13.5% Wine Bar, Sans Wine
Dec 13th, 2010 by Alex
Even if you aren’t a fan of wine, 13.5% Wine Bar is worth checking out. Located on the Avenue in Hampden, it’s one of those places where you can have a conversation over tapas-style plates amidst the bustle of the bar and an unidentifiable playlist.
Where there’s wine, there’s cheese. Pick any number of artisan cheeses to be portioned out and brought to the table, most of which I couldn’t pronounce. We sampled five. All were unique, varying widely in texture and flavor; some were easily spreadable onto the thin and crispy bagel/bread chips, others were better cubed.
Last weekend, the House Charcuterie trio ($14) consisted of a Country Pate, Pork Rillette, and Bison Sausage. All had a distinct flavor and were worth trying, but the spiced bison sausage topped all. The trio is served with pickled onions and gherkins pickles.
We also demolished two orders of Bison Meatballs ($8); they were savory and flavorful, topped with an indian-spiced yogurt sauce. Definitely recommended.
It seemed like every few minutes some dish would come out of the kitchen, not visible to us but enticing us with it’s aroma all the same. There’s a wide selection of cocktails, and last weekend they had Brooklyn Brewery’s excellent Black Chocolate Stout on draft.
There’s something for everyone here.
