If memory serves, the old Hidden Vine opened up some time back in 2005 at which point it was one of our most favorite spots in all of San Francisco. Not so much for the place per se, but for the owners, David and Angela Cahill who had excellent palates and were fantastic hosts. They sold it in 2008 and it really wasn’t the same after that, closing a couple of months back to move over to the Financial District and maybe fare better once construction is completed.
Sarah Trubnick and Nikki Goddard (who both worked at the Hidden Vine previously) saw an opportunity, got a new liquor license and re-opened in the space where the Hidden Vine was. Their new venture: The Barrel Room. For those who may have visited the previous incarnation you’ll notice that while it’s now been heavily updated, the layout is still generally the same and the ambiance similar while fitting about 40 or so people at any one time. In other words, it’s still cozy.
The biggest changes are in the wine list in that Nikki and Sarah are a great deal more adventurous and interested in offering unique wines as compared to the incredibly flat selection the most recent owners had in the cellar. They’ll be doing rotating featured regions, which is nothing short of fantastic as those are really, really fun. First up is France, but even though this is their featured region (and the menu is writhing in regional French choices) they still have some interesting other wines on offer such as those from Croatia in the form of: Miloš Plavac Mali and Daruvar Graševina. Obviously, it’s a small snippet of all the wines from Croatia, but never fear as down the road they will have Croatia as a featured region and they’re very excited about it.
So, stop in and have a glass. They officially open tonight and from then on will be open from 5PM ’til Late, seven days a week. We’re very excited to have this space back in this form again.
