Trader Joe's Wine Shop
138 E 14th St
(between 4th Ave & Irving Pl)
New York, NY 10003
There has been no other store in NYC that has inspired my curiosity like Trader Joe's. The lines at this store are always inordinately long, like the namesake grocery store next store. I wondered to myself: is the wine really that good or really that cheap?
To answer this question, I decided to have a wine tasting of several Trader Joe's wines. It also happened to be the 35th anniversary of the "Judgment of Paris," the famous historical wine showdown where California wines triumphed over their French counterparts in a blind taste test. What better way to answer my question than to hold a comparative tasting: Trader Joe's European wine section vs. their specialty wine store counterparts.
The wines were as follows:
TJ's Piesporter Michelsberg Spatlese ($6.99) vs. Eitlesbacher Karthuserhofberg Spatlese ($34.99).
La Cheteau Vouvray ($6.99) vs. Francois Pinon "Silex Noir" Vouvray 2008
Reserve Perrin Cotes du Rhone ($8.99) vs. Domain Monpertuis "Vignoble de la Ramiere" 2008 ($15.99)
La Loggia Barbaresco 2006 ($12.99) vs. Sori Paolin "Cascina Luisin" 2004 ($43.99)
I held a blind tasting with these four whites and four reds, and had a group of 9 people swirl and sip through each of the wines.
Unfortunately, Trader Joe's didn't place on top like California did at the original faceoff. The actual Barbaresco, Sori Paolin"Cascina Luisin," placed well ahead of the pack, but the TJ's La Loggia Barbaresco placed a respectable 2nd. The other TJ's wines -- the Spatlese, Vouvray, and the Cotes du Rhone, placed 5th, 6th, and 8th, respectively.
Interestingly enough but not surprisingly, the wines below $10 were not as good, with numerable faults in the aroma and taste of the wine sampled. The wines may be cheap, but you're paying exactly for what you're getting, and there are probably better values at the under $15 table at other wine stores.
However, TJ's has some extremely decent Italian wine. The La Loggia Barbaresco at $12.99 is an absolute steal, and the Barolo at $16.99, is most likely highway robbery. I will be picking up a couple bottles very soon.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Astor Room
The Astor Room
34-12 36th St
Astoria, NY 11106
(Drinks only)
I'm a little jaded when reviewing cocktail bars. Since my initial discovery of Milk & Honey - when it was still a very underground secret in the early 00's - the explosion of cocktail bars has (for better or for worse) dramatically changed the drinking landscape in NYC. Nevertheless, each successive addition sets the bar (no pun intended) even higher, to the point where, flashy suspenders, handlebar mustaches, and decently made cocktails don't cut it for me anymore. There has to be a bar that explores new territory (Cienfuegos - rum drinks; Mayahuel - mezcal), offers an original cocktail recipe (Gordon's Breakfast and Penicillin @ Milk and Honey), presents bartending firepower (Clover Club; Milk and Honey, again), or a distinct sense of time and place (Campbell Apartment, Flatiron Lounge) to register on my cocktail radar.
Surprisingly, the Astor Room scored with the solidly made drinks, but disappointed with the lack of terroir. As well noted, the bar used to be the former commissary of Paramount Pictures. The bar aspires for that 1920's/30's retro feel, but it tough to accomplish with an empty bar, chintzy piano lounge music, and a lack of interior decorating touches that suggest a throwback to the Golden Age of Film. The bar menu is a compilation of simply executed drinks cribbed from the index of Gary Regan's classic mixology text "The Joy of Mixology"with a few modifying touches.
It's the few modifying touches that quite impressed me. The New Yorker was an inspired riff on a Bourbon Sour, with a red wine float that provides a fruitiness and earthiness that married well with sweet, alcoholic tang of bourbon and acid from lemon. The Fairbanks was not as good, with the apricot brandy liqueur and lemon completely dominating any herbal notes from the gin. I usually despise rum drinks for being aggressively sweet, but the Mary Pickford was the highlight of the cocktail flight that I had. Somehow the acidic and sweet elements of the rum, pineapple juice, grenadine, and maraschino liqueur balanced each other out; this has forced me to reconsider my previous position.
For those taking notes at home:
The Astoria = Gin Martini (dry)
New Yorker = Bourbon Sour (w/wine float)
The Astor Martini = Caricature Cocktail
Fairbanks = Bermuda Rose (w/ dry vermouth)
Filmograph = Brandy Sour (w/ cola syrup)
Mary Pickford = El Presidente (w/ maraschino liqueur)
Valentino = Italian sour w/ Campari
Queen's Road = Queen's Road
34-12 36th St
Astoria, NY 11106
(Drinks only)
I'm a little jaded when reviewing cocktail bars. Since my initial discovery of Milk & Honey - when it was still a very underground secret in the early 00's - the explosion of cocktail bars has (for better or for worse) dramatically changed the drinking landscape in NYC. Nevertheless, each successive addition sets the bar (no pun intended) even higher, to the point where, flashy suspenders, handlebar mustaches, and decently made cocktails don't cut it for me anymore. There has to be a bar that explores new territory (Cienfuegos - rum drinks; Mayahuel - mezcal), offers an original cocktail recipe (Gordon's Breakfast and Penicillin @ Milk and Honey), presents bartending firepower (Clover Club; Milk and Honey, again), or a distinct sense of time and place (Campbell Apartment, Flatiron Lounge) to register on my cocktail radar.
Surprisingly, the Astor Room scored with the solidly made drinks, but disappointed with the lack of terroir. As well noted, the bar used to be the former commissary of Paramount Pictures. The bar aspires for that 1920's/30's retro feel, but it tough to accomplish with an empty bar, chintzy piano lounge music, and a lack of interior decorating touches that suggest a throwback to the Golden Age of Film. The bar menu is a compilation of simply executed drinks cribbed from the index of Gary Regan's classic mixology text "The Joy of Mixology"with a few modifying touches.
It's the few modifying touches that quite impressed me. The New Yorker was an inspired riff on a Bourbon Sour, with a red wine float that provides a fruitiness and earthiness that married well with sweet, alcoholic tang of bourbon and acid from lemon. The Fairbanks was not as good, with the apricot brandy liqueur and lemon completely dominating any herbal notes from the gin. I usually despise rum drinks for being aggressively sweet, but the Mary Pickford was the highlight of the cocktail flight that I had. Somehow the acidic and sweet elements of the rum, pineapple juice, grenadine, and maraschino liqueur balanced each other out; this has forced me to reconsider my previous position.
For those taking notes at home:
The Astoria = Gin Martini (dry)
New Yorker = Bourbon Sour (w/wine float)
The Astor Martini = Caricature Cocktail
Fairbanks = Bermuda Rose (w/ dry vermouth)
Filmograph = Brandy Sour (w/ cola syrup)
Mary Pickford = El Presidente (w/ maraschino liqueur)
Valentino = Italian sour w/ Campari
Queen's Road = Queen's Road
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Glasslands Gallery
Glasslands Gallery
289 Kent Ave
(between 1st St & Grand St)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
The Glasslands is a raw industrial space that transforms according to what art shows and fashion shows they are holding. A great idea in theory, but on both occasions I've been here, it turns into a Tragedy of the Commons: too many people enjoying too small of a space. Don't get me started on the line for the bar and the bathroom.
I was here for their monthly Soul Clap and Dance-Off - otherwise known as Soul Train for White People party. The party was cool in theory, but kind of disappointing. I was expecting some epic Don Cornelius meets American Apparel dance-off, where contestants would individually display their dancing prowess. However, it ended up more a dancing orgy, with contestants (in heats of ten) flailing their arms wildly in a vain attempt to get noticed by the judges. Predictably, the judges chose the finalists based on their tragic sense of style (i.e. how hot they looked) or their ability to grind like Elaine from Seinfeld.
As for the music, Jonathan Toubin is a maestro, effortlessly spinning his waxy 45s into a melange of addictive soul and garage rock. The New York Night Train has a weekly Wednesday night at Motor City Bar in the LES, and a Thursday residency in March at the Ace Hotel, which are probably better venues to check out some music that has long been under appreciated.
P.S. If you want to know what the Mistral feels like, try walking to this venue from the Bedford Ave. L stop on a cold, windy night.
289 Kent Ave
(between 1st St & Grand St)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
The Glasslands is a raw industrial space that transforms according to what art shows and fashion shows they are holding. A great idea in theory, but on both occasions I've been here, it turns into a Tragedy of the Commons: too many people enjoying too small of a space. Don't get me started on the line for the bar and the bathroom.
I was here for their monthly Soul Clap and Dance-Off - otherwise known as Soul Train for White People party. The party was cool in theory, but kind of disappointing. I was expecting some epic Don Cornelius meets American Apparel dance-off, where contestants would individually display their dancing prowess. However, it ended up more a dancing orgy, with contestants (in heats of ten) flailing their arms wildly in a vain attempt to get noticed by the judges. Predictably, the judges chose the finalists based on their tragic sense of style (i.e. how hot they looked) or their ability to grind like Elaine from Seinfeld.
As for the music, Jonathan Toubin is a maestro, effortlessly spinning his waxy 45s into a melange of addictive soul and garage rock. The New York Night Train has a weekly Wednesday night at Motor City Bar in the LES, and a Thursday residency in March at the Ace Hotel, which are probably better venues to check out some music that has long been under appreciated.
P.S. If you want to know what the Mistral feels like, try walking to this venue from the Bedford Ave. L stop on a cold, windy night.
The Woods
The Woods
48 S. 4th St
(between Kent Ave & Wythe Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Like Alicia Silverstone's character in Clueless, I was initially unimpressed by the party in the (South Williamsburg) Valley. This South Williamsburg boite might as well be located in the woods, as it is inconveniently middle of nowhere, i.e. the industrial warehouses and artists lofts flush against the East River. The Woods took an old commercial space, put a bar with plastic cups and pastied mermaids in the middle, and added an air hockey table in the back. My friend commeted it looked like a Chuck E. Cheese that had just got robbed.
As easy as it is to make fun of hipsters (probably the one thing that brings all New Yorkers together), looks are deceiving. About one-and-a-half rounds in, we saw taxis and gypsy cabs rolling up in the spot. Slowly but surely, the bar became a shitshow. The music shifted from (name your indie darling) to 90's old-school hip-hop. A random dude started to shoot Silly String at the bartender. Some dude poured us shots of Southern Comfort. And everyone started dancing like frenzied fans on stage at a Girl Talk concert.
Unironically, I had a really great time at the Woods.
48 S. 4th St
(between Kent Ave & Wythe Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Like Alicia Silverstone's character in Clueless, I was initially unimpressed by the party in the (South Williamsburg) Valley. This South Williamsburg boite might as well be located in the woods, as it is inconveniently middle of nowhere, i.e. the industrial warehouses and artists lofts flush against the East River. The Woods took an old commercial space, put a bar with plastic cups and pastied mermaids in the middle, and added an air hockey table in the back. My friend commeted it looked like a Chuck E. Cheese that had just got robbed.
As easy as it is to make fun of hipsters (probably the one thing that brings all New Yorkers together), looks are deceiving. About one-and-a-half rounds in, we saw taxis and gypsy cabs rolling up in the spot. Slowly but surely, the bar became a shitshow. The music shifted from (name your indie darling) to 90's old-school hip-hop. A random dude started to shoot Silly String at the bartender. Some dude poured us shots of Southern Comfort. And everyone started dancing like frenzied fans on stage at a Girl Talk concert.
Unironically, I had a really great time at the Woods.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Botanica Bar
Botanica Bar
47 E Houston St. Basement
(between Mulberry St & Greene St)
New York, NY 10012
Botanica is less a dive bar than a "I don't-give-a-sh*t" bar. This dumpy basement rec room on the northern edge of SoHo get my unofficial award for least amount of effort put into decorating a bar: inspired interior design decisions include bar stools, vinyl banquettes, and Formica tables purchased from restaurant foreclosures, 99-cent Christmas lights that once served their holiday purpose but hang as idle decoration, and forlorn couches in the back room whose provenance was most likely Craigslist.
But why is this one of my favorite bars in SoHo?
Ever since the rise of mustached mixologists, fancy cocktails, and $15 drink prices, I have yearned a return to drinking basics. Efficient bartenders, simple well drinks, and affordable happy hours. $5 craft beers, imports, and well drinks during prime time. Plenty of room to hang out with your army of one or your 20-person deep posse. And lastly, more neighborly locals than anorexic models whose last meal was a packet of Splenda and a line of coke off the stainless steel counter in the bathroom.
47 E Houston St. Basement
(between Mulberry St & Greene St)
New York, NY 10012
Botanica is less a dive bar than a "I don't-give-a-sh*t" bar. This dumpy basement rec room on the northern edge of SoHo get my unofficial award for least amount of effort put into decorating a bar: inspired interior design decisions include bar stools, vinyl banquettes, and Formica tables purchased from restaurant foreclosures, 99-cent Christmas lights that once served their holiday purpose but hang as idle decoration, and forlorn couches in the back room whose provenance was most likely Craigslist.
But why is this one of my favorite bars in SoHo?
Ever since the rise of mustached mixologists, fancy cocktails, and $15 drink prices, I have yearned a return to drinking basics. Efficient bartenders, simple well drinks, and affordable happy hours. $5 craft beers, imports, and well drinks during prime time. Plenty of room to hang out with your army of one or your 20-person deep posse. And lastly, more neighborly locals than anorexic models whose last meal was a packet of Splenda and a line of coke off the stainless steel counter in the bathroom.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Chelsea Wine Vault
Chelsea Wine Vault
75 9th Ave
(between 15th St & 16th St)
New York, NY 10011
I have mixed views on Chelsea Market. Their wine selection across the Old World/New World is pretty solid, and I have had positive experiences with most of the sales staff who have a thorough understanding of the wines they sell. (Especially the old guy, who spent five minutes talking with me through the nuances of New Zealand Pinot Noir.) Their tastings are decent, but don't come close to the selection and quality of Eataly and Le Du Wine (which regularly pours $40+ wines on Saturday afternoons like it is liquid candy).
However, Chelsea Wine Vault occupies some prime real estate in the eponymous Chelsea Market, and this is clearly reflected in the prices.
For example, I bought a Francois Pinon Vouvray "Silex Noir" 2008 for a blind tasting for a wine exam upon the recommendation of one of the sales staff. Although they had only two Vouvrays on the shelf, it was clearly the right choice, with the off-dry, honeysuckle, and mineral flavors emblematic of Chenin Blanc from that region in the Loire Valley. However, I was shocked to see that same wine retail for $21.99 at Chamber St. Wines, one of the more expensive stores in the city. (CWV retail price = $26.99).
Life is too short to buy cheap wine, but it still long enough where you should consider how you spend your money.
75 9th Ave
(between 15th St & 16th St)
New York, NY 10011
I have mixed views on Chelsea Market. Their wine selection across the Old World/New World is pretty solid, and I have had positive experiences with most of the sales staff who have a thorough understanding of the wines they sell. (Especially the old guy, who spent five minutes talking with me through the nuances of New Zealand Pinot Noir.) Their tastings are decent, but don't come close to the selection and quality of Eataly and Le Du Wine (which regularly pours $40+ wines on Saturday afternoons like it is liquid candy).
However, Chelsea Wine Vault occupies some prime real estate in the eponymous Chelsea Market, and this is clearly reflected in the prices.
For example, I bought a Francois Pinon Vouvray "Silex Noir" 2008 for a blind tasting for a wine exam upon the recommendation of one of the sales staff. Although they had only two Vouvrays on the shelf, it was clearly the right choice, with the off-dry, honeysuckle, and mineral flavors emblematic of Chenin Blanc from that region in the Loire Valley. However, I was shocked to see that same wine retail for $21.99 at Chamber St. Wines, one of the more expensive stores in the city. (CWV retail price = $26.99).
Life is too short to buy cheap wine, but it still long enough where you should consider how you spend your money.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Nordic Deli
Nordic Deli
6909 3rd Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11209
My knowledge of Norway is limited to those facts that only serve their usefulness on Tuesday trivia nights: the country's prowess at the biathlon, the descent of famous American singer Peggy Lee (born as Norma Egstrom), the birth country of the ostensible paper clip inventor (Johan Vaaler) and ignominiously, that country next to Sweden.
After being prodded by ignorance of this Scandinavian country and a well-written profile in a Winter 2011 issue of Edible Brooklyn [1], I decided to take the R train to specialty food store in Bay Ridge.
Neither a deli nor a bodega for Vikings, Nordic Deli had served the Scandinavian population that used to live in the neighborhood. Now it seems like an outdated curiosity amid the Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Chinese stores that line 3rd Avenue.
Like the specialty food section of the Red Hook IKEA, Nordic Deli carries your traditional Wasa rye crisps, lingonberry preserves, gingersnap cookies, and the infamous meatballs (kjottkaker). There's also an assortment of herring and mackerel filets, Norwegian chocolates, and caramelized goat cheeses (gjestost), which are very spreadable on a bagel or an English muffin.
Specialty Norwegian desserts include a larger, fatter version of a hot cross bun spiced with cardamom (boller), a thinner, spicier version of a Belgian waffle (vaffel), and a delicate, fragile, ice-cream cone shaped cookie (krumkakker) that looks like a fatter, bluntier version of its Italian counterpart. All were half-eaten by the end of my subway ride home.
[1]: http://www.ediblebrooklyn.com/winter-2011/a-bodega-for-vikings.htm
6909 3rd Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11209
My knowledge of Norway is limited to those facts that only serve their usefulness on Tuesday trivia nights: the country's prowess at the biathlon, the descent of famous American singer Peggy Lee (born as Norma Egstrom), the birth country of the ostensible paper clip inventor (Johan Vaaler) and ignominiously, that country next to Sweden.
After being prodded by ignorance of this Scandinavian country and a well-written profile in a Winter 2011 issue of Edible Brooklyn [1], I decided to take the R train to specialty food store in Bay Ridge.
Neither a deli nor a bodega for Vikings, Nordic Deli had served the Scandinavian population that used to live in the neighborhood. Now it seems like an outdated curiosity amid the Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Chinese stores that line 3rd Avenue.
Like the specialty food section of the Red Hook IKEA, Nordic Deli carries your traditional Wasa rye crisps, lingonberry preserves, gingersnap cookies, and the infamous meatballs (kjottkaker). There's also an assortment of herring and mackerel filets, Norwegian chocolates, and caramelized goat cheeses (gjestost), which are very spreadable on a bagel or an English muffin.
Specialty Norwegian desserts include a larger, fatter version of a hot cross bun spiced with cardamom (boller), a thinner, spicier version of a Belgian waffle (vaffel), and a delicate, fragile, ice-cream cone shaped cookie (krumkakker) that looks like a fatter, bluntier version of its Italian counterpart. All were half-eaten by the end of my subway ride home.
[1]: http://www.ediblebrooklyn.com/winter-2011/a-bodega-for-vikings.htm
Friday, February 4, 2011
Brooklyn Wine Exchange
Brooklyn Wine Exchange
138 Court St. (between Atlantic and Pacific St.)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
The more you learn about wine, the more your realize you don't know. Unfortunately, you realize also that the person selling you wine doesn't know much either.
I had read great things about Brooklyn Wine Exchnage's in-store education program, specifically their Mixology Month in February. Upon entering, I was excited by the carefully edited spirits selection, the diverse range of small producers carried from each of the major wine growing regions, and the "Under $12" table, which featured some preeminently drinkable wines such as a Torrontes from Argentina, a Cabernet Franc from Chinon, and a Muscadet-Sur-Lie from France. A salesperson saw that I was browsing the Austrian section, and offered to help.
And then I got less excited.
Not quite knowing the answer myself, I asked a not-so-obvious question: "What does Smaragd mean on Austrian wine labels?" The salesperson mentioned that it had something to do with the vintage, a response I knew was absolutely wrong. The question then got passed to the person at the retail counter who said it had something to do with an "emerald" color. Since the term was on a white wine, I knew that was off-the-mark as well. The store manager overheard this inquiry, and fortunately corrected everyone: it was, in fact, a special classification for dry wines in the Wachau district of Austria, and that the wines had to have a minimum alcohol level of 12.5%. (Smaragd does in fact refer to an emerald-colored lizard that sunbathes on the rocks in the Wachau region, a fact I later found out through).
I later inquired about a purple-colored gin called Averell Damson Gin, which I had no intention in buying given their hefty markup, but wanted to know more about its provenance and taste. Unfortunately, another salesperson offered to try to help me. He mentioned that the gin got its color from being aged in oak, which I knew to be blatantly false, as 1) gin is not typically aged in oak; 2) oak doesn't fix a purple color. After this exercise in misinformation, the famous quote by Abraham Lincoln came to mind: "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
I understand that the store has just recently opened, and that the salespeople-in-question were trying to help, but if one doesn't know the answer to a question, just admit you don't know and resolve to find out. I appreciate the enthusiasm of those working at Brooklyn Exchange, but it is difficult to develop a relationship with a wine store, if you can't trust them.
138 Court St. (between Atlantic and Pacific St.)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
The more you learn about wine, the more your realize you don't know. Unfortunately, you realize also that the person selling you wine doesn't know much either.
I had read great things about Brooklyn Wine Exchnage's in-store education program, specifically their Mixology Month in February. Upon entering, I was excited by the carefully edited spirits selection, the diverse range of small producers carried from each of the major wine growing regions, and the "Under $12" table, which featured some preeminently drinkable wines such as a Torrontes from Argentina, a Cabernet Franc from Chinon, and a Muscadet-Sur-Lie from France. A salesperson saw that I was browsing the Austrian section, and offered to help.
And then I got less excited.
Not quite knowing the answer myself, I asked a not-so-obvious question: "What does Smaragd mean on Austrian wine labels?" The salesperson mentioned that it had something to do with the vintage, a response I knew was absolutely wrong. The question then got passed to the person at the retail counter who said it had something to do with an "emerald" color. Since the term was on a white wine, I knew that was off-the-mark as well. The store manager overheard this inquiry, and fortunately corrected everyone: it was, in fact, a special classification for dry wines in the Wachau district of Austria, and that the wines had to have a minimum alcohol level of 12.5%. (Smaragd does in fact refer to an emerald-colored lizard that sunbathes on the rocks in the Wachau region, a fact I later found out through).
I later inquired about a purple-colored gin called Averell Damson Gin, which I had no intention in buying given their hefty markup, but wanted to know more about its provenance and taste. Unfortunately, another salesperson offered to try to help me. He mentioned that the gin got its color from being aged in oak, which I knew to be blatantly false, as 1) gin is not typically aged in oak; 2) oak doesn't fix a purple color. After this exercise in misinformation, the famous quote by Abraham Lincoln came to mind: "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
I understand that the store has just recently opened, and that the salespeople-in-question were trying to help, but if one doesn't know the answer to a question, just admit you don't know and resolve to find out. I appreciate the enthusiasm of those working at Brooklyn Exchange, but it is difficult to develop a relationship with a wine store, if you can't trust them.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Terroir Tribeca is an elitist wine bar. It is a wine person's wine bar, and certainly not for everyone. Nevertheless, the wine selections are exceptional, and have no peer among any other wine bar in NYC.
Working through a Terroir wine menu is like listening to a Girl Talk album: a heady experience that leaves one as excited as confused. TT does represents your typical wines you see at wine bars (i.e. Gruner Veltliner, Malbec, Sangiovese), but there are certainly some out-of-left-field selections, like a Chasselas from Switzerland, a Dornfelder from the Finger Lakes in New York, and a vin jaune from the Jura.
TT has one of the few wine-by-the-glass menus where I feel the beverage director is sincerely trying to expose me to new and interesting wines. The wine menu is deep, with 10-12 featured wines by the glass, and 60 other reds and whites offered by the glass (6 oz.) or half-glass (3 oz.).
The mark ups are there, but reasonable given the high quality of the wines.
Despite Terroir Tribeca being my favorite wine bar in NYC, it is one of my least favorite wine menus in NYC. Although I agree that Riesling is one of the greatest white grapes and that Michael White is a douchebag for abandoning long-time front-of-house partner Chris Cannon in the grand pursuit of restaurant empire, but do I need to see such geeky, editorial commentary on a wine menu? It is difficult enough to work through a cumbersome, 40-page wine list.
Working through a Terroir wine menu is like listening to a Girl Talk album: a heady experience that leaves one as excited as confused. TT does represents your typical wines you see at wine bars (i.e. Gruner Veltliner, Malbec, Sangiovese), but there are certainly some out-of-left-field selections, like a Chasselas from Switzerland, a Dornfelder from the Finger Lakes in New York, and a vin jaune from the Jura.
TT has one of the few wine-by-the-glass menus where I feel the beverage director is sincerely trying to expose me to new and interesting wines. The wine menu is deep, with 10-12 featured wines by the glass, and 60 other reds and whites offered by the glass (6 oz.) or half-glass (3 oz.).
The mark ups are there, but reasonable given the high quality of the wines.
Despite Terroir Tribeca being my favorite wine bar in NYC, it is one of my least favorite wine menus in NYC. Although I agree that Riesling is one of the greatest white grapes and that Michael White is a douchebag for abandoning long-time front-of-house partner Chris Cannon in the grand pursuit of restaurant empire, but do I need to see such geeky, editorial commentary on a wine menu? It is difficult enough to work through a cumbersome, 40-page wine list.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)