By Dathan Kazsuk
Crú Wine Bar and Bistro recently hit a milestone—24 years as a brand. Not 24 years here in Fenton, but when a Dallas-born wine bar reaches that kind of longevity, you celebrate. And Crú did exactly that by refreshing a big chunk of its menu. I was lucky enough to be invited out on Super Bowl Sunday to try some of those new dishes, joined by my partner in crime, Jennifer.
Right out of the gate, Cary General Manager Michael Anderson had us set up in a cozy corner, menus in hand, walking us through what’s new. But let’s be honest—we were at a wine bar. The wine decision had to come first.
If you’ve spent any time at Crú, you already know the drill: Wine flights are kind of their thing. Reds, whites, global explorations, varietal deep dives—it’s all there. You can keep it focused with flights built around varietals such as sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, riesling, malbec, or pinot noir, or go a little rogue with themed flights like Sexy Reds, Rhône Rangers, or the Italian Stallion.
We went with two—Exotic Whites and European Vacation. The whites took us through Spain, Italy, and France with albariño, arneis, and chablis. European Vacation leaned into Spain and France with a pair of blends and a tempranillo. A solid reminder that you don’t need a boarding pass to drink well.
Crú currently offers around 15 curated flights, more than 50 wines by the glass, and over 150 bottles deep. There are some heavy hitters on that list, too—Overture and even a 2017 Opus One, though that one stayed firmly in the “admire from afar” category for my wallet.
Once the wine was flowing, we turned our attention to the revamped Taste & Share plates. Two new items immediately jumped out: Wagyu meatballs with San Marzano tomato-basil sauce and herb ricotta, and cast-iron–seared Argentine red shrimp with Calabrian chile butter, lemon, and pinsa bread. We ordered both. The meatballs were solid, comforting, and well-executed—but the shrimp stole the show. That sauce was dangerous. We briefly considered asking for it to-go, then thought better of how that might look.
There’s no shortage of other temptations here, either—braised short rib arancini, New Zealand lamb lollipops, chicken pintxo skewers, build-your-own cheese flights, charcuterie boards, and even a cheese fondue flight if you’re feeling indulgent.
If you want something more substantial, Crú’s sandwiches, salads, and Roman-style pinsa pizzas deliver. The surprise standout for us was the crispy chicken club. Wine and chicken sandwiches don’t usually scream “perfect pairing,” but this one works. Built on pinsa dough with perfectly breaded chicken, aged cheddar, pesto mayonnaise, and crispy prosciutto, it was easily our favorite bite of the night.
Crú also knows how to keep things interesting during the week. Pinsa Pizza Mondays score you a free pizza when you buy a bottle. Champagne Thursdays knock 40 percent off bottles of bubbly. Wine Down Wednesdays feature live music from 6 to 8 p.m., exactly the kind of midweek energy a place like this needs.
And yes—brunch is a thing here. After seeing the menu, we already know we’ll be back for mimosas and plates like the Smoked Salmon Board, Short Rib Hash Benedict, Wagyu steak and eggs, and the Crú Eggs Benedict with country ham and herb hollandaise.
So if you’re shopping, strolling, or just killing time in Fenton, Crú is an easy place to settle in. Grab a flight, order something shareable, and let someone else worry about the wine list for once. That alone is worth the visit.
