Do you like Italian wine and Italian food? Of course–everybody does, unless they’re nuts. Would you like to know a weeknight date idea that won’t empty your wallet or leave you so full you swear you’ll never eat again? Then check out Antonio Ristorante in Addison Circle.
Antonio’s offers a seasonal 3-course tasting menu on Tuesday nights for $40 per person, including wine pairings. The tasting menu changes weekly and is available during the spring and fall seasons. Follow Antonio’s Facebook page or sign up for their email list on the website.
I first heard about the wine dinners when I wandered into Antonio’s last week for a glass of Chianti. When the next Tuesday’s menu showed up in my email, I decided to check it out. Addison is an easy jaunt from my part of North Dallas, and street and garage parking are a breeze in Addison Circle. The low-key neighborhood is ideal for those nights when I don’t have a lot of time to get dressed up after work or I don’t feel like battling Dallas traffic.
The wine tasting begins promptly at 6:30. (Reservations are recommended, but the standing chalkboard in the lobby indicated they are able to seat walk-ins if space is available.) We arrived and were shown to the dining room.
Antonio’s has a Old World feel, with dark and cozy indoor tables and an expansive bistro-style patio. In good weather, you can request outdoor seating. But on the evening I visited, the weather was drizzly so everyone was sitting inside, in a small room near the bar.
Seating for Tasting Tuesdays is communal. Clientele tends older. If you’re dining alone or in a small group you’ll be seated with others. It can be a little awkward until the wine starts flowing. Fortunately, servers come around to take a pre-dinner cocktail order, and the bar makes a good spritz.
Cocktails and bread are served. Then, in well-paced succession, you try three small plates and three wine selections from Antonio’s cellar. As each course is served, the dinner’s host and servers provide background info and a few tasting notes for each wine. Like I mentioned, the tasting menu is different every week, but here’s what I had on my April 1 dinner:
First up was a Tuscan Vermentino, redolent of white peach with a dry mineral finish. It was accompanied by a boat of three clams sauteed in white wine with a swirl of butter, garnished with chopped herbs and baby beet greens.
Next up was a Spaghetti Amatriciana paired with Ricasoli Casalferro, a rich Tuscan wine of 100% Merlot blended from three vineyards. Black and red plum flavors, smooth tannins, and perfectly calibrated acidity made this wine a standout. Far from the California-style fruit bomb that you might expect when you hear “Merlot,” Casalferro has balsamic and gamey character that complemented the second course of slender spaghetti coated with tangy red sauce and studded with chewy nuggets of pancetta.
The final course was a Chicken Fra Diavalo, matched with a Chianti Classico from Ricasoli, the Colledilà Gran Selezione. A bright and herbal single-vineyard Sangiovese, it stood up to the green-chili laced sauce with aplomb.
After a brief Q-and-A on the basics of Italian wine, our dining room host took a poll. Which wine did everyone think was the winner of the night? That Casalferro Merlot was ahead by a mile, and he opened another bottle to send around the room.
All the featured wines were available to order by the bottle at a very reasonable markup. There are many other famous and lesser-known Italian bottles choose from, too. Antonio’s has a quite deep Italian wine list, and won a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2024. (However, their by-the-glass list is a snoozefest. Wine lovers, I recommend bringing a friend or two and ordering by the bottle.)
All in all, Tasting Tuesday is a yummy local find for wine and food enthusiasts in North Dallas. Antonio’s sells the weekly event as a wine tasting and not a wine dinner. The portions are small–you won’t leave stuffed–and some diners ordered more food or asked for extra bread after the presentation had concluded. But I think it’s a good value, especially considering the quality of the wines that were served. Hat tip to Jenis (bar) and Angy (dining room) for friendly and knowledgeable service.
What: Tasting Tuesday (3 small plates with wine pairings)
Where: Antonio Ristorante, 4985 Addison Cir, Addison, TX 75001
How much: $40/person, excluding tax, gratuity, and additional food and drinks.
Wines tasted (prices are suggested retail):
Belguardo Vermentino, Maremma Toscana DOC (2023) – $21.99
Ricasoli Casalferro Toscana IGT (2019) – $67.99
Ricasoli Chianti Classico Colledilà Gran Selezione (2021) – $98.99
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
Leave a Comment