Postino Central

It's hard to believe nearly a decade has passed, but the original Postino opened its big garage doors at 40th St. and Campbell back in 2001. That location has come to be considered "Arcadia," even though 40th St. is west of that neighborhood's traditional boundaries, and Postino was the first step in building a collection of restaurants under the umbrella of La Grande Orange (LGO) Hospitality. The original Postino was a welcome change for Phoenicians who sought appealing restaurants embedded in neighborhoods rather than in shopping centers or malls. Of course, the placement within a mostly residential context has also been the greatest negative for Postino and its neighbors. Without the acres of surface parking attached to a typical retail environment, most customers have had to either contend with all-but-mandatory valet parking or hunt for the few street spaces not requiring neighborhood permits. Now, as the end of the decade approaches, Postino has opened a second location that deviates little from the first, but with one crucial difference: access via light rail.

The original Postino has always been theoretically accessible via public transit, but the 60 bus, which stops across the street, runs infrequently, ceases service early, and is frankly just too stigmatized a mode of transport for most of Postino's customers, who routinely fill the valet parking with fairly upscale vehicles. The new location, Postino Central, is entirely easier to reach by means other than a private car, due to its location just a quarter mile north of Central / Camelback light rail station. For anyone approaching the restaurant from Midtown, Downtown, or the East Valley, the possibility of arrival by train not only avoids a parking crunch, but some of the fear associated with Arizona's ultra-strict DUI laws. While the original Postino fashioned a wine bar out of an old post office, the new location is an adaptation of the old Katz Deli, an Uptown institution for many years. There were rumors of some sort of artisan take on a pastrami sandwich as a sort of homage to the Katz Deli, but so far the menu appears virtually identical to the original location.

There are no garage doors leading to a huge patio here, but Postino Central still manages to create an open and airy feel that celebrates the mild climate and outdoor lifestyle that Phoenicians appreciate much of the year. A bar at the rear addresses not only the dining room, but also an outdoor dining area in back. Customers can sit at counters, one inside and one outside, or take any of the tables. There's also a long communal table inside that is ideal for large groups or those who like to meet new friends. Differences in layout aside, the decor is similar to the original location. Stained concrete floors, expansive windows letting in natural light, funky bathrooms, unfussy wood furniture with a couch or two thrown in for good measure -- we've seen this before, and it works just as well here as anywhere else. Just like the original location, this Postino fills soon after opening time, largely due to its reasonable happy hour pricing. An early escape from work or an extended lunch is hard to resist when wine by the glass is merely $5.

The menu at Central may not deviate much from Arcadia, but it's also a hard menu to dislike. It's one that has been copied all over the metro area, with a daily soup, abundant panini, verdant salads, and the famous mix-and-match bruschetta. The last item is probably the restaurant's signature item. It's always four planks of slightly crisp MJ bread adorned with any combination of a dozen toppings. Some, like mozzarella and tomato, are classics. Others, like smoked salmon with pesto or tuna with olives, are less common. Still, most of this menu is a firmly Mediterranean vein, so this is probably not the place to look for wasabi-chorizo bruschetta , if such a thing has even been invented yet. If this concept seems like a cliche being played out at local restaurants all over town, it probably is, but it's equally likely that most restaurants lifted the idea from Postino in the first place.

Postino's service is friendly and fits the upscale casual style of most wine bars these days. It would be nice, however, if Postino did more to help its customers learn about wine. Postino's beverage offerings are designed to expose customers to some lesser-known choices. That's great, but the menu doesn't describe the wines, and the staff, even the bartenders, seem to vary in their knowledge of them. Sure, one could tap away on the brilliant Wine Ph.D. iPhone app, but wine bars are supposed to be about conversation, so more information from the Postino crew would be appreciated. That issue aside, expect efficient and prompt attention. You can even bring the kids. Postino offers a junior menu with choices like PBJ bruschetta and grilled cheese. The little ones will have to be content to drink grape juice in its unfermented form, though.

5144 N. Central Ave., Phoenix AZ 85012 Map
(602) 274-5144
http://www.postinowinecafe.com/