Just out for spring, quail confit at Vidalia and Grapes.

VIDALIA AND GRAPES Location: 1626 East Blvd, at the corner of East Boulevard and Lombardy Circle. Phone: 704-358-8188 Details: Separate bar area; corkage fee; no smoking dining room; reservations accepted; occasional wine dinners. Prices: Tapas selections range from $6.25-$12.50. Entrée portions range from $12-$28. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 5-11 p.m.

When chef Tim Henderson and his wife, Ellen, stepped into the local restaurant arena, they introduced a new dining concept to Charlotte. The two met while working at The Peninsula - he in the kitchen and she in the accounting office. They fell in love, moved, married, combined their talents and opened Vidalia and Grapes, their own dining spot at Lombardy Circle and East Boulevard at the Freedom Park end of Dilworth's restaurant row.

While they say location is everything in the restaurant business, the food, drink and service make it all work. Vidalia and Grapes rates top-notch scores on all counts. The menu, as the restaurant's name suggests, features slightly Southern cuisine served in tapas-style servings.

Tapas is literally translated as "little plates." It's a concept borrowed from the Spanish, who enjoy the prospect of tapas-style dining as a way to taste a little bit of a lot of things. Tapas are perfect for those who enjoy the notion of dining out on an assortment of appetizers. Each plate is plenty for one, but enough for two to share. You can continue to order tapas until you've had your fill.

If you're not into sharing or you have more of a he-man appetite, Vidalia and Grapes has you covered, too. All menu features come in individual dinner-sized portions, as well as the "tasting" size.

The concept of "just a taste" also follows suit in the wine list at Vidalia and Grapes. Some 80 different wines are offered on the list, and all are available by the bottle, glass or the taste in a slightly smaller glass, affording diners the opportunity to try three to four different wines and still be able to remember them all.

RATING SCALE Excellent, a must try. Above average, worth consideration. Average, but nothing spectacular. Just okay. Poor, not recommended.

It all started for the Hendersons three years ago this September and by the time Vidalia and Grapes' third anniversary rolls around, the Hendersons will be three as well. Tim and Ellen eagerly anticipate the birth of their first child in August. In the meantime, the restaurant continues to be open for dinner only, and recent menu changes suit the spring dining season.

There's some big flavors coming out of the kitchen on those little plates, so be prepared to be swept off your feet. Among the best of the bunch this season is a seared coriander- crusted loin of tuna with a delightfully innovative jicama, watercress and tortilla salad on the side dressed with a cilantro-honey vinaigrette; a beef carpaccio with an orange and olive salad accompanied by watercress and shaved Gouda cheese; a roasted sake-cured halibut fillet served over pearl couscous tossed with anise, tomato and fresh basil all bathed in a white wine and butter sauce; and my personal favorite, a quail confit, slow cooked then shredded, mixed with rich and buttery "melted" leeks then rolled and wrapped in a delicate crepe served with a Merlot and lingonberry chutney on the side. Talk about melt in your mouth.

Vidalia and Grapes' popular classics are still on the menu and include a cooked perfectly to order fireroasted black pepper crusted strip loin steak served over a warm asparagus salad in a crisp blue cheese cup; a grilled rack of New Zealand lamb served with braised onions, sweet green peas and a veal reduction; and a Carolina Blue Crabcake Napoleon in which lump and claw crab meat are blended with seasonings and layered with tomato and onion relish and fried wonton skins. A lemon Aioli, or garlic sauce, adds the finishing touch. Another popular seafood favorite is the Carolina trout stuffed with crabmeat and wrapped in applewoodsmoked bacon. The fillet is then seared, roasted and served over creamy stone ground yellow grits swirled in a lemon beurre blanc, or butter sauce.

More "don't miss" features on the soup, salad and specialty portion of the menu include: a fabulous eggplant and portobello lasagna featuring slices of fried eggplant and grilled portobello mushroom layered with tomatoes, a corn and basil pesto, fresh spinach and feta cheese; a brie and apple butter brulee served with sliced green apples and french bread toasts and simply wonderful buttermilk fried green tomatoes served over fresh-picked spinach and dressed with a maple vinaigrette and toasted pecans.

It's hard to go wrong with whatever combination of eats one might choose at Vidalia and Grapes. There are always specials in addition to the printed menu items, and desserts change nightly. The well-informed and friendly waitstaff can easily answer questions you might have. The atmosphere is soft and quiet, yet casual and comfortable. There's a small bar up front, if you'd prefer to just stop by for a glass of wine or one of Vidalia and Grapes' dozen and a half or so specialty martinis and a sweet or savory bite of something to eat. If dinner is your mission, two small but separate dining areas with tables dressed in crisp white linen and Mediterranean blue glass await you for a longer meal.

It's a cozy little spot run by a talented and innovative chef with a great dining concept - a combination that's hard to beat for sure.

The eggplant and portobello lasagna, layered with tomatoes, corn and basil pesto, fresh spinach and feta cheese, is a wonderful way to start off at Vidalia and Grapes.

Well-known Charlotte restaurant critic, food writer, cooking instructor and connoisseur of food and wine, Heidi Edidin writes "South Charlotte Weekly: Culinary Corner," a restaurant review or food feature that appears weekly. Contact Heidi with questions and restaurant, food or story ideas by email at heidi@southcharlotteweekly.com.

SCW photos by Sean Busher.

This article first appeared in "South Charlotte Weekly" on March 28, 2003. "South Charlotte Weekly" is a free, locally owned, independent newspaper that's "About the Community, For the Community," available every Thursday in South Charlotte and Uptown.

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