The new establishment is filling a gap left by the departure of Gianni Buonomo Vintners, which has moved to the Midway District.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew with Gianni Buonomo leaving, there was going to be a little bit of a vacuum, and we wanted to open a wine bar on Newport that was also serving food that is a little higher end,\u201d said executive chef Nicholas Vassari. \u201cSo we stepped into that niche.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vassari graduated from The Culinary Institute of America, a private culinary school with its main campus in Hyde Park, N.Y. He was also chef de cuisine at Nobu Hospitality.<\/p>\n
The executive chef of Vinum Locus said their wine list is top-notch.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a diverse list of Old World wines with a nice smattering of California wines, as well as some wines from South America and South Africa,\u201d Vassari said, adding they have a rotating list changing every 10 days.<\/p>\n
Of their food menu, Vassari noted it changes monthly. Speaking of their culinary concept, he referred to it as \u201cCalifornia cuisine,\u201d using locally sourced ingredients, like seafood supplied by Tunaville in Point Loma.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to support local companies with products from local sources as much as we can,\u201d Vassari said, adding the menu is spiced with Japanese and Mediterranean influences, a nod to his ingrained French culinary techniques combined with an Asian concept.<\/p>\n
The chef spoke highly of their menu\u2019s prime New York strip steak. \u201cIt\u2019s the most popular entree, along with the charcuterie boards with a choice of different items, including meats and cheeses, and numerous sides, as well as our breads baked in-house,\u201d noted Vassari.<\/p>\n Of their wine stewards, Vassari said: \u201cOur staff really has phenomenal wine knowledge. They do all their homework. You come in and ask them about the wine list, and they will guide you through it. <\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people fear that, when they talk to a sommelier about the wine, they will have trouble understanding it. Our staff makes the wine list very relatable, makes it very easy.\u201d<\/p>\n The new upscale wine bar and restaurant got a big thumbs up from one of its new patrons, Larry Zeiger, a retired cinema and musical theater teacher at Point Loma High School<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is one of the best restaurants I\u2019ve\u00a0dined at in a long time, with reasonable prices considering the gourmet dishes that are served,\u201d Zeiger said. \u201cLast night, I had an incredible sea bass dinner cooked in a pumpkin puree with roasted broccoli, and it was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnother night, I had an incredible salad served with salmon, and it was fantastic,\u201d Zieger added. \u201cThe charcuterie boards are huge and reasonably priced. Everything I\u2019ve had there\u00a0is terrific.\u201d<\/p>\n READ NEXT![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/steak-meatballs_edited.jpg\")
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Chicken and Chinese sausage, Thai curry soup, New York strip, beef tartare, truffle potato croquettes, pine nut and raisin meatballs with polenta, and shishito peppers.\u00a0(Photo by Nicholas Vassari\/Vinum Locus)<\/p>\n
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