Food Arts Magazine: Deep Dish- Texas
Sunday, June 01, 2003

Chef/owners of Austin's innovative Wink Restaurant, Stewart Scruggs and Mark Paul bought the popular Zoot from Bick and Erika Brown. "we are simply breathing new life into an Austin classic," comments Paul of their acquisition.

Texas Monthly Magazine: Where to Eat Now (2003)
Saturday, March 01, 2003

Wink may be small, but Stewart Scrugg's talent is large. Witness a recent triumph: his golden roasted chicken on glorious white polenta. Equally impressive are the skills of pastry chef and co-owner Mark Paul, for whose crisp. lemon-curd-filled meringue cups I would happily walk on nails. Who cares if you have to be shoehorned into Wink's tiny, latte-colored room? The place is exciting.


Austin American Statesman: Mark Paul (Wink): A Life in the Kitchen by Accident
Thursday, February 27, 2003

Calamity sent Mark Paul into the food industry...a competitive gymnast, 15 year-old Mark broke his arm in three places above the elbow, ending his participation in that robust activity. The subsequent downtime at home drove his parents crazy, and they insisted he get a job. He went to work at The Cupboard (deli and bakery)where he was assigned to making pie crusts. Once you do this (get involved with restaurants), you're hooked," Mark says. "This is an addictive business." Eventually he hooked up with Stewart Scruggs, and together they opened Wink two years ago. Last month, they purchased Zoot. Now he makes desserts for two places, along with handling other management details, and he can't imagine being in any other business.


Austin American Statesman:
Austin's Top 10: A Nod and a Wink to Austin's Top Cuisine
Friday, October 18, 2002

The impromptu unpredictable nature of dishes that employ the day's best offerings of meats, seafood, and produce...make it a surprise each time the menu is put in your hands. That's becuase the menu changes daily, based on the fresh ingredients that are available. One of the exquisite dishes is a grilled lamb loin...although it doesn't need any enhancement, a delicious grapefruit-fennel sauce, braised hearts of palm, and haricots verts are welcome additions on the plate. Those who dine at the sophisticated, minimalist Wink should plan on dessert...chocolate soup is magical. It is one of the two best chocolate desserts of the year.


The Austin Chronicle 2002 Restaurant Poll
Thursday, May 23, 2002

Critic's Choice: Best New Restaurant; Readers' Choice: Best New Restaurant; Critic's Choice: Best Dessert (Lemon Meringue Pot); Critic's Choice: Unsung Heroes (Eric Polzer-Sous Chef/ Gardener/ Sourcing Agent); Readers' Choice: Reader's Favorites


Bon Appetit Magazine : The Restaurant Reporter
Monday, April 01, 2002

In the blink of an eye, WINK has become popular with Diners who come to the intimate restaurant for its daily-changing menu. Executive chef and co-owner Stewart Scruggs makes a daily trip to the market, which results in terrific dishes such as pan-roasted black grouper with chanterelle mushrooms, asparagus and golden beet emulsion; and grilled lamb with black truffle potatoes. Co-owner and pastry chef Mark Paul contributes an impressive array of desserts including a lemon meringue pot de creme with candied lemon zest


Texas Monthly Magazine: Where to Eat Now
Friday, February 01, 2002

In Austin WINK is wowing most of the diners who manage to crowd into its small, natty terra-cotta-and-black space. Chef and co-owner Stewart Scruggs is turning out such dishes as souffle-light Alaskan halibut with pistachio crust and crisp-skinned duck breast with mashed purple Okinawa sweet potatoes. Wink's cloudlike chevre cheesecake, the inspired creation of pastry chef and co-owner Mark Paul, is my personal nomination for dessert of the year.


Austin Chronicle: Top 10s From 2001-Best Bites
Friday, January 04, 2002

Virginia B. Wood's Top 10 Savory Dishes of 2001 #4. Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed with Crabmeat #8. Kobe Beef Carpaccio Virginia B. Wood's Top 10 Sweet Dishes of 2001 #2. Lemon Meringue Cup Wes Marshall's Top 10 Wine Events of 2001 #8. Holiday in the Rhone at Wink with Les Amis du Vin, December 2


Austin Monthly Magazine: Wink
Tuesday, January 01, 2002

While some flavors are bold and forward, others are delicate and nuanced. The cuisine at Wink is not flashy or presumptuous but articulate and thoughtful. This is a place to try new flavors and to experience food directly. Not an ordinary eatery, Wink will open your eyes and stir your soul.


Austin Chronicle: A Wink and a Smile
Wednesday, October 24, 2001

We visited Wink soon after it opened this summer and again just recently. I couldn't be more pleased with or impressed by the food and service in this classy new dinner house.


Austin American Statesman: XL Top Fifty Restaurants
Wednesday, October 24, 2001

This 15-table eatery, opened last summer by former Brio Vista executive chef Stewart Scruggs and pastry chef Mark Paul, was an instant hit.


Austin American Statesman: For Innovative Dining, You'll Just Have To Wink
Wednesday, October 24, 2001

The tall, lanky host repeatedly introduced himself — "Hi, I'm Mark" — memorizing his guests' names, and then using them as he handed out wine lists, took drink orders, opened wine bottles and poured. Clearly this wouldn't be one of those keep-your-distance places. It was in-your-face friendly. But this was no ordinary restaurant. It was Wink, the 15-table eatery opened this summer by former Brio Vista executive chef Stewart Scruggs and pastry chef Mark Paul.


Austin American Statesman: Wink chef has an eye for style and substance
Wednesday, October 24, 2001

When people are willing to stand outside, sipping wine and waiting an hour in 95-degree heat for dinner, you know you've got a winner on your hands. That's what has been happening this month at Wink, the tiny restaurant behind Whole Earth Provision Co. on North Lamar Boulevard, as the buzz on Stewart Scruggs' new place spreads.


Tribeza Magazine: Wink Restaurant-The Diamond, The Ruby, or The Pearl
Wednesday, October 24, 2001

Most menus assume a need for direction, providing pleasant little road markers for the guest: appetizers, salads, soup, entree, and dessert, and a wine list presented independently of the menu. Wink pushes the envelope on the very meaning of a menu as we know it. Nothing signals appetizers, salads, and entrees; they all run together into a unified tight little list. The only way to truly differentiate is by descriptor and price. Odd to some, intriguing to others. The core menu remains week to week, but the handling of the items will be different every time you visit. For instance, one week the duck breast will be served with a kumquat caramel, sugar snap peas, pearl onions, and rosemary, and three weeks later we found it tea-smoked with plum sauce, snow peas, and grilled eggplant, both times for a modest 16 ducats. Yes, the menu is dynamic and do-able in terms of price. The ingredients are fresh and the plates are pretty, but let's get this over with: the portions are small. Owner's Stewart Scruggs and Mark Paul cringe a little when the word small comes up. They prefer to use the modifier appropriate when talking about portion size. The name Wink loosely translates as a small afternoon meal, you see...