Tag Archives: nyc wine bars

2012/07/21 · 6:44 pm

Earl’s Beer and Cheese; A crazy, unusual must for hops and curd nerds

   My friend Karen and I tend to have some dangerously decadent get togethers. Together we have combed NYC on culinary safari leading us to discover some amazing food and drink! Planning a moveable feast of the Upper East side and Harlem we decided to start at Earl’s Beer and Cheese, a postage stamp sized spot on the UES  that surpassed any food porn dream I’ve ever had of one of my favorites, grilled cheese.

Located on a desolate block of Park Ave between 97th and 98th street Earl’s is the brainchild of Adam Clark and Michael Cesari. Clark and Cesari are also the great minds behind Vinyl Wine Shop, ABV Wine Bar and the newest addition to their growing empire a cocktail bar next to Earl’s the Guthrie Inn.

After hitting up the cash machine around the corner (cash only please at Earl’s) we wandered in to spy a long wood table, funky deer heads and an old school hunters mural covering the small wall next to the tiny bar. As we chatted with the friendly bartender I had the feeling I was in a suburban man room complete with a rotating selection of craft beer available in can, on draft and growlers to go. The menu also included some interesting wines by the glass but we decided on some smoked porter saving the wine choices for our next stop, ABV around the corner. The small but well thought out food menu includes mac and cheese, cheese plates, grilled cheese, a pasta dish and an eggo waffle topped with foie gras, Cabot cheddar, coffee cured bacon and maple syrup! The eggo sounded like a gourmet stoner food boner, something I may have whipped up in the 80′s at 4 am, I couldn’t wait to check it out! Super disappointed that they were sold out of the eggo we opted for an order of the beer cheese and a grilled cheese made with pork belly, kimchi, aged cheddar and a fried egg.

We selected another beer, a refreshing, local NY pilsner  as our snacks arrived. Biting into the crunchy, toasted bread a huge Cheshire cat grin beamed on my face, the bizarre combination of spicy, savory flavors incorporated with the magically melted cheddar put me in cheese heaven! I was already planning to recreate this at home. Completely awesome!

Genius in cheesy spicy deliciousness!

Finishing up Karen and I decided we LOVED Earl’s! Walking around the corner to the next stop ABV we started planning another visit to this great find! Try it you’ll like it.

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2011/12/15 · 4:47 pm

Sipping with Santa at Terroir E.ViL

For commuters the long trip to and from work every day can just plain suck. I bitch about the 25 minute trip on the 1 train from upper Harlem, it seems endless at times.  Imagine if you where Santa? Even if it’s only one day a year that’s one hell of a commute. Where would you go to unwind after a worldwide trip around the globe in one evening? Tired, thirsty and smelling like reindeer ass I’d settle down into a bar stool and go through my own Christmas wish list, the seemingly endless (more than 50), awesome selections of German, Austrian and American Riesling at Terroir in the East Village.

The other night on my way to meet friends I made time to stop in Terroir EVil to check out what was new on the list. Sipping on a Schloss Schonborn, Riesling Spatlese 1996, Hochheim Daubhause I wished for a Riesling Christmas. Please Santa, if your listening would you grant me my Christmas wish? You could join me to conquer this list, one bottle at a time.

For Riesling lovers everywhere it’s a must stop if in NYC! Don’t worry if you happen to have a crazy non Riesling drinking fool with you, Terroir includes a fabulous selection of craft beer, cider and interesting wine selections from the Jura, Slovenia and beyond.

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2010/03/14 · 10:49 pm

Just How Much Does a Wines Rating Matter? An Evening with an Anonymous Wine and Steak Au Poivre…


In the past few weeks the subject of ratings and the average consumer has come up again and again. From a visit to a local tasting room where I overheard a patron asking to sample only the wines that have won awards to a discussion with a California winemaker stating that he has a much harder time selling wines with lower or no scores it seems that the general population depends more and more on ratings when selecting wines.

While browsing my local wine shop for a merlot I happened upon a Washington wine that peeked my curiousity. Stating loud and proud on the label that this wine was never rated, scored or wants to be and priced very reasonably at 12.99 I decided to give it a try for the steak dinner I was planning. After all the discussion of recent weeks I wondered about the concept behind this wine from The House of Indepdent producers. Did the fact that it wasn’t rated make me want to buy it more? I have to admit I’ve always had a weakness for renegades!

House of Independent Producers was founded by Christophe Hedges, son of the Red Mountain Hedges wine family. Christophe’s label represents wines from some of the best indivual sites using single varietals. Made to showcase the unique terroir of each site the vineyards are also enviromently friendly using sustainable farming methods. No mention of winemaker is made, no scoring is sought out and no flashy adds are used to market these wines.

With flavors of plum, cherry, light sweet spice and soft tannins this wine paired exceptionally well with the steak au poivre, scalloped potatoes and portabello spinach I made for my weekly gluten free dinner with my roommate.It had just enough tannin to complement the steak while also having some rich fruit that played up the cheddar in the potatoes.

To stay true to the idea behind this wine I won’t offer up any of my own ratings. I will say it was a great tasty value for $12.99! In today’s market anything drinking well under $15 is a find. Even without the rating!

Steak Au Poivre with Gluten Free Sauce

2 NY Strip Steaks trimmed
4 tablespoons cracked black pepper, course grind
1 pint heavy cream
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup beef broth, make sure that you check ingred, many canned broths contain gluten
1 oz. brandy
2 pinches sea salt
1 small shallot finely chopped

Rub pepper into both sides of each steak. Press down firmly to crust each side. Heat shallow frying pan over medium heat adding half of butter. Cook steaks for 4 min on each side till a crust forms on both sides of steak.Remove steaks to rest on platter.

Add the rest of butter and shallots sauteeing till transparent. Slowly add cream scraping up browned bits from pan and simmer on low stirring occasionally till thickened. Depending on the size of your pan times vary, a larger pan will work better. When cream is thickened slowly add broth and brandy simmering for 5 minutes more. Add steaks back to pan and continue simmering for 5 more minutes turning once. Add salt to taste. Steaks will be medium. Adjust cooking time in sauce for rare or well done. Transfer steak back to platter and plate pouring sauce over steaks.

Portabello Mushrooms with Baby Spinach

1 bag baby spinach rinsed and dried
2 portabello mushrooms wiped clean and sliced thin
1 clove garlic chopped fine
2 shallots chopped fine
2 tablespoons butter
2 pinches each sea salt and white pepper
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

melt butter over low heat in medium sautee pan. Add shallots, garlic and mushrooms stirring while over medium heat till mushrooms are almost soft. Add spinach and cover pan for 1-2 minutes turning heat back to low. Uncover, add salt and pepper and stir to incorporate veggies. Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with sesame seeds.

Enjoy this with mashed, baked or scalloped potatoes. I’ll be adding more gluten free recipes and wine pairings on a monthly basis. My good friend artist Anna Drastik has inspired me to create meals that are gluten free that we can both enjoy! Anna has celiac disease a condition that prohibits any form of wheat,barley and other grains containing gluten.

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2009/08/30 · 6:09 pm

A Tasting Tour of Greece


I’m always interested in trying wines made from unusual varietals a bit off the radar. I’ve found some great values and hidden treasures made from indigenous grapes that although not always easy to pronounce are incredibly interesting wines. After trying a few Greek offerings made from Moscofilero at a recent event I was intrigued by the flavors, aromas and styles of this ancient region and was curious as to what else was out there to explore.

Planning a selection of 5 wines and a light pairing menu I ventured out to Grand Wines in Astoria to make my selection. Recommenced by a friend who is a big fan of Greek wines this is the place to venture into this region of the wine world. Researching what I was looking for before hand helped in making my selection at this shop stocked with a vast ocean of Mediterranean wines.

The following week I came up with some tapas recipes and invited a few friends over to try out my new wine finds. First up was Raptis Messogios White 2007 made from Assyrtiko and Roditus from the Peloponnese region. This was a light, crisp, dry white with hints of citrus and blossom. Although not a very complex wine it went very well with the marinated poached shrimp tossed with fresh oregano, lemon zest, olive oil and roasted garlic.

I had tried Retsina (a wine made by adding pine resin to the grape must during fermentation) many years ago and was curious to try this second wine made by Gaia also in the Peloponnese. Gaia’s version of this wine made more by a tea bag style infusion claims it’s not your Grandma’s Retsina and is a must try. After smelling the aromas of mint, subtle pine and eucalyptus we tried this wine with a toasted pita stuffed with Greek salsa, hummus, feta and roasted tomato. I really liked the more modern interpretation of this ancient classic especially with the pita but a few others that had never tasted this style of wine before were puzzled by the strange flavors. Those that felt that way had to admit that even if it wasn’t a hot summer night sipping wine it did go well with the salty flavors of the tapas.

Having already tried the third wine I wondered if the Rose lovers in the bunch would like this slightly different version made from Domaine Spiropoulis. Made with the grey grape Moscofilero which is generally used for white wine production it had a nose of caramel corn and rose water. The taste was a bit bolder style of rose with a touch of burnt caramel and strawberry on the finish. Not my favorite wine of the evening but some really liked the long finish and distinctive style. We tried this wine with a Cuban sandwich made with roasted chicken, muenster cheese, garlic dill pickles, ham and a plum mayo. The plum mayo really went well with the wine setting off the other flavors in the sandwich.

On to the reds the next wine was an Argyros Estate Atlantis red from the island of Santorini. With a very funky nose of manure, leather, raspberry and cherry the flavor was initially all ripe red fruit with an almost slightly sweet attack. The finish was completely different with strong parching tannins and a musky lingering flavors. Paired with a mini grilled ham dressed with green olive tapenade and manchego cheese it proved to be even more interesting.

Last up was a blend of international varieties Merlot and Syrah with Xynomavro from Macedonia. Made by Kir Yianni Estate this was a bigger bolder red with flavors of cinnamon, red fruits and pepper. The long finish with firm rich tannins called for some meaty flavors so I paired this with a spicy meatball made with red pepper, roasted cipollini onions and a cucumber yogurt dipping sauce served on a triangle of toasted naan bread.

Sitting around enjoying the balmy summer night and the remainder of these great finds we wondered what lesser known region we should explore next? Regardless of our next choice I know I’ve got a return trip planned to Astoria!

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2009/02/17 · 4:55 am

Wine Bars NYC

I’m always on the look out for new wine bars in NY. Some I’ve visited are focused on regional wines while others are in it for the over all experience of tasting different offerings spanning the globe. Most also offer tapas, cheeses, small bites or specialty menus to complement the wines.

I’ll be offering up my take on the vast number of wine bars in NYC with interviews of staff, wines and best value in flights, specials, new/noteworthy, etc. Also included will be restaurants with pairing menus.

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