My partner and I were approaching our one year anniversary and she took it upon herself to find us an affordable, closer-by Airbnb. What started with a quiet weekend away led to our researching the surrounding area of Kingston, and quickly finding a wealth of well thought-out and unique bars and restaurants. Brunette was one of the first spots that stood out to us; their social media was well curated and precise, and sparked a great amount of interest for the two of us.
We arrived Friday afternoon and strolled through downtown Kingston. Brunette was closed at this time, but we peeked through the windows and got an idea for the space. Tidy and quaint, Brunette features a bar as well as several small tables that could seat three comfortably. The decor was very minimalist, primarily white with some pastel pink accents throughout, as well as regal wallpaper adjacent from the entrance.
After we settled in to our Airbnb, got ourselves ready for the night and headed back out, Brunette was our first destination, and it was by far the best stop of the night. We sat at the bar while the owners, a husband and wife duo who are actually natives of our humble city of Rochester, chatted and served the dozen or so patrons. We were handed menus that were as thoughtfully written and designed as the rest of the space. I elected to have the featured wine, a crisp orange-based wine the name of which I can't recall, and my partner ordered a flight of sparkling wine.
Admittedly, I'm not much of a wine connoisseur, generally opting for a "dry red" and not knowing much more besides that. The gentleman serving us made the process informative and fun, describing where the wine was from as well as giving some information about the flavors we should be finding as we drank. My glass was fantastic, and from what I sampled of partner's flight, hers were great as well. As stated before, I'm not well versed when it comes to describing wines, but I can say confidently that the flavors of each of our selections were very diverse and interesting. In short, my relatively narrow conception of wine tasting was expanded quite a bit that night.
To accompany our drinks, we chose the bar nuts, some well-seasoned roasted almonds, as well a small jam sandwich. The almonds were seasoned with rosemary, cayenne, and brown sugar, resulting in a balanced flavor that complimented most of our wine quite nicely. The "petite sandwich" was composed of a crispy French roll, with goat cheese, cherry jam, and rosemary butter, and it was FANTASTIC. I've never much understood goat cheese before, it always struck me as too earthy and pungent, much to my partner's chagrin. The flavor clicked for me with the accompanying butter and jam, and I had to stop myself from eating most of the small sandwich before my partner had a chance to take a second bite.
On Sunday, before our trip back home, we stopped by to check out the egg sandwiches that were featured on the menu. These were the only weak point in my opinion. As a brief aside, on the merit of price alone Brunette would not be a bar I regularly frequent. The offerings are higher-end and the price reflects that. In most of the other instances, the price was justified. I paid for an experience that expanded my palate, for great service, and for a comfortable atmosphere. However, the egg sandwiches, while still tasty, were $8 and took all of three bites to finish. That being said, on the whole I respect what the owners are doing. Brunette is a space created patiently and deliberately. The decor, menu, and even small touches like the doily coasters demonstrate a love for the business that they're in. I would wholeheartedly recommend Brunette! read more