Glenwood South's new wine bar

The most popular address in Raleigh must be 510 Glenwood Ave. Not only is it the heart of Glenwood South, but it's also home to three of Rocky Top Hospitality's restaurants/bars: Bogart's, Hi5 and Red Room.

As of a couple of weeks ago, however, this address has another occupant. Crazy Vine (510 Glenwood Ave., Suite 103) has opened, bringing a third wine bar to the area (in addition to April & George and Enoteca Vin, which are both practically a stone's throw away).

Here look for more than 100 wines ranging in price from $5 to $22 a glass. The wine bar also maks its more expensive wines available to those on a budget by providing tastes of, say, their $86 bottle of 2001 Produttori Barbaresco for $11. They also offer flights of three wines (red or white) for $10 and $12, respectively.

The other main component to Crazy Vine is their tapas menu, which focuses on Mediterranean Rim cuisine. This means the chef not only draws influence from Spain, France, Italy and Greece, but expands to include the spices and cooking techniques of Morocco and other North African countries, as well as those of the eastern Mediterranean from Egypt to Turkey.

The menu is divided into four parts: salads, cold and hot tapas and desserts. Standout items include the sashimi tuna sandwich with green-papaya cucumber slaw and wasabi sauce, BBQ Tiradito (marinated beef tenderloin with grill endive and red onion pickles) and Cordorniz Braseado, which is roasted quail stuffed with basmati-apricot dressing and served with a balsamic-raspberry buerre blanc. Prices for these small plates hover around $10.

The atmosphere here not only slots right in to the hip and sophisticated vibe of Glenwood South, but takes it to the next level thanks to some wonderful design elements. Although the name Crazy Vine tips you off that this is a wine bar, there's no doubt once you walk through the front door. You're immediately greeted by a small retail space that sells the same bottles of wine that are offered on their menu.

Since you're more likely to buy wine after you've tasted it, go ahead and proceed through the next door where a cozy dining area awaits. The first thing you'll notice is the overhead lighting, which consists of several large kidney-shaped structures that morph from white to blue to purple, just to name a few of the colors.

After a couple of steps, a bar is revealed to the left where a curved wooden wall displaying several pieces of local pottery sets off this quaint space from the rest of the dining area. This contemporary feel even carries over into the bathrooms where there's custom tile and even modern glass statues right in the stalls themselves. This should definitely prove to be a home run for Glenwood South.

Crazy Vine is open from 5 p.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday and from 5 p.m. until 1 a.m. on the weekends.

Right next door at the Red Room, TriangleFiesta.com has done some switching around yet again when it comes to their ever-popular Latin Night. First it was held on Thursdays, then it moved to Wednesdays and now it's back to Thursdays. Regulars can breathe a sigh of relief, though -- this should be the last change.

Over in the Warehouse District, invitations just went out for the pre-opening party of Ess Lounge (327 W. Davie St.). While this is an invitation-only party, the public should be able to get its first peek as early as St. Patrick's Day weekend.

Housed in The Depot, a 15,700-square-foot historic rehabilitation project that used to be a 1912 Southern Railway freight storehouse, look for a classy upscale lounge with exposed brick walls, high ceilings and leather couches. In the back will be a contemporary dance room and off to the side a large outdoor patio with a waterfall. Go ahead and get your membership now online at Ess Lounge.