Sweet Revenge

I went to Sweet Revenge yesterday, which is located at 62 Carmine St. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it’s featured in a Chase Ink card commercial. “Beer and wine and cupcakes” are this bar’s specialty.

Sweet Revenge has a great happy hour special Monday through Friday from 4 to 8 where you can order a cupcake and a glass of either Pinot Noir or Sauvingon Blanc for $10. Regular wine prices were between $10 and $12 for a glass and several of these wines were also available in bottles, priced from $40 to $44. The wine list is actually very small with only 4 whites and 4 reds to choose from. There’s even a wine called Chocovine, which is exactly what it sounds like – a chocolate infused wine. This sounds like an abomination, but I’m sure it’s umm….delightful. I decided to go with a little glass of Dow’s Finest Reserve Port instead. The wine smelled bright and fruity and tasted like dark cherries and raspberries. I generally don’t drink red wines with sweets, but Port is a good exception due to its high alcohol content. This one was powerful enough to balance out the sweetness of the Black & Tan cupcake that I was enjoying and I think it was a great choice for the wine list.

The vibe I got from the bar is that of a Caribbean bakery. The bay windows in the front were open, letting in the first-day-of-spring air, Bob Marley and other reggae music was playing the whole time I was there, and the tables and chairs reminded me of a little Jamaican restaurant. The whole place had a very open feel and it was a very relaxed and casual environment. I very briefly felt like I was on vacation.

The owner, Marlo, was running the place by herself while I was there. She was juggling a credit card machine problem and serving customers simultaneously and was really friendly, calling everyone “hun”. I knew it was her from those commercials, reminders of which are conspicuously posted around the bar. There were two women who were there because they had seen the commercials, so I imagine this place has a bit of a tourist draw.

Sweet Revenge is great if you want a treat. However, I wouldn’t come here just for the wine. If you’re craving a cupcake and want to enjoy it with some well paired wine, then this is your place. Aside from that I don’t really consider it to be a wine bar. I give this place a rating of 3.8 out of 5 cupcakes :)

The Caribbean bakery interior of Sweet Revenge

The bakery portion of the bar. Notice the Chase commercial picture

My wine and cupcake!

Cello

I went to Cello tonight at 229 E 53^rd St. Oh my gosh this place was cute! It ended up being everything I look for in a wine bar.

The space is narrow with brick walls on one side and a dark red wall on the other. It had cozy seating with nice plush leather benches and stools, rustic looking wooden tables, and Tuscan touches in the décor. There were iron chandeliers with Edison light bulbs hanging over a few areas and exposed beams on the ceiling. Several tables were gathered in little alcove seating areas both in the front and back of the bar for a little privacy. Totally rustic and charming!

I really can’t get over how adorable the atmosphere at Cello was. Wonderfully decorated, great background music playing, and not crowded. It was everything I want a wine bar to be in terms of aesthetics and vibe.

Now, on to the wine list! All wines are available by the glass or bottle, keeping things simple. Glasses were in the $10 to $14 range and bottles of these wines were no more than $56. I tried to order the Tempranillo first, but they were out of it. So, I decided on the 2007 Dog Ridge Shiraz from Australia (if not only for the name). The Shiraz smelled like fresh berries, perhaps with a hint of blueberry and it had a peppery finish. It was high in alcohol as well, but had a good balance. The bartender was waiting on everyone in the bar, even at the tables, and he was super friendly. He stopped by at the perfect times to make sure I wasn’t waiting on a drink or the check and poured a small amount of the wine into the glass for me to try before serving the full pour. The service was great!

The wine list was not as extensive as I would have liked, but they had a precise selection, which is continually changing, or so they say on their website. The menu at the bar was completely different from the one that was available online, so I’m inclined to believe that.

The crowd mostly consisted of couples and small groups of friends. It’s a fantastic place to catch up with someone because you’ll actually be able to hear each other over the music, which was a nice background level instead of overpowering. I actually overheard a girl say “a quiet wine bar? There’s no such thing!” I imagine that this was a statement of shock after spending some time at Cello. I really hope Friday nights don’t taint the relaxing atmosphere that Cello has created.

Cello is a wine bar that I would go out of the way to visit again. Usually wine bars that are this pretty have prices to match, but this place keeps it reasonable. I was very impressed with the bar, but I’d like to see more choices on the wine list. Although, if you become a regular here I’m sure there will be many new wines to choose from each time you visit. I give Cello Wine Bar a rating of 4.5 out of 5 glasses.

Look up or you'll miss the entrance to Cello!

The cozy Tuscan interior of Cello

My glass of Shiraz

The pretty alcove seating area in the back of the bar