What’s on the menu at Martine’s Wine Bar, a nostalgic farm-to-table restaurant from the Bar Raval team

Name: Martine’s Wine Bar Contact: 293 Palmerston Ave., @martineswinebar, 437-880-8467 Owners: Grant Van Gameren, Hailey Burke Chefs: Grant Van Gameren, Luke Haines Accessibility: Not Fully Accessible

Martine’s Wine Bar, the most recent culinary addition to Grant Van Gameren’s long CV (which includes Bar Raval, Bar Isabel and Quetzal), was inspired by the farm he opened three years ago in Prince Edward County. “Originally, my business partner, Hailey Burke, and I thought Martine’s was going to be a snacky wine bar,” he says. “But then I started selling my produce to restaurants in PEC. I thought, Wait a minute, why don’t I use these vegetables too?” Cut to Martine’s, a full-fledged vegetable-forward restaurant with a casual wine program courtesy of house sommelier Hannah Holmes.

Twice a week, Van Gameren unloads a truck full of seasonal homegrown vegetables into the space, which incidentally looks very much like a converted barn. Then he and head chef Luke Haines (of Bar Raval and Buca) come up with a game plan. “The ingredients are always a surprise to Luke,” says Van Gameren. “And if it takes us more than three minutes to think through a dish, we scrap it and start again. We don’t want anything to be over-thought.”

The wood-burning oven, inherited from Woodlot (the space’s former tenant), also helps dictate the menu. Whole roasted birds, charred vegetables and handmade flatbreads feel right at home here. Add in the pasta, which is hand-cut on an old-school chitarra, and the whole scene takes patrons out of the mess of modernity and back to a simpler culinary time.

The food

The output of Van Gameren and Haines’s kitchen is all about homespun experimentation. For their take on classic veggies and dip, or crudité, the veggies get lightly blanched before being chilled and paired with a buttery, umami-forward tonnato sauce and a sprinkle of furikake. Chitarra-cut spaghetti is met not with meatballs but with sea urchin, and homegrown turnips are sautéed with long pepper and finished with bonito. But, every now and then, the duo play it straight. Case in point: their classic peppercorn steak, wood-fired chicken and no-fuss fries.

The drinks

The wine program, built by Holmes, aims to tantalize the palate without being pretentious (or forcing patrons to break the bank), serving heavy hitters like barolos and chablis. Co-owner Hailey Burke’s cocktail program is refreshingly classic, no twist. The gin and tonics, negronis, and old fashioneds are platonic ideals, and they keep the menu grounded while sharing space with the occasional exploratory item.

The space

For those familiar with Woodlot, the split-level layout—with its sunken bar and lofted dining room—is heartwarmingly familiar, but the components have been tweaked. No doubt touched by Van Gameren’s county life, Martine’s leans toward the pastoral. The bar that overlooks the open kitchen is done in reclaimed pine planks, and refurbished mahogany church pews double as banquettes. The vintage lighting gives the space a nostalgic aura, like dining at the home of a beloved aunt who really knows how to cook.