbon's Bistro last night and really enjoyed it. She had a Manhattan and I a Sazerac, although the wine list looked OK also. She had lobster bruschetta and I had maybe the best fried oysters I've ever had, served over killer grits. We both had beet salads. We left full and happy. It's a great bar.

Thank you, Mike! I'll keep that in mind for another evening.

[Robin Garr]

Thank you, Mike! I'll keep that in mind for another evening.

I almost put Bourbon's in my list, but I couldn't think of "Bourbons" and "wine" in the same sentence. Mike is right, though.

I'm a solo diner quite often and prefer to dine at the bar, so I often feel like a pro at this topic!

I'll second (or third) Bourbon's Bistro. I love dining at the bar there. And they have a pretty decent wine selection. Also enjoy dining at the bar at Bistro 1860, Decca, and La Coop. They all have knowledgeable and engaging bar staff who provide stellar service.