It’s taken me two years to get around to trying Bar Gemini, a natural-wine bar, but it was worth the wait. The interior is a gorgeous, lush space, with beautiful slate-green walls and warm woodwork throughout. It’s cozy and sophisticated all at once.
The food menu was developed by local chef Brandon Rice of nearby Michelin-recognized Ernest fame. With that kind of pedigree, you know the food will be good.
As for the wine, a lot of thought and collaboration by owners Dominique Henderson and Alex Pomerantz (who also own nearby Gemini Bottle Co. and are both long-time, heavy-hitters in the wine biz) went into developing their wine program.
I must confess, there have been few natural wines I’ve really loved, but Bar Gemini has something for everyone’s palate, and our server knew enough to let us try a few before we hit upon the ones that really pleased us.
For our meal, we started out with crusty bread and butter, and cacio e pepe deviled eggs.
The eggs had the requisite beautifully jammy interiors, and came with a fluffy shower of pecorino Romano and fresh grinds of black pepper, to fulfill its namesake. A nice, savory start to the evening, to go with my sparkling Lambrusco.
Next, continuing in umami-land, smoked-salmon dip with dill and ridged potato chips:
A Brandon Rice creation, this dip was a blatant hearkening back to the 70s, and we couldn’t scoop it up fast enough. Nice touch with the Ruffles-have-ridges-like cronchy chips.
We each had a couple of oysters, just because:
… followed up quickly with some very good and fresh tuna tartare in a light, pistachio-studded glaze.
A perfectly gooey grilled cheese came next, giving more childhood vibes:
I wish the menu had noted the blend of cheeses, but they were on the mild side. It helped to have the pickled veggies and zesty mustard to go with.
We also got the marinated Rancho Gordo gigante beans with peppers:
While this dish was an afterthought for us, it was one of my favorites of the evening. The marinade was pleasantly sweet, and the beans had the perfect meaty texture to pair with the wonderful Le Coste Gaetano, an Italian red blend featuring young Sangiovese with splashes of Syrah and Merlot, recommended by our server. Â
We thought we were starting to slow down, but then decided we had to try the merguez:
Lovely merguez sausage. Here, it came with a tasty/tart cabbage slaw and a somewhat bland potato salad. The richness of the spiced lamb was nicely offset by the bright mustard.
And finally, dessert:
Cypress Grove Bermuda Triangle: A tangy goat cheese with peppery notes, served with nectarine jam and seeded crackers (crackers were an extra charge).
My friend and I also had a glass each of Bordiga rosso vermut on the rocks, Barcelona style, and her husband had a couple of Vitamin Sea Hazy IPAs. The wine list is long and interesting, spanning a few continents, served by the glass or bottle, and I’m happy to have tried some natural wines that were more than palatable, including a lively Schodl Pet Nat German white my friend ordered.
Our main server was quite attentive and especially thoughtful about the wine, when it was clear we weren’t aficionados of the genre, giving us multiple tastes and much-needed guidance. My only quibble with the service is that there were a few times when we were left without silverware and plates between dishes. They responded quickly, however, and everyone was friendly. Overall, we felt quite pampered.
Prices are mid-range to high, but the portions are fairly generous and shareable. We left well sated and happy.
Bar Gemini offers an elegant and comforting haven of well-prepared food with an approachable and interesting wine program. A good little special-occasion place in the neighborhood, or go simply because it’s Tuesday.
Grilled cheese, potato chips, potato salad……..sounds odd pairing for wines, or menu items for a fancy place. That said, I agree, too little said about those natural wines (which I usually love), with a beer drinker along for the ride no less….
Uhm. Hello. This is a wine bar review, and you focus on the food? How about some specifics on what kind of wines they serve!!! That’s the whole point!
What was the final bill ?
How many people total ?