Food

Why Mirabelle is the Best Wine Bar in the Valley!

Published

May 17, 2019

It’s crazy to me that I have had this Mirabelle blog in edit mode for the last 8 months. It’s been too hard to write because I love this place too much. It’s the best wine bar in the valley, yet it feels like home to me. But after trying their Sunday prix fix this last week, I found ANOTHER reason to love Mirabelle, and have no excuse to keep this spot to myself. It’s finally time to share with all of you why Mirabelle is the best wine bar in the valley!

WINE: It’s pretty obvious, but to be an amazing wine bar, you need to have great wine. Mirabelle Wine bar is led by passionate owners Nick Caballero and David Gibbs, who know a thing or two about incredible wine. (If you are familiar with Bar Covell or Augustine Wine bar, Mirabelle comes from the same family. Consider Mirabelle their sibling/step sibling.) And then you have Claire Coppi managing, helping curate the wine list, and making you a fan girl of wines you never knew you wanted to try.

Mirabelle’s wine selection is unique and very well curated, showcasing a wide variety of classics in addition to more obscure “nerdy” unicorns that pop up from time to time for those who are feeling adventurous. They pour from solid producers from across the world who are making quality, balanced wines that are true to their type. (When you get a Northern Rhône Syrah, it is a legit example of what that wine should be.) With this wide variety you could drink a big, juicy California red and then the next time a tannic Italian Nebbiolo. And still, it’s still price-friendly for you to enjoy and order another round.

And then there is the vintage board, where you get to relish insane vintages that I can’t believe I get the opportunity to taste! I can tell Nick and Dave pour their heart out as they hunt down vintages or bring in vintage bottles from their personal collections. Being able to try such a variety of things every time I go in, I recently had an “a ha moment” with a taste of a 1988 Ritchie Creek Cabernet that has now changed my barometer for what a true expression of a Napa Cab could taste like!

People:

Sometimes you want to go

Where everybody knows your name

And they’re always glad you came

Yes, Mirabelle feels like my Cheers bar! I don’t believe their selection of wine is the only thing that makes Mirabelle the gem that it is. But what makes Mirabelle special is the people behind the bar working hard to make it the best possible guest experience. I adore these people: Nick, Claire, Travis, Josiah, and Chef Shane. These are the people who, day in and out, make it worth coming back. This is why Mirabelle Wine Bar seems so personal to me, I feel like everyone who works there is family. Whether I’m in need of a low-key happy hour moment, or want to celebrate New Year’s Eve in the most special way, I want to do this in the safety of my wine home supported by this amazing wine crew.

It wasn’t until I celebrated Mirabelle’s One Year anniversary, that I heard other regulars saying the same thing. I thought I was the special one, but other regulars had similar stories. That is when I realized the strength that this wine crew has, giving everyone the feeling of safety and home in a beautiful place. Whether you are the most knowledgeable wino, or a guest that knows nothing except differentiating between red and white, the Mirabelle wine crew takes care of you as if you are family.

Location: I remember moving back to LA from NY to live with my parents for a year in Valley Village, heartbroken to leave all of my local bars in the East Village. (Yes, when you live on opposite sides of the country from your family, the bar becomes your home away from home.) I felt disconnected. I missed my local bar. The Valley had gotten a little bit cooler since my high school days, but still nothing in comparison to my NY spots. There wasn’t a place that felt special and mine.

Fast forward to Mirabelle opening not only in the valley, but a few streets from my childhood home in Valley Village. I can 100 percent say there is NOTHING like this bar around the area, and couldn’t be a more perfect and much needed addition to the neighborhood. Mirabelle is exactly what the valley needed. And yet, most of their regulars live all over Los Angeles, from the west side to the east side, proving that Mirabelle is worthy of a recurring drive to the valley.

Ambiance: How Mirabelle has transformed this space from the dive bar that was in this location originally is so magical. Mirabelle Wine Bar is a tiny, intimate space, with one six-seat “lounge” area in the front, a long bar going down the length of the room, and a couple two-top high tops. Although it is small, it feels welcoming and inviting. Partly, as mentioned before, because of the people behind the bar, partly due to it’s sleek design. Or maybe it’s the classic cassettes playing familiar songs from Prince or The Rolling Stones on the cassette deck.

HH: I’ve always loved a good deal, but I don’t ever like losing quality. Mirabelle’s Happy Hour is the best because it features a great selection of wines that are already a part of the regular list, but for only $10. Plus, you can order discounted menu items like my favorite staple since Mirabelle’s opening: the Pan Con Tomate topped with Speck & Manchego. They also have $5 beer for those who wish to enjoy that instead, but I’m always going with wine!

Food: Would you believe that a three-course tasting menu that’s quality of food is equal to most of my favorite restaurants comes out of an Easy Bake oven? Yeah, that is a pretty far-fetched idea, but not too far away from the truth. The “kitchen” at Mirabelle is literally a tiny corner that holds an electric convection oven and one induction burner. This concept works fine for bar bites like cheese & charcuterie. But recently, I was completely blown away knowing this, and trying my first Sunday Prix Fix.

Every Sunday, Chef Shane Alvord puts together a tasting menu reflecting the season and availability of local ingredients. The end result? A perfect end to your weekend and a refreshing start to the next week. At $35 you get a three-course tasting menu with two options for each course that changes every Sunday.

My most recent dinner featured a starter of Burrata with fava beans, leaks, fried shallots, and chili garlic oil, a main of Red Sea Bream with mushrooms, preserved mustard greens, basil, and chicken jus, and a desert with Dark Chocolate Mousse with lavender meringue, and blackberry jam. They are reasonably priced, high quality dishes, and constantly changing which makes me want to try/collect them all.

Wine, people, location, ambiance, happy hour, and food! I’ve given away all of the secrets to Mirabelle Wine Bar’s success at being the best wine bar in the valley! I had to pour my heart out on this, since this crew does the same every night! Cheers! Go check it out for yourself!