The wine is flowing at The Vault, a high-end restaurant and wine bar now open in Mansfield, at 2300 Matlock Rd. #21, next door to El Primo's, the Tex-Mex restaurant with whom it shares ownership.

The Vault is from Mansfield businessman and city council member Todd Tonore and his partner Robert Talley, who wanted to add a fine-dining neighbor to their popular Tex-Mex spot.

The Vault has become the toast of Mansfield and not just because of its extensive selection of wines. There's gourmet food such as lobster mac & cheese, a live pianist, rooftop patio, even a playground area for the kids.

They also offer a private wine and liquor locker storage program, where members can keep wine and other liquors stored at the restaurant, says manager Michael Bartholomew.

"We have 200 wine lockers that members can lease out," he says. "You pay a flat fee of $1500 or $2500 for lifetime, then purchase liquor and wine from us at a discount, which you can take out of the locker when you come in to dine."

Tonore and Talley bought the old Nut House Grill space in 2011, where they first opened a steakhouse, before switching the concept to Tex-Mex in 2014. They closed during the summer in 2020 due to the pandemic, but took the opportunity to execute a big remodel that included expanding the patio and kitchen and adding on a rooftop bar.

With the patio expansion and new rooftop dining area, the restaurant encompasses 17,000 square feet, making it the largest privately owned restaurant in Mansfield, Tonore told FDN.

The Vault opened in stages: In late June, they started with appetizers, and just unveiled the full menu on July 12.

Dishes include:

• Rib eye with fingerling potatoes
• Chilean sea bass with rice pilaf
• Deviled eggs
• Grilled quail & grits
• Prime steak medallions with au gratin potatoes
• Seared duck with Mongolian BBQ sauce

Prices range from $9 to $33, with the rib eye topping out at $42.

General manager Dexter Huewitt, who previously worked for Jack Binion's in Shreveport, oversees the kitchen.

Appetizers such as lobster crab cakes and shrimp & grits can easily transform into entrees. There are also desserts including white chocolate bread pudding and 7-layer chocolate mousse cake.

"We also have a significant bourbon collection," says Bartholomew, who previously worked at Walnut Creek Country Club. "We have people who come in just to try our bourbon. People will also sit at the bar to dine — have an order of lamb lollipops, and we also have great charcuterie boards. The bar is a big horseshoe bar made of onyx, and it lights up from beneath — it's really fun."

Add in a baby grand piano — which either plays by itself or sees a live pianist Wednesdays-Sundays — and hours that extend until 11 pm on weeknights, plus brunch on the weekends and attentive service, and you have pretty much all your needs fulfilled, wine-related or otherwise.