Photo by Margeaux Bestard Cuveé 928 offers 20-plus wines by the glass and artisanal cheese selections (above).

Cuveé 928
They say lightning never strikes twice, but how else to explain Cuveé 928, an airy, light-filled wine bar and café overlooking Heritage Square? Like Brix, this upscale but ultra-friendly spot – maize-colored and simply furnished – does a beautiful job of feeding and watering the locals, as well as impressing the city folks who come up for a getaway. Owners Jennifer Smith and Taryn Beveridge (was this kismet or what?) offer plenty of incentives for repeat business, including a retail wine section, monthly beer tastings, wine tastings on Wednesday evenings and bargain-priced flights every Sunday. But their smartest business decision was probably hiring Chef Scott Heinonen, whose light but flavorful food reflects his working stints in California and Oregon, where “simple” and “sophisticated” so often go hand-in-hand.
I knew we were onto something by the first course, a frothy soup of celery root and roasted garlic, sprinkled with chives and floated with one crunchy crostini ($6). Fabulous! Ditto for a wooden cheese board, arranged with three artisanal selections – this day, Wisconsin smoked cheddar, ultra-creamy Mt. Tam and Lamb Chopper (a sheep’s milk Gouda) – plus caramelized nuts, luxurious house-made raisin chutney and more of those sliver-thin slices of buttery crostini. How is it that two Flagstaff restaurants can put together more elegant cheese plates than just about anybody here in the Valley? Hmmm?
The special salad of the day, composed of bitter frisée, shrimp, roasted beets and cucumber, sounded a bit strange to me at first, but the combination was wonderful, thanks in large part to the creamy tarragon dressing that pulled it all together. We nearly licked the plate on this one, which edged out the signature 928 (a lovely mix of greens, dried cherries, candied nuts and blue cheese) by the slenderest of margins ($7.)
Two thickly sliced rounds of country pâté, rolled in fresh cilantro, were worth the garlic breath they gave us as we smeared each crostini with dried cherry mustard, laid on a hunk of pâté and topped the assemblage with puckery-sweet slices of house-made bread-and-butter pickle. My friend thought I was crazy to cart the leftovers back home, but I sure was happy when lunch rolled around the next day. Fennel-crusted sirloin, cooked medium-rare and sliced, was served cold with a sprinkle of olive tapenade and blue cheese crumbles. Although it lacked the wow factor of the pâté, it was still tasty.
I can’t think when I’ve had better sandwiches than the two I tried at Cuveé. The first – a panini stuffed with juicy beef brisket and caramelized onion – came with blue cheese fondue for dunking, and I’m telling you, this luscious thing puts the French dip to shame ($10). Meanwhile, tea-cured pork loin, served on a rustic roll with apple chutney and smoked cheddar, was a slower seduction but just as sure ($9).
The only real disappointment was overcooked and uninspired green chile mac & cheese, a daily special eclipsed by a half-dozen great mac & cheese dishes here at home ($11).