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Vintage 301 occupies the space that formerly housed The Press Wine Café. It is a casual, afternoon/evening/late-night place, with a menu focused mainly on small plates — tapas-style selections — along with a few larger entrees (albeit smaller than full entrees in more conventional restaurants).

Wine-colored walls enclose the interior. The bar area occupies center stage; restaurant seating on black tables and chairs flanks to the right and left.

Several pages of artisan beers and ales are available, along with a wine list that is generally well-chosen for quality and value, with multiple selections by the glass. Servers offered small tastes to help us choose from among those with which we were not familiar.

The menu states that breads come from Simple Kneads. That is almost worth a recommendation in itself. Combined with meats from Giaccomo’s, I started looking forward to the evening even before we ordered.

All the small plates that my wife and I tried pleased us. Giant Bean Dip ($5) consists of pureed white beans and cheese accented with thyme and tarragon, along with crisp bits of ham, baked and served with a baguette. Lemon Feta ($6) provides two large blocks of feta cheese, marinated in lemon-pepper vinaigrette and baked, plus large green olives stuffed with pimiento, roasted red pepper strips and sliced baguette. Mushroom Bake ($7) combines white button mushrooms, cremini and sliced portobellos topped with mozzarella cheese in mushroom jus — hearty and well matched to numerous red wines.

El Bulli ($6) is a pizza named, I assume, after the famous restaurant in Spain. Thinly sliced steak — firm and flavorful, slightly marred with occasional bits of gristle — plus caramelized onions, roasted red pepper, mozzarella cheese and an olive tapenade are presented on focaccia.

Steamed Pork Dumplings ($7) are wrapped in wontons, arrayed around a spicy sesame-soy sauce in the center of the plate. A dab of hot red pepper sauce decorates each corner, adding a flash of fire to the flavors. Meatballs ($8/eight) are rich and beefy, sprinkled with bread crumbs and cheese, accented with herbs and served with fresh lemon juice.

A Vintage Salad ($7) combines mixed-leaf lettuces, chevre, candied walnuts and dried cherries, tossed in a honey-tarragon vinaigrette. Ordering this salad is almost a necessity because few vegetable choices are available as small plates and more conventional entrees are a bit shy on greens.

An entrée of Tuscan Pork ($13) consisted of sliced tenderloin — rather firm — flavored with fennel, joined by mushrooms and roasted red pepper strips, served over a risotto cake with mushroom sauce.

The menu described Steak Diane ($15) as “thin-sliced,” but my portion measured about ¾-inch thick — better than the menu description. Solid beef flavor emerged from the texture of NY Strip, marred a bit by fatty gristle. The kitchen’s interpretation of Diane sauce amounted to something very much like Southern-style onion gravy, replete with thin, soft-cooked onion strips. Red bliss mashed potatoes, skin blended in, absorbed the flavor of the gravy. The menu also promised broccoli rabb, a personal favorite vegetable, but thinly sliced zucchini had been substituted without notice — not as good as the menu description, in my estimation.

David Gainey, Rowe Piper and Chef Ben Sullivan took over this property in the fall, formally opening in December. The concept seems especially geared to late-night snacking, given hours after midnight and tapas-sized portions.

Several discount specials were in effect when I visited: selected $10 per bottle wines and $3.50 draft beers on Tuesday; 10 percent food discounts and $5 martinis on Wednesday; half-price beers on Friday; $5 martinis and $3 selected draft beers on Saturday; $1 discount on wines by the glass and a 10 percent discount on food on Sunday. A $5 off coupon was on the Web site when I wrote this column. You might check as preparation for a visit.

John Batchelor is a freelance contributor who has been reviewing restaurants for more than 20 years. You can reach him at P.O. Box 20848, Greensboro, NC 27420, or send e-mail to john.e.batchelor@gmail.com.