Small Hours
Bar · Bottineau ·
Exceptional wine list, vinyl records, tinned fish, and music
Exceptional wine list, vinyl records, tinned fish, and music
"A hi‑fi wine bar from sommelier Sarina Garibrovic and musician Sam Cassidy that fills a local void for interesting wine destinations. The amber-lit, white-curtained room on a quiet Northeast Minneapolis block is unapologetically uncompromising: an exceptional list curated by Garibrovic of jammy Croatian oranges, bruised blackberry Spanish reds, herbal French whites and more, with wines served mostly by the bottle because conviviality is the whole point. Music is treated as programming — Joni Mitchell, Curtis Mayfield, and Mariah Carey albums are played straight through — and the drinks and snacks are idiosyncratic: heady aromatized wines poured over crushed ice in sparkling goblets and an almost encyclopedic menu of tinned fish served with warm, earthy sourdough. For all the imprecision of the word 'vibe,' the room conjures a pretty damn infectious one." - Justine Jones
"When Small Hours opened on Sunday, September 22, I noted it as a hi‑fi wine bar in Northeast Minneapolis from sommelier and wine educator Sarina Garibović and musician Sam Cassidy, with the pair designing the space themselves and Cassidy building most of the cabinets, benches, and bar and rigging vintage speakers and turntables through a new mixer and tube amp into an acoustically treated room that delivers high-fidelity sound without drowning out conversation and that favors playing whole records. Garibović's 100-bottle list is intentionally irreverent and gives ample room to rarer bottles from smaller producers—she aimed to price many bottles around $60 and serves just a handful by the glass—and highlights include several Croatian wines from small producers, a Malvasia with a “bruised fruit” character, and a Chablis from Chateau de Béru described as “really high toned, really citrusy, clean, crisp — kind of nervy, almost”; the menu also includes a few vermouths and aromatized wines and leans toward things people might not see on other lists. Food written with local duo Sisters Mpls offers decadently fatty tinned fish with fresh-baked bread, chicken liver mousse, a housemade terrine, an herb-packed salad, warm olives, and more. Music is as important as wine here—Cassidy says his playlist spans Mariah Carey, obscure jazz, Alice Coltrane, Joni Mitchell, and Curtis Mayfield—and the bar is walk-in only, open Wednesday–Thursday 4 p.m.–11 p.m. and Friday–Saturday 5 p.m.–midnight. Garibović, who co-founded Ženska Glava and came to Minneapolis via Phoenix with family from Pula, intentionally designed Small Hours as a place to list wines she loves rather than as an extension of her wine-education work." - Justine Jones
"I’m intrigued by a wine-and-music bar in Northeast Minneapolis called Small Hours: most wines will be served by the bottle so customers can “immerse themselves in the culture and story behind each bottle,” with a rotating by-the-glass menu as well. There will be small plates that complement the wines, such as tinned fish served with fresh-baked bread from local bakers Sisters Mpls, and the space is built around high-fidelity music—an assortment of new and vintage sound equipment, including a floating turntable, a rotary mixer, and a thorough record collection." - Justine Jones
"I’m intrigued by Small Hours, a music-forward wine bar from Zenska Glava sommelier Sarina Garibović and musician Sam Cassidy in Northeast Minneapolis, which will pair expertly curated wine lists with playlists and offer fresh-baked bread, tinned fish, and other light dishes in an intimate, vintage-tinged setting with turntables and horn speakers." - Justine Jones
"I’m looking forward to Small Hours, a wine bar from Zenska Glava sommelier Sarina Garibović and musician Sam Cassidy that prioritizes music as much as wine—it's being built with acoustics in mind and promises playlists as thoughtfully curated as its bottle selection. For food, I expect grazing-friendly plates like tinned fish and fresh bread." - Justine Jones
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