Letter of Recommendation Los Angeles
V Wine Room Is the Perfect Respite From West Hollywood Madness
A good neighborhood bar can be a vital part of your daily life. And sometimes, you love a neighborhood bar so much that you end up buying it to keep it from closing. Okay — maybe that last part isn’t true for most people, but then again, most people aren’t V Wine Room owners Blaine Vess and Esther Paik Vess.
The couple, now married, had their first date at V Wine Room back in 2016. They quickly became regulars, and eventually grew friendly with the bar’s previous owner, Mikey Consbruck. It’s easy to see the appeal of the space, which opened in 2013: located just off of Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood’s lively Norma Triangle, V feels like a world apart. The bar is tucked behind a recessed, arched doorway on Westbourne Drive. You might not even know it’s there if you miss the chalkboard signs on the curb.
The bar is remarkably calm, removed from the flurry of West Hollywood’s main drag. At its heart is a sprawling V-shaped bar, complete with a live olive tree sprouting up from the middle, enhancing the oasis-like feel. The shape of the bar facilitates conversations between strangers, and the interior has a cozy library-eque aesthetic, complete with wallpaper mimicking bookshelves. Perhaps this is why many guests — nearly all of whom are neighborhood locals — subconsciously speak in quieter tones.
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A few years after the Vesses started coming in, Consbruck decided to move back to Nebraska, and wanted to sell the bar. The Vesses briefly entertained the idea of buying it, “but we weren’t really sure,” Blaine says. Other than having founded a nonalcoholic wine brand, Semblance, they knew nothing about running a bar. But when conversations with other potential buyers stalled out, they reconsidered. “We really wanted to keep it going for the community here [and] for ourselves,” Blaine says. So in 2022, the couple stepped into their new role as owners.
“There just aren’t that many mom-and-pop, family-owned places around [West Hollywood] anymore,” Vess explains. They hired Gavin Humes, director of operations at Scratch Restaurants, to overhaul the wine menu and expand their cheese and charcuterie offerings. They made small interior changes, but kept the most important aspect of the bar: the relaxed feel that draws locals into what can otherwise feel like a very hectic area. “We’re happy that we’ve been able to keep V a very neighborhood-feeling bar,” says Blaine.
Like a true neighborhood bar, V Wine Room’s list focuses less on particular regions — everything from orange wines to Bordeaux wines are represented — and more on what the owners and their regulars enjoy. As sake lovers themselves, Blaine and Esther also added a small sake section to the menu, with the help of Kerry Tamura from World Sake Imports. The move makes perfect sense, since V Wine Room already has a friendly relationship with Jinpachi, the sushi spot around the corner.
These days, Esther is largely in charge of the wines, building on Humes’ initial list, but first and foremost, she listens to her regulars. They’ll tell her about a specific flavor profile that they want to try, and she’ll try and find something that fits the profile — she recently added, for example, Malvirà “Birbet” Brachetto, a chilled sparkling red from Italy. She also opens a special bottle every couple of months, so that her regulars always have something new and interesting to try (currently on rotation is 2022 Jouves et Croisille ‘Pur Jus’, an unfiltered natural orange wine from France). They’ve also added a small pizza menu to expand the food options.
The Vesses are learning as they go, and they’re building a community as they do. Locals stop by for a quick drink after work, while others pop in to see who else is around. “It has that living room vibe — you know if you go over on a Tuesday, you’ll probably bump into people that you know,” Blaine says. “Usually not on the weekends,” he clarifies. “The weekend is a different crowd.” This is still West Hollywood, after all.
Fiona Chandra is a Los Angeles-based food and travel writer originally from Indonesia. She has contributed to The Los Angeles Times, Eater, and more. Follow her on Instagram. While you’re at it, follow Resy, too.
