European-style espresso tradition is coming to Pico-Robertson with the opening of Cardinale du Vin espresso and wine bar. The wine part, which debuted on Saturday, January 27, is now open Wednesday by Sunday from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.; Daytime espresso hours are coming quickly.
Cardinale du Vin has been in operation because the summer season of 2022, when co-owners Jackie Liu and Justin Ngamthonglor realized that one among their favourite wine bars, Lifeless or Alive Bar in Palm Springs, was closing. As regular in Palm Springs, the closure gave him the impetus to signal a lease in August 2022 to open a spot that heard the spirit of Lifeless or Alive. “We at all times thought we’d open a wine bar,” says Liu. “Perhaps after we retire, one thing down the road. We each love wine, however we by no means actually thought it was a risk.”
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The day-to-night idea was at all times a part of the marketing strategy, as Liu and Ngamthonglor see espresso and wine as a pure pairing. They may course of beans from Tectonic, which has a restaurant in West Hollywood. Along with drinks, Cardinale du Vin additionally serves meals from chef Royce Burke, previously of Yarrow. The present menu options oysters, crudo and sandwiches, with plans to broaden breakfast objects together with pastries and lunch and dinner choices like an egg salad sandwich, skirt steak, and extra sooner or later.
Liu and Ngamthonglor, who reside within the Pico-Robertson space, need to create an area that appears like a neighborhood place. Wines begin at $12 a glass, with extra high-end choices obtainable. A lot of the wine is chosen by Liu and Ngamthonglor and contains pours that “punch above their weight,” boasting taste profiles that far exceed the value.
Though the area of the Cardinale du Vin is kind of slender and L-shaped, its design and its furnishings are meant to be welcomed each throughout day and evening visits. A bar runs the size of the room on one aspect, whereas a communal desk that Liu refers to because the “eating room” sits on the opposite. A couple of further tables might be discovered on the patio. The furnishings leans in direction of the mid-century and takes cues from the time that Liu and Ngamthonglor spent in Palm Springs.
“I really feel like it is a very LA factor the place you begin at residence, have your first cup of espresso and breakfast, after which migrate to a different cafe to have a latte and work a little bit bit in your laptop computer,” Liu says. “I believe that's precisely what we're attempting to create, however nonetheless [it has a European soul]. Would you prefer to have a glass of wine at 10 o'clock? Completely. “
Cardinale du Vin mixes the Outdated World with the brand new and creates one thing that’s intrinsically Los Angeles. “It's European soul, however native to LA,” says Liu. The brand new opening is a component of a bigger development towards the “democratization” of wines. The newest wave of wine bars opening in Los Angeles are markedly much less stuffy than the final technology and sometimes transcend simply serving wine, resembling Culver Metropolis's Esme which additionally operates as a restaurant in the course of the day. There’s renewed curiosity and pleasure round accessible pure wines and Outdated World classics, particularly when served in areas that transcend custom and forge a brand new type of day and evening hangout.
Cardinale du Vin is positioned at 8912 W. Pico Boulevard in Pico-Robertson and is open Wednesday by Sunday from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
