A couple of years ago, at a showing of "Talladega Nights" over at the Northgate movie theater, I ran into (of all people) friends from my tiny Florida high school, newly relocated to Durham from Charlotte for grad school.
They liked the Bull City, they said, but the one thing they missed? A wine bar, God love 'em.
Now, this was in the days before Six Plates brought this little piece of sophistication to Durham; still, they've now moved back to the Queen City, leaving merely months before the announcement in this morning's Herald-Sun that the West End Wine Bar would be opening up a Durham outpost of its Chapel Hill business in West Village.
The wine bar joins Posh (which opened recently in West Village on the north side of Main St.) in West Village Phase II and becomes the first business to open in the newly renovated Walker Warehouse, adjacent to the site of the new Amtrak station.
The H-S describes the 3,000 sq. ft. location as having a "wine bar/speakeasy setup" with a wine bar on one side and an area described as "the cellar" (which at the Chapel Hill site describes a bar/pool table area") on the other end; a small mezzanine level will also be available. In total, the Durham outpost will be about half the size of its Orange Co. companion.
Expect the new establishment to serve coffee, sandwiches and pastries in addition to the more alcoholic content, according to the Herald-Sun, when it opens in what's targeted to be early April. (The Chapel Hill location also advertises free wi-fi and a 7:30am start, which if true could be a nice replacement for the no-more-breakfast-at Alivia's.)
What terrific news. I live in West Village and feel as though if a few things pop up here (like this), not only will this lead to more life in the area in general, but will serve as an important bridge between the Fed/James Joyce side of Main St. and the Toast/Pinhook side of Main St. and then the whole will finally be greater than the sum of its parts here. Everything just keeps getting better!
Posted by: JWolfe | December 11, 2008 at 02:38 AM
We are very excited about coming to West Village and the over all direction for Durham. Just a couple quick details, we will open with coffee, espresso, and pastries at 8am M-F, and 11am Sat and Sun. Our over all space is about the same size as in Chapel Hill, but distributed a little differently.
One thing we really look forward to offering West Village is serious coffee and espresso drinks. We are working with Scott Connery (owner of Caffe Driade, Open Eye Cafe, and Carrboro Coffee) on hosting barista compititions in the next or two. Scott is one of a handful of people in this country who are qualified to judge the World Barista Championships.
We are shooting to open between April 1 and April 15. Join us for coffee and pastries, or relax with a glass of wine after work on the patio.
For more information scheduling events, our wine, food offerings, or the wine bar in general, please email us at durham@westendwinebar.com.
Posted by: Kevin Eastin | February 26, 2009 at 07:10 PM