Over a
year ago, I decided I wanted to try to promote the wine industry in every form
in and around the Black Hills and Wyoming.
I have written multiple “reviews” of wine or wine-related businesses,
but, at this point, I haven’t written about all of the places I’ve visited or
wanted to write about. I was much
chagrined to find out that one of the places I have visited, yet never wrote
about, closed in December.
Manchegos
in Rapid City was a tapas-style bar with a focus on wine, especially Spanish
wines. The atmosphere was absolutely
amazing! The small bar was filled with
dark wood and often had live music on the weekends. The main dining room was spacious and well
designed. I loved the Spanish tiles on
the wall and the booths in front of the tiles.
The outdoor patio was a special place to dine, as well as the roof top
deck (which I never sat but did go check out).
Every detail was covered, even down to the beautiful tile work in the
bathrooms (okay, I only actually saw the women’s bathroom, but I HEARD the
men’s was cool too)! As for the food, I
enjoyed many of the tapas menu items. My
favorite was the warm potato and corn salad, but I also loved the garlic
mussels, garlic shrimp, and the caprese salad.
The best part of Manchegos, however, was the Enomatic wine machine! The Enomatic was a wall of wine with an
automatic measuring system where a wine lover could choose one ounce, three
ounces, or five ounces of any of the wines in the Enomatic. A debit card was loaded with a dollar amount
and wineauxs (French for wino J) could sample whatever they wanted or choose a full glass
of a favorite wine.
I am
disappointed that this business closed its doors before its one-year
anniversary. I loved the atmosphere and
the idea of the tapas menu. I also loved
how much the Enomatic promoted people try to wines they may not have and did so
in such a fun way. There are already
future plans for the wonderful new building in Rapid City; I really look
forward to what is in store for this prime downtown spot. I hope that the new business owners (owners
of the current Firehouse just down the street) will continue the fun
atmosphere, and I tip my hat to the former owners for trying a new approach in
the hills.
Here is the link to the Rapid City Journal article on Manchegos' closing.
Rapid City Journal's Article on Manchegos' Closing
