Wine and whiskey rule at a new venue that just opened in Trophy Club, way up there by Roanoke. Called Social Oak Wine & Whiskey Lounge, it's an upscale lounge at 2230 TX-114 #550, that promises in a release to serve wines and whiskeys from around the globe.

Social Oak boasts state-of-the-art wine and whiskey self-serve machines with 56 wines and 28 whiskeys available by the pour, allowing customers to explore a wide variety of wines with the assistance of an in-house sommelier.

There's also a full bar with signature cocktails and a tapas-style menu whose cuisine is described as international/Asian.

Owner is Vinh Le, who says they chose to open in Trophy Club to serve the sophisticated wine and whiskey drinkers in the area who had nowhere else to go.

"It’s hard to find an upscale 21 and up lounge without having to drive to Dallas or Ft. Worth," Le says.

There's also the whole fun aspect of self-serve, allowing customers to pour-their-own 1-ounce, 3-ounce, or 5-ounce glasses.

“During my travels, I had stumbled upon some amazing wine bars and there was one in particular that had the wine pouring machines," Le says. "I fell in love with the social aspect of walking up to the machines and talking to people about the wines. I also loved being able to try a small pour before committing to a full glass or bottle."

Head Sommelier is Bianca Nunez, who grew to love wine while living and working in Fredericksburg. She's a Level 2 sommelier who has worked for several Texas wine makers, in tasting rooms, and in wine bars.

She, too, is a fan of their self-serve system.

"The machines preserve the wines by keeping oxygen out of the bottles, allowing us to provide rare selections such as high-end vintage bottles of wine by the glass," Nunez says.

The self-serve system extends to their whiskey program, featuring hard-to-find allocated whiskeys such as Kentucky Owl, Lock Stock and Barrel 21, Blanton’s, and Shenk’s Homestead; and Japanese whisky including Yamazaki 18, Hibiki, and Hakushu 12.

These can all be sampled in 1-ounce, 1.5-ounce, or 2-ounce pours from the machines.

Food
Social Oak has a female Vietnamese chef, Nga Vu, who has 20-plus years experience in the restaurant industry including owning restaurants in Louisiana.

Menu items include

• Wild Burgundy Escargot - snails, garlic, butter, parsley
• Japanese Pork Belly Buns - pork chashu, steamed bao buns, asian slaw, spring onions
• Truffle Pasta - cream sauce, fresh parmesan, truffle pieces, truffle oil
• Macadamia Brussels - Brussels sprouts, ginger soy glaze, macadamia nuts
• Curry Chicken Satay - chicken, coconut, curry, peanut sauce
• Truffle Deviled Eggs - bacon and crispy shallots
• Sliced Steak and Mash - New York strip, whipped potatoes, Asian chimichurri sauce

The restaurant seats 70 in a 2,640-square-foot space, described as having a chic speakeasy feel, adorned with velvet panels and gold chain curtains dropping from the ceiling, tufted sofas, leather club chairs, and a VIP banquette. A patio, opening soon, will seat 50 and include a designated cigar area where guests can smoke cigars from the lounge’s humidor.