Adrienne Lin
Google
Marketed as “affordable luxury,” Saison wine bar is a sleek space, with deep blue walls and taxidermy. I didn’t know I was into sexy modern, hunting cabin vibes, but I’m a new fan!
The wine menu has a large selection of wines by the glass, ranging from $11 to $90, many of which you would usually only be able to purchase by the bottle.
Along with the wine is a concise, but excellent French food menu. There’s a strong cheese and charcuterie selection including Maison Nico pâté en croûte. An instagrammable caviar parfait a la Mina has layers of créme fraîché, smoked salmon, and egg.
The traditional croque monsieur (ham and cheese sandwich) is perhaps the best I’ve tried, with an option to add shaved perigord truffle. And you can’t go wrong with classics like bread and butter, featuring Tarts de Feybesse levain bread, or truffle fries.
Dessert was also memorable – I loved both the cherry gâteau basque with cherry ice cream, and the stone fruit financier with sour cream mousse and vanilla ice cream.
I thought the service was impressively polished just a month after opening. Sommelier Paul Carayas and team were personable and made the affordable luxury experience very approachable as well!
Next to the wine bar is Saison Cellar, a private members club with access to climate-controlled personal wine storage. They are offering a founding cellar membership, with storage for up to 78 bottles and a $5000 dining credit.