Crush Wine Bar officially opens on Oct. 30, 2024 at 37 LaSalle Road in West Hartford Center.

By Ronni Newton

No detail is left to chance at Crush Wine Bar, but that doesn’t mean West Hartford’s newest concept from Bean Restaurant Group is stuffy or arrogant. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Crush is intended to attract the casual wine drinker as well as serious oenophiles.

Meeting a friend after work for a quick catch-up? You can enjoy a glass of table wine for $8 – and it’s a good glass of wine. And that’s not a happy hour price either. The choices include prosecco, pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, orange, rose, chilled red, pinot noir, and cabernet sauvignon. If you plan to linger over more than one glass, the table wines also are available by the carafe for $30.

“They’re wines people will feel familiar with,” said Vish Badami, the director of operations.

Badami – whose name appears on the wine list with the additional title of “wine guy” – knows what he is talking about. He’s a Certified Sommelier, currently at Level 2 and preparing to take the Level 3 (advanced) exam in February. He’s worked with distributors to be able to offer distinctive yet reasonable table wines, like what one might find in a European cafe.

“Don’t call it sangria” (the strikethrough is how it appears on the menu) is also an option. This is not your typical sangria where the infusion of fruit hides the taste of cheap wine. There’s a “ruby red” version with aperol, rhubarb, grapefruit, sea salt, and natural red while, and a “wild orange” with strega, cappelletti, meletti, and natural orange wine.

There’s also a selection of reserve wines available by the glass. These are more expensive ($15-$25) but are truly special wines, and include a 2020 Clos Venturi, crafted from a grape grown only in a four-square-mile area of Corsica. For the rose lovers who are sad about the ending of traditional rose season, there’s a darker and more robust “winter rose” available by the glass on the reserve wine menu.

The complete and carefully curated wine list is the pride and joy of Badami – aka “wine guy” – and has something for every palate. There are more than 400 bottles, from all over the world.

Many of the cocktails have a subtle wine-based ingredient, but if you prefer something other than wine, Crush also has a selection of beers on tap, and a variety of creative mocktails.

Crush is the sister restaurant to Union Kitchen next door – both are owned by Bean Restaurant Group – and Badami oversees both establishments. His wife, Jill Feldman, is now the manager of Union Kitchen.

Alexandra Leone is the bar manager at Crush Wine Bar.

The food is as carefully curated as the wines, and each of the seasonal dishes – prepared by renowned chef Tim East, who moved over from Union Kitchen – is also intended to complement the wines.

“They’re all small plates, all reasonably priced,” East said, although he does intend to offer a few larger plates as specials. Menu items range from $6 to $16.50, and will be updated seasonally.

You don’t need to eat, but you’ll probably want something to munch on, even if it’s just fried corn nuts, which are dusted with chipotle and lime. The wait staff is well trained, and ready to recommend not only wines but also the best accompaniments. Many of the selections are vegan and/or gluten free.

Current highlights include the homemade duck prosciutto – which takes three weeks to prepare. It’s served with chamomile, pink peppercorn butter, and crostini – savory, with just a touch of the gaminess that gives duck its robust and distinctive flavor.

East has also brought a few of his other favorites over from the Union Kitchen menu – including the Italian chicory and Basque cheesecake. In addition to the cheesecake, there’s one other dessert item on the menu: Maine whoopie pie. It’s not your grandmother’s whoopie pie, although it’s actually East’s grandmother’s recipe with a few of his special touches added. “I’ve been telling her for years that I’m going to get it on a menu,” he said.

Along with oysters and the duck prosciutto, “Toast” can be found on the “cold and cured” section of the menu, but it could also fall into the “comfort food” category. Spread with creamy pumpkin, and topped with shaved Brussels and hazelnuts, it serves as a light meal in itself.

“I think the olives are the perfect wine bar food,” said Badami. They’re stuffed with blue cheese, wrapped in sweet sausage, lightly fried and topped with orange honey and parmesan cheese. Inspired by a menu item discovered in a wine bar in New York, Badami said they are “sweet, salty – and a little bit of everything.”

The now French- and Italian-inspired space itself has undergone a complete transformation, orchestrated by Kerri-Lee Mayland, along with Peter Robbin, of Avon-based LCR Interiors. For years 37 LaSalle Road was home to McLadden’s – which was purchased by Bean Restaurant Group in 2018 – and after COVID it transitioned to Wurst Haus and then in 2023 to Halfway.

Green subway tile line the walls of the entryway, and Mayland said that sparked the color scheme for the entire space. As you approach the hostess stand, your eyes will be drawn to the display in the center of the room – a French chandelier, vintage wine jug, and an actual olive tree, surrounded by custom drapery – which sets the overall tone and vibe for Crush Wine Bar.

Crush appears much larger than the previous establishments, but at the same time it’s cozier. There are distinct spaces and nooks within the space – including a lounge, the bar area, and two additional rooms that can host private events – each with its own take on the overall style. The larger of the two private rooms is called the “French Room” and the room in the back is the “Grand Cru Room.” (The Cru Room is the former back room of McLadden’s, but it’s definitely undergone a metamorphosis and is modeled after Rouge in Philadelphia, complete with fabric walls.)

“We get so many requests for private events [at Union Kitchen],” Badami said, and with the two private spaces (one seats 28 and the other seats 12) they will be able to accommodate those events at Crush, and also host wine tastings.

The furnishings are all hand-picked, and intended to invoke the feel of each individual space, including the doors to the larger of the private rooms, which were repurposed from a historic country club in northern Maine.

The lounge area has a “Mad Men” look (and some fun fuzzy pillows), the bar evokes a French bistro, and there are areas of the space reminiscent of a wine cellar and a mural that pays homage to Tuscany. On the “wine wall,” you’ll find many of the bottles listed on the “What the Kids Are Drinking” section of the wine list. They’re natural wines, made from “organically farmed grapes that have been fermented, aged, and bottled without the use of additives, filtrations, or transformative corrective procedures.”

“I think it’s going to be a winner,” said Nate Yee of Bean Restaurant Group, who was greeting guests last Friday, when Crush had its soft opening. The design is fantastic, he said – “cozy, welcoming, inviting. They knocked it out of the park.”

Bean Restaurant Group is family owned, and Yee said he and his father, Nick Yee, and his uncle, Edison Yee, accompanied Badami on visits to wine bars in New York as they looked to refine the concept for Crush. They wanted to ensure it wasn’t going to be too stuffy.

The result, he said, is exactly that. “No stress, no fuss. You just come and hang out,” Yee said.

Will Bean Restaurant Group open another Crush location? “We love the concept. Only time will tell,” Yee said.

Badami said the space is ideal for wine tasting dinners, and he plans to offer them regularly. After they received their permit from the town, a last-minute tasting dinner held the first day of the soft opening sold out in three hours.

While he is adamant that Crush will not become a rowdy, late-night hangout, Badami is hoping the selections on the “What the Kids Are Drinking” list will spark the interest of a younger and more environmentally conscious crowd who may not have previously sampled many wines.

Crush is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 4 to 10 p.m., and from noon to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

It’s hard to describe Crush Wine Bar any better than the introduction to the wine list: “Let us pull corks and tell you stories over the hum of the dining room and the clinking of glasses. … Enjoy a dinner of thoughtful, composed small plates. … A place to unwind, a chance to relax, a haven to discover your next favorite bottle.”

To view the complete menu, including the wine list, or to make reservations, visit the Crush Wine Bar website.

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