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!