A brand-new white wine bar is opening Wednesday in downtown San Francisco, wishing to draw workplace workers for happy hour treats and glasses of high-end French wine.Mili, which means”meeting “in Sanskrit, is located on the ground level of the Mira Structure, a twisted-looking, 39-story condo tower near the Embarcadero. Its red wine selection favors the traditional, with lots of puts offered from areas like France’s Burgundy and Bordeaux, plus Napa Valley. (Red wines vary from $12.50-$90 per glass.) A short food menu includes products like caviar, charcuterie boards and pate en croute.
Opening a white wine bar was not constantly in the prepare for owner Shubhra Sarkar. A long time Silicon Valley engineer, she made a profession change in 2020 as soon as the pandemic hit. She registered in a master of arts program for painting. And she decided to lastly act on her passion for white wine, which she and her hubby had actually developed during their substantial travels around the world.
“We’ve been to 50+ countries,” Sarkar said. (They checked off their seventh continent, Antarctica, in December.) “We’ve been taking pleasure in gathering all type of red wines from the different places we visit.” She had particularly memorable experiences in Santorini, Greece and Casablanca, Chile.
Mili will serve treats like caviar, crown en croute and charcuterie.Courtesy Molly DeCoudreaux Considering that Sarkar had never run a bar or restaurant before, she employed people with experience, consisting of general supervisor John Jasso, who previously worked at fine-dining favorites Gary Danko and the Progress, and seeking advice from sommelier Renee-Nicole Kubin, previously of popular bistros Nopa and Routier.
Design-wise, Sarkar was going for a space that feels “friendly however chic,” she stated. She caused local architecture company Studio BBA to create the space, which was brand-new building and does not include a full kitchen. It features zinc countertops, modern-day chairs from Objective District furniture maker Fyrn and dishes from Oakland ceramicist Sarah Kersten.
Downtown San Francisco has actually been famously sluggish to rebound since pandemic limitations alleviated, with lots of office buildings still sitting empty. However Sarkar, whose apartment or condo is located very close to Mili, said that this particular part of downtown– the East Cut– seems to be coming alive once again. “We are opposite the Gap head office, and we have all the condos close by,” she said. “We want to deal with individuals who want something casual, possibly not a full dinner, however just a location to have a beverage.”
The ambiance might be casual, however some of the costs are not. A number of the opening list’s wines by the glass, all available in 5- or 2- ounce pours, are splurges. Prestigious white Burgundy from appellations like Chablis and Chassagne-Montrachet will opt for $75 and $68, respectively, per 5-ounce put, while a glass of Vine Hill Cattle Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley– made by Francoise Peschon, an one-time Chronicle Winemaker of the Year– is $90 for 5 ounces.
Shubhra Sarkar, a long time Silicon Valley engineer, is the owner of new San Francisco wine bar Mili.Courtesy Anirban Sengupta Other glasses are more in line with standard San Francisco prices nowadays, like a$15 glass of Assyrtiko, the crisp, Sauvignon Blanc-esque gewurztraminer from Greece, and a$14 red blend from Portugal. Sarkar
hopes that Mili will live up to the spirit of its name: a place for conference and mingling.” It’s simple to state, it speaks to our roots– due to the fact that we are from India– and it just looked like an ideal
name for a meeting place,” she stated. Mili. Opening Wednesday. 4:30 -10 p.m. Monday-Friday and noon-10 p.m. Saturday. 110 Folsom St., San Francisco. miliwinebar.com Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicle’s senior white wine critic. Email: [email protected]!.?.!