The Local Vine Opens Thursday. Shhh...

I'm fascinated why two wicked smart, accomplished business women (in fields like banking, publishing and product development) would want to get into the restaurant business. A business which can sometime feels like marrying Courtney Love or deciding to have an elephant as a house pet--one humungo gaping, money-sucking maw that can never be sated.

But Allison Nelson and Sarah Munson, the ladies behind The Local Vine, have plenty of good ideas and are serious as a heart attack about setting themselves up for success. Staff has been going through a rigorous training program over the last few weeks, and the duo have researched and meticulously thought out everything, from the ergonomics of the furniture, to the use of every single bit of the space.

My favorite idea of theirs: menu icons. Nothing pisses me off more than a great wine list with no information. At The Local Vine, wines will have icons marking them with such criteria as woman-made, biodynamic or organic, cult, or staff favorites. They will also highlight certain wines from the pack from week to week to fit in with the mood and the weather. This is exactly the kind of olive branch most wine lists need to give customers. Allison and Sarah certainly have done enough thinking in the customer's shoes. So maybe not being "of the wine world" is the duo's strongest asset.

The Local Vine opens, softly, this Thursday July 5th.
open daily from 1 p.m. until 2 a.m.
2520 Second Avenue (2nd & Vine)
for more info: www.thelocalvine.com