Bacchus
Before heading off to 1/2 off wine night at James’ Beach once again (I’m a creature of habit, what can I say?) I thought I’d check out Saluté Wine Bar on Main Street in Santa Monica and see what their happy hour is all about. From 5:30-7:30 Monday through Thursdays, all glasses of wine are 50% off and all bruschettas are $5.
The space is striking- modern and industrial with bottles of wine as far as the eye can see. I went with a girlfriend of mine and we snuggled into a comfy corner couch near the front of the restaurant. The first thing I noticed about the winelist was that it was a) huge and b) organized in a very non-traditional way with categories such as “succulent” rather than by varietal. Our server was incredibly sweet and helpful in navigating the menu- she informed us that the menu is organized from light-bodied wines to fuller bodied wines (and that goes for the organization within each category as well.) My friend and I both chose Pinot Noirs under the “Succulent” category that were normally pretty expensive by the glass ($16 and $17.) I went for the 2006 Latour Santenay Burgundy that’s normally $17/glass ($8.50 during happy hour) because I was like, hey, I’m getting 50% off… I might as well pick something that would normally be out of my price range, right? My friend picked the Laetitia Central Coast Pinot Noir that’s normally $16/glass ($8 during happy hour) because she liked the name. Well, guess who’s Pinot Noir was better? HERS. Maybe I should just pick my wines by pretty names from now on… ;)
(Laetitia Pinor Noir is on the left- more of the black fruit thang going on… and my beautiful brick red but not-so-impressive Latour Santenay Burgundy on the right. Le sigh.)
I got over my disappointment and moved on to picking out our bruschettas. We went with the Tuna Crudo Bruschetta:
and the Burrata and Peperonata bruschetta:
both of which were DELICIOUS. All in all I’d recommend checking out this place for happy hour- it was relaxing and quiet and from what I’ve heard on Yelp, it can get pretty mobbed during the weekends. If that’s your thing, go for it, but I personally like the attentive and quiet happy hour vibe they had going on. I’ll definitely be back.
