The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

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Back in the late 70's, when I was a kid going to Groveland Elementary School, the little strip mall at the corner of Minnetonka Boulevard and Highway 101 contained a hardware store, an inky-dinky library branch, a small natural foods co-op, and a SuperValu that smelled like chicken and macaroni and cheese.

Well, who ever imagined that strip mall would some day contain a swanky little wine shop and a restaurant so popular, the parking lot would be jam-packed and you would have to park in front of the auto body shop across the street?

The answer: Chris Eriksson did.

He's the Merrill Lynch broker (a Minnetonka kid three years behind me in school) and consummate teetotaler who decided on a business-minded whim to open The Wine Shop and Spasso where Lakewinds used to be. [The co-op, with free-range products more popular even than broasted chicken in this low-impact, PETA-driven, eco-friendly age, has moved six spaces east into the former Super Valu store.] His original idea was to open a little shop that sold mostly organic wines, to complement the offerings next door. But after giving it a little thought, and partnering with Ryan Sadowski - his brother-in-law and a man who actually knows how to drink - Eriksson decided to open up a restaurant, too. A restaurant with a unique hook. . . .

"The only thing I know about wine," says the 39-year-old Eriksson, who claims to have had only two alcoholic drinks in his entire life, "is that it's a rip-off at most restaurants. So I decided to start a place where the prices are the same as they would be if you were buying off the shelf."

And that's exactly what Spasso (which means "fun" or "leisure" in Italian) does. They actually sell wine tableside, or even by the glass, at retail prices. The selection is huge: there are about 135 wines on the menu. They do flights. And every weekday evening from 4-6 p.m. and after 8, they run a happy hour with house wines for $3 a glass.

My husband and I went last night, for the second time. Our first Spasso experience was on a wine tasting night and while restaurants all over the Twin Cities were vacuuming under empty tables, this place was three-deep at the bar. The food - which we did not try - looked plentiful, like good old-fashioned 70's-style Americanized Italian fare. Come to think of it, this really was a flash to the past.

Our bill that first time, for two glasses of more-than-decent 88-point Parker picks, came to $15. Not half bad. But last night, we put them to the test and drank the $3 wine - a Monte Oton Garnacha - which was full and fruity and slightly acidic on the finish but not even slightly bitter (which really cheap wines tend to be). It was lovely on frigid winter's evening. The service was impeccable, the mood at the bar was outrageously friendly, and the tab at the end of the night for one glass each plus a third that we shared, came to nine bucks and change.

Spasso has more expensive options, too, such as a $100 Amarone that would cost double that anywhere else. And their menu comes with all sorts of handy-dandy information: ratings from Wine Spectator, Wine & Spirits, and Parker the king. Best part because they're in Minnetonka, the wine shop stays open 'til 10. So after drinking your fill in the restaurant, you can toddle over and stock up next door.