Medi Wine Bar
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Happy New Year, my dear readers! I made my final wine bar visit of 2011 several days ago at Medi Wine Bar, located at 811 9th Ave in the neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen.
Wow, this place was packed when I arrived and I actually had to wait a few minutes for a lonely little table for 1 to open up. This is either a testament to their food or their wine. We shall see which one!
Wines were between $9 and $15 for a glass and $34 to $165 for a bottle, although the average price of a bottle was in the $40 to $50 range. Some wines were available in half bottles as well. The majority of the wines were from the major European regions and I was happy to see that there were wines from lesser known regions as well, such as Slovenia, Israel, and Turkey. I ordered the 2009 Segals Fusion Cabernet-Merlot-Syrah blend from Israel. Now, I don’t particularly have a lot of faith in triple blends, but I do like Israeli wines when I’m able to find them at a wine bar, so I decided to take a chance. This is either going to be terrible or delightful.
It took a little while for my wine to arrive once I’d ordered it. I’m hoping it was only because all of the tables were full and they were very busy. But my goat cheese fritters actually came out first (I saw them on the menu and couldn’t resist. I’m a sucker for goat cheese….or just cheese in general.) Once my wine did arrive, I anxiously took a good whiff of it. It smelled like chocolate and cassis and almost a little bit syrupy like the aroma of port. The flavor was surprisingly enjoyable. It was a little heavier on the Cabernet in the blend and it tasted like dried strawberries. It could have used a little more acidity though. It wasn’t an outstanding wine, but it was tasty and not a bad value at $11 a glass.
The décor at Medi is one of my favorites that I’ve seen in a wine bar. It achieves coziness without sacrificing the space of the dining area. The walls are white painted brick with cool wooden benches lining one side of the room, the lighting is warm with the exception of the shock of blue lights at the front of the bar, and the ceilings are covered with dark wood. I have to admit, I was a little transfixed with the ceilings. The tables are all mismatched with a mix of cute white cottage style tables, tables made of solid blocks of wood, and a few garden style mini tables. It adds a very quaint and personable touch to the place. There is a seating area downstairs as well which is just as charming. I didn’t venture down there but I did see some cute pictures of it on Medi’s website.
I really enjoyed Medi Wine Bar and I will come back, although it might have to wait until I finish visiting the rest of the wine bars in the city. But I will be recommending it to my friends! Aside from my wine taking a little longer than usual to arrive at my table, the service was very nice and super attentive. Good wine and clearly good Mediterranean food judging by my goat cheese fritters and the crowd that this place draws. I give this place a rating of 4.3 out of 5 glasses.
The fun and cozy interior of Medi Wine Bar
The adorable downstairs seating area, pic courtesy of mediwinebar.com
My glass of wine and those tasty fritters
As I said, I'm dorky and I really liked the ceilings. They're just so cool!