Vintage On 5th

Editor's pick Award winner

114 NE Fifth St., Crystal River, FL 34429

(352) 794-0004

http://www.vintageon5th.com/

Awards: Wine Spectator

Categories: Restaurant

Cuisine: Seafood upscale, Southern

Features: Outdoor seating

Cost range: 20.01-100.0

Payment options: Credit cards accepted

Alcohol: Beer and wine only

More in this neighborhood: Citrus County

Set in a rehabbed 1940s church, Vintage is preoccupied by the grape, offering 20 pours by the glass and lots of liquid temptations, duly sanctioned by the Wine Spectator. Still, it goes far beyond the traditional wine bar model where food plays second fiddle to the potables. The menu is Southern, but not narrowly so. Delicious shrimp and grits-- the secret's smoked Gouda and a little bacon -- have competition from an appetizer of firecracker shrimp, an Asian-inflected dish with deep-fried, wonton-straitjacketed shrimp paired with chili-garlic sauce and pineapple-pepper relish. Top entrees include rack of lamb cloaked in a lovely pecan crust or Maple Leaf Farms half duck, crisp-skinned and drizzled with tangy blueberry barbecue sauce.

Read the full review.