Summer is slipping away . Don't let it vanish without enjoying a night of wine-drinking along Market Avenue's charming cobblestone corridor. Plant yourself at Market Avenue Wine Bar, Cleveland's first and best wine bar, and work your way through the staggering roster of nearly 95 glass pours and some 400 bottle selections. Market Ave.'s small but well-executed menu of hors d'oeuvres is the perfect counterpart.
Cleveland Scene Best of 2004, Best Wine Bar
On a cobblestone street behind the Great Lakes Brewing Company, the Market Avenue Wine Bar is an oak-soaked, dimly lit getaway with an intimate Greenwich Village ambiance. Touted as Cleveland's first-ever wine bar (it opened in 1994), it's stocked with more than 700 bottles of wine, including 30 open bottles of reds to buy by the glass. It's also applauded for its menu of hors d'oeuvres, with the baked almond brie the hands-down favorite. It's a creamy, almond-topped cheese baked in a puff-pastry shell and served with baguettes and an array of fruit slices. With a spicy glass of Shiraz, it's perfect on a crisp winter night.
Market Avenue feels sort of like Grandma's parlor, provided Grandma has impeccable taste, keeps an extensive wine cellar and has platefuls of cheeses and savory hors d'oeuvres at the ready. For all the old-fashioned charm, mismatched Victorian plates and delicate lace curtains, this is ultimately a quiet place to impress a date or catch up with friends over a bottle of peppery Merlot. The ambiance is warm and relaxed, and the close quarters feel friendly, not suffocating. In addition to a world-class wine list, the bar offers a menu of micro-brews almost as impressive. For a bit of nosh, try the tapenade platter, or perhaps the baked pastry brie. The mozzarella Caprese salad is also a winner, dressed in a sweet and tangy balsamic. Most of the hors d'oeuvres are served with warm golden baguettes.
Citysearch Editorial Review
The Scene
Unlike the Edgar Allen Poe story about the man who tragically gets locked in a wine cellar, being held prisoner in this brick-encased bar wouldn't be the world's worst sentence. The smallness of the bar increases its intimacy, and the staff is trustworthy and educated--something to be commended in a place that offers more than 70 wines by the glass, 700 by the bottle.
The Draw
A diverse collection of whites, reds, ports, Madeira and sherries are offered, along with light Hors d'oeuvres. A highlight is the baked almond brie, a soft, creamy cheese topped with almonds and baked in a puff-pastry shell, accompanied with warm baguette slices and a generous arrangement of fresh fruit. The Rodney Strong Pinot Noir is a safe and ripe beginning. Follow with another sure thing, the Ravenswood Zinfandel or a Muga Reserva.
Cleveland Scene Best of 2000, Best Wine by the Glass Selection
This intimate bar may be tiny, but it offers up big-time fun to wine lovers who appreciate an intimate atmosphere and knowledgeable, good-humored service. Then there are the wines -- more than 70 available by the glass, including a deliciously creamy Sileni Estates Chardonnay from Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, and a tasty Wild Hog Carignane "Old Vine" out of California. Order some tapenade and smoked trout as accompaniments, and you might well decide that life couldn't get much better than this.
Review from Cleveland Live
Body: Bar inside, European cafe outside
Bouquet: Daring, impressive Meritage collection
Complexity: Pleasantly hip
Aftertaste: Far from shocking
Vintage: 8
Set on the cobblestone street in Ohio City that is also home to Great Lakes Brewing Company and Keka, Market Avenue Wine Bar offers the ambiance of a corner bar inside and cultivates the atmosphere of a European cafe outside, weather permitting. Even as the night may get chilly, an efficient, attentive staff ably suggests another spirit or perhaps a warm, almond-encrusted brie served beautifully surrounded by fresh fruits and accompanied by baguette.
Letter from Wine Review
Located next to the Great Lakes Brewery, Market Avenue Wine Bar offers an oasis of culture and repose in the heart of the city, combining an unmatched selection of fine wines with a knowledgeable and attentive staff. The atmosphere inside is tasteful, well appointed and includes a wonderful chandelier which illuminates the room with a soft glow. The seasonal outdoor seating allows patrons to enjoy the best wines and hors d'oeuvres along with summer breezes surrounded by the charming Market Avenue.