Madison & Vine

Yesterday, I went to Madison & Vine, which is located at the corner of 41^st and Madison Ave. When I saw the wine bar looming in the distance, I thought to myself “Good Lord, I’ve underdressed.” The exterior looked like the bar was going to be stodgy and pretentious. I smoothed my hair and walked in.

Bubbly lounge music was playing at an energetic volume and the crowd was chatting loudly. It was a nice place and not as stuffy as it looked from outside. The bar was topped with retro-looking, tiny round tiles, the floor was a fresh looking slate and the front wall had been opened up completely, allowing for some partial outdoor seating. The place had a refined, upscale café vibe to it.

The place was packed and all of the tables were full or reserved. The hostess greeted me right away and was very sweet. When I asked for a space for 1, she looked around the room a bit and came to the conclusion that I already had – the only seat open was a lonely little bar stool sticking out like a sore thumb among the leather chairs that lined the rest of the bar. Well, I was already there. I shrugged and headed over to my seat. It was actually pretty squishy, so it wasn’t as uncomfortable as I was expecting. I elbowed up to the other customers and the bartender handed a wine list to me right away.

Glasses of wine were priced between $11 and $18, with the average being around $13. Pretty pricey! Bottles were a bit more reasonable, considering the price of glasses. They started at $40 and were no more than $125, unless you count the $225 bottle of champagne. The selection was pretty good and most wines were from France, Italy, Austria, and the US. I decided to see what an average priced glass of wine was like and ordered a glass of the 2009 King’s Ridge Pinot Noir from Oregon. The pour was huge, which I can always appreciate ;) The wine had notes of cedar and earth on the nose. The heavy cedar scent tells me that it was aged in oak. It was spicy on the attack and had a raspberry and brown sugar finish. It was an interesting Pinot Noir with very bold flavors while still having a medium body. I don’t think it was worth $13 a glass, but it wasn’t bad. It would have been better with a Caesar salad….or maybe I was just looking too longingly at said salad on the plate of my bar neighbor.

Most of the customers there were the classy, after-work, Midtown East people and many of them were middle-aged. There were several younger people, but not too many. I actually think I might have been the youngest person there. At this point, my back started to hurt from unconsciously slouching in my bar stool. What was that I said about feeling like the youngest one there? I definitely felt like I was 90 right about then.

The service was very nice and very friendly, the wine selection was decent but expensive, and the place had a fresh, pretty, clean-lined interior. It’s a good place to go if you’re looking for a more upscale atmosphere and want to impress someone with the price tag on your glass of wine. I liked the bar, but it was a little too fancy pants for my taste. I give Madison & Vine a rating of 3.5 out of 5 glasses.

The building looming on the corner of 41st & Madison

The interior of Madison & Vine

My glass of Pinot Noir. Yes, I did get a fancy new camera :)

The retro tiled bar top

Cava - Portsmouth, NH Edition

This past weekend, the hubby and I were in Portsmouth, NH visiting some friends and what do you think happened to catch my eye while touring the town? A cool wine bar tucked away in an alley, of course. I made it a point to stop in and enjoy a bottle all to myself with friends at Cava, which is located at 10 Commercial Alley.

One of the more unique things about this wine bar is that it has a stylish outdoor area. During the warm months, the hostess actually has a booth outside to greet and seat you before you even get to the door, so it has a friendly vibe right away. The outdoor space is just....freaking cute. I felt like I was in a swanky garden. There are wooden tables of various heights enclosed by a little fence and the front wall of the building is what can only be called a "living wall". Planters are somehow attached to the wall vertically and though it was a little sparse since it was early May, it is alive with many green things in the summer.

Cava has a large selection of wines, with many from Italy, Spain, Washington, and California. Glasses are priced between $8 and $88 (yes, $88 is the new record for most expensive glass I've seen) and Cava also offers a tasting option for each of these wines, which are 2.5 oz glasses priced between $3.50 and $16.50. Bottles are priced very reasonably, starting at $28 and up to $200, although the majority of the bottles were in the $30 to $40 range. The menu also lists the retail price of each bottle so that you are able to see how minimal of a markup Cava is taking on their wines. I've never seen this at a wine bar, or any bar/restaurant for that matter. It's nice to feel confident that you're not being swindled. Thumbs up, Cava. We decided to order a bottle of 2010 Villa Donna Barbera and the 2006 Torre Migliori Montepulciano.

The Montepulciano smelled a bit peppery, tasted like strawberry, and had a very mild acidity. Most Italian wines are higher in acid to pair with the commonly acidic Italian foods, but this one was mild enough that you could enjoy it by itself. The Barbera was more aromatic and smelled like sweet dried strawberries and had a lively acidity. It was a little on the sweet side and it had notes on the palate similar to the nose. Both of the wines were pretty decent for being less than $40 a bottle.

The service was incredibly friendly and several people came by our table to frequently refill our glasses and check to see if we needed anything else. I should also add patient to the list of the staff's qualitites. Our waiter had to come back a few different times to see if we had made a wine selection, as we had spent more time chatting rather than deciding. Oops!

Good wine, good service, and good company. I was very happy with my experience at Cava :) I give it a rating of 4 out of 5 glasses.

The outside of Cava and the living wall

My glass of Barbera on the left, Montepulciano on the right