Jesse Reviews Erato
Editor | Sep 21, 2009 | Comments 0
The long view of Erato's wine selection of premium alcohol.
by Jesse Gernigin
I just got back in town after being on the road for the fifteen hours. I had a show to do for Subaru in Indiana and a rehearsal at an art house in Missouri. I’ve driven over eleven hours, performed for six, and need a drink. I’m in no mood for loud music. I want a quiet place with good service and my favorite selection of beer and wine. Simply put, I need a place to relax. Enter Erato.
Erato is a wine bar on Main Street in downtown Edwardsville. It is loosely orchestrated by Tim Foley, a classically trained sommelier who on a particularly good night can morph into a marvelous troubadour. Tim stands with regal ease behind the bar most nights, dressed semi-casually and usually with a half smile lingering on his face like the trace of a good joke.
If you’ve never been in Erato you are missing out on one of the great finds in Edwardsville. To give you an idea of what you’re missing, envision this. Looking outside in you see the front of the bar, where people sit at high top tables sipping wine or cocktails, nibbling snacks off chef Kevin Williams’ menu (made with all local all fresh food) or drinking unique microbrews chosen from some of the world’s best. Looking off to the other side you’ll see groups of people bellied up to the bar. If you pay particularly close attention you’ll notice the wide range of people that make up these groups. They range all the way from SIUE music students to off-shift dentists and doctors, local business owners, to lawyers and every night townies.
Move deeper into Erato’s and you’ll find an anteroom with a couple of low sitting leather couches that precedes a cozy back dining area where Kevin serves up fresh fare every night. Beyond this you will find yourself outside again, this time on a nice back patio where people tend to group at the end of the night as the rest of the bar cleans and closes up.
I’m sure it is no surprise from my description that I enjoy this place. Because of its unique construction, three connected but different spaces with a patio, Erato’s is great place to go on any night of the week, whether you want to be surrounded with the excitement of a night’s buzz (front bar), have a semi-private moment with friends or someone special (middle room), have a dinner far greater than what is usually available in a college town (the dining room) or just sip and talk calmly with friends (the patio) you’ll find something to meet your needs.
Sure, there are things I don’t enjoy. There is only one bathroom per gender, so you might have to wait if you need to go (I do have to mention though, that the bathrooms are impeccably clean). If you show up after eight you usually have to wait for a good spot to open up. These of course are minor complaints, nitpicky at best.
Erato’s is a full service establishment and I know I should write more about the food, but Kevin’s work deserves its own article, so I’ll write more on that later. What Tim has done with Erato is essentially created an atmosphere that collects Edwardsville’s social spectrum under one roof comfortably. How does he do it? It could be the quality available to the drinker, the different atmospheres available in each section, the great staff, or just sheer awesomeness. Any explanation would do (although I imagine they all have something to do with it) so I may not be able to answer that. The question I can answer is this, ‘Where should I go in Edwardsville for a good time on my night out?’ The answer, “Erato.” If you liked this story or are a fan or Erato click the FaceBook and Twitter buttons at the top of the post to share with friends! You can also comment below.
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Filed Under: Restaurants
