Arroyo Vino

Much has been said about the Las Campanas establishment that SFR dubbed Restaurant of the Year in last year's guide. Chef Colin Shane was a semifinalist for a James Beard Award in 2017, the 2-acre organic garden inspires its ever-evolving menu, and the adjacent wine shop is a destination for enthusiasts. The modern dining room is staffed by impeccable servers, who must know a menu that changes sometimes by the minute. We decided to challenge them: I was dying for the New York strip with mole negro and heirloom beans ($46), my companion decided on the Alaskan halibut with porcini mushrooms and sweet succotash ($39), and we wanted a bottle of wine that would go with both—for under $50. After consulting his colleagues, our server brought a 2015 blaufränkisch from Krutzler (Austria, $42). It started strong, with tannin enough to stand up to the best steak I've had in a while, but finished bright and, shockingly, almost invisible. The meal, which began with an earthy plate of garden sunflowers with mushrooms and barley ($14) and finished with exploding liquid truffles ($3 apiece) and bruleed cantaloupe with custard ($10), was nothing short of a three-hour vacation only minutes from home.

Arroyo Vino
218 Camino La Tierra, 983-2100
Dinner Tuesday-Saturday
Wine shop: 11 am-4 pm Monday,
11 am-9 pm Tuesday-Saturday
Twitter: @arroyovino
Instagram: @arroyovino