I ventured to the East Village one evening this week to stop by Xicala Wine Bar at 151 Elizabeth St. Let me begin by saying that I love, love, love Spanish wines. Hand me any wine from Spain; white, red, sherry, I’ll drink it and I’ll like it. So, my interest was piqued when I found out that Xicala focuses on wines from this region. However, it’s not what I would expect of a Spanish wine bar.
The bar is a little hidden from view as well and located in a questionable part of the lower east side. As I was walking there, the street was completely empty and the building next door to Xicala had a big red light that flashed on and off, which just seems to me to be a cliché of a dangerous area. Although I’m sure it isn’t, the street does look sketchy. The atmosphere inside the bar made me feel like I should be ordering a margarita and a burrito and smoking a hookah rather than drinking a glass of wine. It was like a mix of a Mexican restaurant and a hookah lounge. Loud, somewhat cheesy Latin music was playing and the place was dimly lit with red lighting and the red flashing from the building next door
Glasses of wine were priced $8 to $13, bottles of these same wines were $32 to $49, and you could order a flight of any three wines for $24. There is also a reserve list of wines available only by the bottle and they start at $70.
I ordered the 2008 Ribera del Duero Quintana, which is from Spain. It tasted like dried red fruits and had a very nice aged character to it, which I wouldn’t expect of a 2008. It also had really pleasant notes of cedar, which I always enjoy in a wine. It smelled like blackberries and tobacco leaf and the cedar came through on the nose as well. This could be a really great everyday wine. It’s the bar’s most popular wine and I can see why. It’s pretty delicious.
The decor of the bar, like the music, is a little tacky, but I did like the cute low profile wooden tables in a recessed seating area.
The service was ok. As I walked in only to find that I was the sole customer of the establishment that night, the waitress was sitting at the bar reading the menu and stayed that way the entire time, unless she was approaching my table and quietly mumbling a question to me. She was nice, but not very outgoing in terms of service. I remained the only customer at Xicala the whole time I was there, which is really odd considering most wine bars are pretty busy around 6:30. Apparently they have Flamenco Tuesdays why didn’t I come here on a Tuesday?!. Maybe this would add a bit more of the true Spanish flair to the bar as well as some customers. The major downer of the night, however, was discovering that there is a credit card minimum of $20. What the heck. Luckily I had some cash, but had to dig through my wallet to find enough change for the rest of the bill and tip. In a plastic society, a $20 minimum is a surprise. At least my wallet is a little bit lighter now...
Meh, I don’t think I’ll come back here. Tasty Ribera though! If you do come here, come with a group and probably on a Tuesday for the flamenco dancing. I give Xicala Wine Bar a rating of 3 out of 5 glasses.
There's that annoying red light...
The recessed seating area that's actually an enclosed part of the sidewalk
My yummy glass of Ribera del Duero