Doug G.
Yelp
Recently moved to the East side of the city and have been in search of a chill wine bar, and then boom, we spotted The Authentique (Thanks Yelp!)
The Authentique is a French inspired wine bar that sits in a non-descript strip mall on Gallatin Avenue not far from Tailgate Brewery, Kroger and Publix. While the exterior is pretty unassuming and to be honest, "meh", the moment you walk in the door you pick up the vibe of quaint wine bar. From the ornate ceiling tiles, to the dark walls with artwork in oversized frames to the decorative lighting, this place certainly knows who they are.
While everything above sounds grandiose, this spot is quite small...they just have a lot packed into this small space! This is the perfect spot for a small meet up, date night or even a pre/post dinner night cap...but anything beyond a group of 4 is going to be tough here. The bar seats around 10, then there are 3 hightops and 4 to 5 standard tables ranging in 2 to 4 tops. For the best enjoyment for you and everyone else, I would say this is not the spot for a large group or party.
Now down to the goods! We had a few glasses of wine that were recommended to us by the owner, and we paired it with the charcuterie board. The wine was excellent, a great recommendation and great sip. The charcuterie board was standard, nothing exciting, but definitely nothing terrible. It paired well with our wine. Both came at a premium cost, which was not surprising, but slightly surprising. Two glasses of wine and a charcuterie board ran us around $60.
Overall, The Authentique is a great find and a place that we will certainly swing back through when the vibe beckons! Outside of the cost above, my only other issue is that on the night we went, it was blazing hot inside. Not sure if that is a temperature regulation thing for the wine, but it was pretty unpleasant, which is why we only stayed for one glass.