Melanie (Los Angeles, CA)
Melanie Wine Bar
8310 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048
310-498-6676
www.melaniewinebar.com
Wed 06/11/2025, 07:50p-10:00p
I recently had to pick up some wine on the Westside, and afterwards, was looking for a place to have dinner. I ended up deciding on Melanie, a wine bar in Beverly Grove that opened on August 17th, 2021. It's the creation of Andrew "Andy" Paxson (Simplethings) and David Gibbs (Augustine, Mirabelle), who'd teamed up previously for Sushi Note and The Bourbon Room. An interesting tidbit: the place is actually named after Paxson's wife.
Melanie takes over a West Third Street storefront that previously held a Simplethings location, while before that, the address was home to Mira'le and Alfredo's Grill. Inside, the same basic layout from the Simplethings days remains, but the room has definitely been gussied up with a wine bar-appropriate vintage sort of feel. Capacity is two dozen, with 16 more outside in front.
Melanie's French-Italian menu was initially put together by Dro Dergevorkian (Augustine, Rouge, Firefly), but is most recently the charge of Head Chef Jorge Simental. Drink-wise, the restaurant's rotating wine selection focuses on French and Italian bottlings, and is overseen by Wine Director Stephen Sherry (who replaced Austin Ferrier). Click for larger versions.
Market Fish Tartare [$22.00] | umeboshi, pomegranate, cucumber
Tonight's tartare featured super supple cuts of sea bream set in olive oil, punctuated by pops of acidity from pomegranate seeds. Also appreciated was the brightness from the herbs and cucumber, which played well with both the spicing on the bream and the fish's long-lingering salinity. My complaint had to do with that fried rice paper up top, which could've been crispier and less oily.
Tots de Los Taters [$10.00] | chipotle aioli, parmigiano reggiano cheese
Tater tots were about par for the course, arriving hot, cheesy, and salty. Condiments included some fairly textbook ketchup, as well as a creamy, vegetal, smoky, chipotle-boosted aïoli. Given my penchant for all forms of potato, I wasn't surprised that this hit the spot.
Beverage duties were handled by a bottle of the Zanasi 'Tradizione' - Lambrusco Grasparossa - Emilia Romagna, Italy 2023 [$76]. Not surprisingly, the nose was all about jammy berries, with a touch of minerality underneath. Taking a sip, I found this pleasing effervescent, with plenty more of those dark fruit notes paired with a bit of a dry, bitter, tannic character that kept the sweetness in check. Quite quaffable, which is just what I was looking for in this instance.
Branzino [$37.00] | roasted poblano sauce, farmers market squash, pickled fresno chiles
Loup de mer had that soft, sweet, succulent flesh I was looking for, and integrated surprisingly seamlessly with the heat from the chilies. I was also a fan of the nutty crunch from the pepitas and the zippiness of those herbs, while the squash served as a counterpoint both in terms of taste and texture. My gripe here is that I really wanted a crispier skin on the fish.
Mushroom Spinach Risotto [$29.00] | porcini mushrooms, wild spinach, garlic breadcrumbs, parmigiano
Regular readers will know that I'm a sucker for risotto, so of course I had to order it tonight. I quite liked the rice texturally, while flavors were rich and heady and buttery, with the nutty, woodsy nature of the porcinis front and center. Also effective here was the textural element contributed by the breadcrumbs, and while I was a fan of the brightness imparted by the spinach, I would've liked more of it given all the hearty flavors at play.
Soft Baked Chocolate Cip Cookie with vanilla ice cream [$14.00]
Last up was a skillet cookie, one that featured a rather coarse consistency reminiscent of cornbread, which I didn't mind at all. Given how hot the pizookie was, that vanilla ice cream really was the perfect complement.
I'd actually been meaning to check out Melanie for a couple years now, so I'm glad that I finally made it out. My few quibbles aside, I was generally pretty pleased with the food and drink, and had no real qualms about the service or ambiance, either. This looks to be a nice neighborhood-y sort of spot, and seems like it'd be a great date place as well.
8310 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048
310-498-6676
www.melaniewinebar.com
Wed 06/11/2025, 07:50p-10:00p
I recently had to pick up some wine on the Westside, and afterwards, was looking for a place to have dinner. I ended up deciding on Melanie, a wine bar in Beverly Grove that opened on August 17th, 2021. It's the creation of Andrew "Andy" Paxson (Simplethings) and David Gibbs (Augustine, Mirabelle), who'd teamed up previously for Sushi Note and The Bourbon Room. An interesting tidbit: the place is actually named after Paxson's wife.
Melanie takes over a West Third Street storefront that previously held a Simplethings location, while before that, the address was home to Mira'le and Alfredo's Grill. Inside, the same basic layout from the Simplethings days remains, but the room has definitely been gussied up with a wine bar-appropriate vintage sort of feel. Capacity is two dozen, with 16 more outside in front.
Melanie's French-Italian menu was initially put together by Dro Dergevorkian (Augustine, Rouge, Firefly), but is most recently the charge of Head Chef Jorge Simental. Drink-wise, the restaurant's rotating wine selection focuses on French and Italian bottlings, and is overseen by Wine Director Stephen Sherry (who replaced Austin Ferrier). Click for larger versions.
Market Fish Tartare [$22.00] | umeboshi, pomegranate, cucumber
Tonight's tartare featured super supple cuts of sea bream set in olive oil, punctuated by pops of acidity from pomegranate seeds. Also appreciated was the brightness from the herbs and cucumber, which played well with both the spicing on the bream and the fish's long-lingering salinity. My complaint had to do with that fried rice paper up top, which could've been crispier and less oily.
Tots de Los Taters [$10.00] | chipotle aioli, parmigiano reggiano cheese
Tater tots were about par for the course, arriving hot, cheesy, and salty. Condiments included some fairly textbook ketchup, as well as a creamy, vegetal, smoky, chipotle-boosted aïoli. Given my penchant for all forms of potato, I wasn't surprised that this hit the spot.
Beverage duties were handled by a bottle of the Zanasi 'Tradizione' - Lambrusco Grasparossa - Emilia Romagna, Italy 2023 [$76]. Not surprisingly, the nose was all about jammy berries, with a touch of minerality underneath. Taking a sip, I found this pleasing effervescent, with plenty more of those dark fruit notes paired with a bit of a dry, bitter, tannic character that kept the sweetness in check. Quite quaffable, which is just what I was looking for in this instance.
Branzino [$37.00] | roasted poblano sauce, farmers market squash, pickled fresno chiles
Loup de mer had that soft, sweet, succulent flesh I was looking for, and integrated surprisingly seamlessly with the heat from the chilies. I was also a fan of the nutty crunch from the pepitas and the zippiness of those herbs, while the squash served as a counterpoint both in terms of taste and texture. My gripe here is that I really wanted a crispier skin on the fish.
Mushroom Spinach Risotto [$29.00] | porcini mushrooms, wild spinach, garlic breadcrumbs, parmigiano
Regular readers will know that I'm a sucker for risotto, so of course I had to order it tonight. I quite liked the rice texturally, while flavors were rich and heady and buttery, with the nutty, woodsy nature of the porcinis front and center. Also effective here was the textural element contributed by the breadcrumbs, and while I was a fan of the brightness imparted by the spinach, I would've liked more of it given all the hearty flavors at play.
Soft Baked Chocolate Cip Cookie with vanilla ice cream [$14.00]
Last up was a skillet cookie, one that featured a rather coarse consistency reminiscent of cornbread, which I didn't mind at all. Given how hot the pizookie was, that vanilla ice cream really was the perfect complement.
I'd actually been meaning to check out Melanie for a couple years now, so I'm glad that I finally made it out. My few quibbles aside, I was generally pretty pleased with the food and drink, and had no real qualms about the service or ambiance, either. This looks to be a nice neighborhood-y sort of spot, and seems like it'd be a great date place as well.
posted by kevinEats at
7:50 PM
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