Food plays supporting role at Buckhead wine bar

Vine & Tap, Ian Mendelsohn’s new Buckhead wine bar in the Lenox Village shopping complex, sits a peaceful distance (just over mile) from the hubbub surrounding Lenox Square. With a relaxing outdoor patio and a neutral decor, this restaurant offers broad appeal to wine explorers.

Mendelsohn has put together a list that will satisfy your itch to travel beyond the Loire Valley and Piedmont to places like the Basque region of Spain with the 2013 Uriondo Bizkaiko Txakolina or Lebanon with the 2009 Chateau Musar Hochar Pere Et Fils.

The kitchen has been entrusted to craft simple, gently flavored dishes to serve as a neutral backdrop for the varied varietals. You’ll find items like goat cheese-stuffed squash blossoms fried in a light tempura batter and luscious burrata with single estate olive oil and Maldon sea salt.

While most of the dishes do a serviceable job of filling bellies, some need a boost to bring them to the level of the beverage program.