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Offering up a warm atmosphere complete with live music three nights a week, the Wine Café is a diamond in Mankato's otherwise rough Old Town area.
On first glance it seems rural, maybe even overbearingly so, with the front hall intertwined with vines, reaching across the ceiling above miscellaneous tables and chairs. The bar, pressed against the back wall, veers right, taking you into a larger back room owner Mike Baumann tells me is the typical night hangout for upperclassmen and graduate students. Along the walls is a collection of artwork ranging from a cork wall mural to an immaculate coloring of a dog with a sign reading "sold."
At night, though, it becomes something different, as the vines light up in rope lights, people fill the seats and a featured band plays from beside the bar. This is when the Wine Café shines.
First, to alleviate certain myths: the Wine Café is not exclusively for old people, it is not expensive and it is certainly not just wine.
According to Baumann, the Wine Café is "more diverse than it's ever been." With karaoke every Thursday and three live performances each week, the demographic may lean middle-aged in the early evening but has been filling with college students more and more late at night.
Baumann speculates the younger crowd comes down around 11 p.m. once drink specials have ended in search of a less crowded environment. And with 32-ounce beers for $4 and plentiful seating, the Wine Café has plenty of draw.
Which brings us to drinks. Carrying more than 75 types of beer, ten taps and 1,300 kinds of wine, selection alone makes the Wine Café worth the visit. Although some may be more expensive than others, there is always a special on select taps - including their house amber - at $4 for 32-ounces.
The part that separates the Wine Café from others of its ilk is its live music. Housing three shows a week - 5 - 7:30 p.m. and 9 - 1:30 p.m. Friday and 9 p.m. on Saturdays - with genres varying from bluegrass to fusion rock.
Last Friday, performing progressive folk, the Galactic Cowboy Orchestra took the stage. Positioning themselves snugly between the bar's dimly lit furniture, they blended genres throughout their set of guitar, bass, drums and refreshingly unique twist - a fiddle. People drank and laughed. The band called out for requests. Couples danced. And no one was getting rowdy. There wasn't even a bouncer.
And that is what makes the Wine Café refreshing. With karaoke, a recently revived Thursday open mic night, weekly shows, and a wide selection of drinks, they offer all the necessary tools for a great night away from the sometimes-overindulgent downtown bar scene. For more information on shows, menus or printable coupons, visit their Web site at winecafebar.com.
Sam Campbell is a Reporter staff writer
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