Now Open: Cave Vin

Last update: April 2, 2003 - 10:00 PM

In France, cave Ã vin can refer to a refrigerator designed to store wine. In Minneapolis, Cave Vin translates into the cozy new neighborhood French restaurant owned by David Hahne and Carlo Macy, the pair behind Pane Vino Dolce.

The still-evolving menu starts with nearly a dozen small-plate options ($4 to $7), including salads (a Nicoise, an endive-Roquefort), steamed mussels, matchstick fries, frog legs, onion soup and tapenades (olive, duck liver) on toasted baguette. A half-dozen more substantial daily specials ($17) have featured classics such as roasted chicken with herbes de Provence, steak frites and bouef bourguignon. Headlining the brief wine list are two whites, two reds and a rosé -- all French -- at $5 per glass and $20 per bottle.

The unpretentious, pale yellow-and-blue room -- a wide-load cousin of tiny Pane Vino Dolce -- remains a work in progress. Hand-blown chandeliers and sconces, designed by St. Paul glass artist Dick Huss, will be installed soon. Also on the way are two marble-topped bars as well as a long communal dining table and, hopefully, a few kitchen coolers. Right now, the duo are making do with two small cave Ã vin.

Cave Vin, 5555 Xerxes Av. S., Minneapolis, 612-922-0100. Open 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday (weekend brunch soon). No smoking.

Rick Nelson