May 2010 Archives

Recent booze crawls have turned up a dearth of Manhattan-inspired cocktails, so we were excited to stumble across one recently at Perilla (9 Jones Street). We've been to Perilla a number of times and continue to be impressed by a lot of what they do - the winelist is varied and interesting, the drinks good and the seasonal menu generally strong. Now long past TV chef hype, the restaurant has turned into a great neighborhood spot.

We prefer the bar to the long, confined dining room and found ourselves there on a recent warm night. Perilla's version of the Manhattan, called "Our Manhattan" ($12) wasn't exactly what the season called for but we couldn't help ourselves. It's made with Jim Beam rye, Vya sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur and brandied cherries, making for a rich, nicely balanced drink, if a bit heavy for warm weather. It's great as an aperitif or as dessert in lieu of more solid post-dinner options. And it goes great with duckfat popcorn.

Tribeca has gone from up-and-coming to plush and stuffy in a matter of two decades, so it was something of a surprise that Paul Grieco and Marco Canora decided to open an outpost of their hip winebar, Terroir Tribeca (24 Harrison Street) in the land of millionaires, Euro-bankers and moms pushing expensive strollers.

Terroir 2 brings Grieco's signature "wine is cool" sensibility downtown with good effect. The room is well appointed, the bar long and easy to saddle up to, and of course the wine selection is top notch. While a lot of people seemed to be ordering the wine in tetra pak and we hear tell of Finger Lake riesling on tap, we were keen to explore the extensive by the glass list. One of our favorite trends was on hand - the 3 ounce pour - making it easy to try many, many wines (our weak spot). The winelist offers choices for everyone, from the adventurous to the old world connoisseur. We ventured to the wine geek side and were rewarded with excellent by the glass choices such as the Cotes du Jura Nature Berthet-Bondet 2007 ($14.25), La Mothe Pechigo ($11.50), and the Domaine de Montbourgeau 2001 ($16). Also recommended are the Hermann Wiemer Riesling ($13.50) and the nicely balanced Alfred Gratien NV Champagne ($18). Interesting red options by the glass include the Morgon from Domaine Louis Jadot ($11) and the 2007 Givry from Chofflet-Valdenaire ($15).

The entertaining winelist contains all the usual Grieco-isms including "Who Needs a Drink?" starring the Pope, Vladimir Putin and Us (because street fair season has started!) as well as longer pieces on celebrities, obscure and otherwise. Our favorite is the ode to Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, a member of the International Football Hall of Fame. He had a way with words too and the list includes several famous quotes from him - our favorites being "Italians can't beat you but you can lose to them" and "If I wanted you to understand, I would explain it better."

Canora complements the wine selection with hearty, damn-the-season meaty fare like sage leaves wrapped around sausage, oxtail risotto balls, meatball sandwiches and a few larger "Big Stuff" dishes thanks to kitchen space more than double the EVill location. We definitely dug the "Big Stuff" items - Bev's Famous Pork Blade Steak (right) and the Colorado lamb.

Tribeca has had its ups and downs in the past few years (Chanterelle closing, endless Bouley shuffling), so we can only hope that Terroir's arrival is a sign this neighborhood is going to loosen up and start enjoying life, the way it should.

California winemakers gone maverick are featured at two winemaker dinners this coming week.

Tony Coturri's wines have grown on us over the years and he has become the preeminent American organic winemaker. This Tuesday 5/11, he and the Organic Wine Journal will be hosting a nose-to-tail suckling pig dinner at Resto (111 E. 29th St). The meat-acular will be paired with several terrific Coturri wines including the 2006 Estate Zinfandel. $75 excluding tax & tip, reservations at 212-685-5585.

On Thursday 5/13, Steve Edmunds of Edmunds St. John will be hosting a dinner at Belcourt (84 Second Avenue) together with Chambers Street Wines. Four courses will be paired with eight (!) wines, all made in the Rhone style with minimal intervention. $75 all inclusive, reserve by calling Chambers Street Wines at 212-227-1434.

Last night was the usual debauchery post James Beard and once again leading the pack was Daniel Boulud, who is quite the terror with magnums of champagne.

First stop was Bar Boulud for some swanky Pommery and pate. All was mellow until the maestro himself showed, carrying an innocent looking magnum. Before the sedate crowd knew it, he went at it in style, jerking the bottle open and spraying unsuspecting onlookers. Hours later, he appeared again, this time at Eleven Madison Park, where he (owner Best Restaurant) climbed onto a table with Daniel Humm (Best Chef NYC) for a jubilant, end-of-campaign style coronation. The crowd went nuts as they received a double-four star soaking.

In between, there was the packed bar at Marea, with free-flowing prosecco, and Ma Peche, which was oddly sedate and empty fairly quickly. Ma Peche had a keg going and a nice Cremant de Jura, but with the crowds flocking downtown, it was clear the location is not a late night draw. The room itself is unremarkable and the big X in the middle of the room is not exactly a genius move. Has Chang met his Waterloo? Time will tell.

Back to 11 Mad, where the DJ and out of control partiers made it too overwhelming to enjoy. The bubbly was flowing - but only from the jammed bar - and there were beer stations throughout the house. Nice touch, those plastic cups too. Till next year...