The next time you’re downtown (or losing your mind from holiday shopping), there are a couple of new places to get your wine on and take a load off. The former Rouge et Blanc is now HERLEN PLACE from Laurent Manrique and the Café de la Presse team, with co-owner and chef Patrick Albert. The 70-seat spot has a bar, communal table, and sidewalk seating, with lots of natural light and living room-style loungy furnishings.
Expect a vegetable-centric, small plates menu with simple dishes like deviled eggs and whole roasted cauliflower; coffee and brunchy items are available from 8am-2:30pm. Wines by the glass span Old and New World, with many French vintages as well as organic, biodynamic, and/or sustainable selections. Open 8am-9:30pm. 334 Grant Ave. at Harlan, 415-391-0207.
The former Tout Sweet café in Macy’s Union Square is now a wine bar, named, shockingly, The Wine Bar. It’s casual and nothing fancy, but offers a range of Napa Valley wines by the taste, half glass, and glass, along with some salads and choose-your-own platters of cheese, vegetables, and more. You can come by and listen to wine expert Leslie Sbrocco speak about wine pairings this Wednesday November 8th at 5:30pm. The Wine Bar at Macy’s Union Square, Level 3, 251 Geary St. at Stockton.
