Old School French Bistro in a Vibrant Part of Town!Nestled mid-block on Prince street in NYC's Soho stands a French bistro that has its roots back in the mid 1970's. Started by two brothers from Alsace, France, who still own the bistro today, stands a neighborhood gem that I am sure will bring back memories for many. The owners may have only acquired the restaurant in 1975, but parts of the decor date back much earlier. I include in this list the tin ceiling and the booths, which date much earlier. While the tables and booths are a tad "tight," this establishment certainly has a "bistro feel" to it. As can be seen in the picture above, the restaurant is well decorated with period photography, original art all with a classy French-theme. The bar area is approximately 25% of the restaurant, so it likely will get a bit noisy, but we had no issues at 7pm on Saturday, even with the music playing at the bar.
Service was attentive and informative, mad easier no doubt by its relatively small size. Menus and specials were explained clearly and the wait staff was well informed on specials and the menu in general. Service and clearing appeared well organized, no amateurs here. Reasonable time was also allowed for each course and we did not feel rushed. The Steak Au Poivre was cooked perfectly and had a nice peppercorn crust that gave the steak a nice spicy kick to it. It is served with hand-cut fries and salad, all good compliments to this dish. The chicken was very flavorful, moist and well portioned as well. For desert we shared the Banana coconut bred pudding and the flourless bittersweet chocolate souffle cake, needless to say we had to fight over these selections. The cork fee is $50.00/btl., limit two bottles per table
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Restaurant Review: A welcome stylish quality seafood addition to Sutton Place
This very stylish restaurant makes me think I am in Montauk without the two-hour drive. It has a great corner location across from a small park that added to the attractiveness of the spot. When my wife and I arrived at 8:30 P.M. on a Friday, the place certainly had some buzz, but one could have a reasonable conversation. It did have a moderate amount of noise at this early stage, but we found it acceptable. The service was very attentive and also seemed to be very well organized for a restaurant that had been open for only one month. The food was excellent, which we think was the general consensus as we saw only empty plates around us. We started with the red pepper hummus, which was very creamy with lots of veggies. We followed this with oysters, which were very tasty, composed of a mix of big Blue Points and very creamy, flavorful West Coast oysters. The grilled calamari was delicious and was surprisingly light. It came with veggies and was perfectly cooked. I had the Dover Sole Meuniere, which was very flavorful and well prepared. Rating TBD, corkage $25/Bottle. A well structured and medium-bodied Meursault that has something for everyone, minerals, oak, citrus and butter
This wine presented with a light golden color and an aroma that gave some sense of minerals and oak with a touch of citrus. It was a medium-bodied wine that had a careful balance of butter, oak and citrus. A good mineral base was also present that had a good bite on the middle palate. As the wine opened, it presented as more steely than fruity and had a reasonable but not a large finish. The wine was very well structured and had good balance between the mineral aspects and its fruit. While I am not a huge fan of an overly mineral or citrus driven wine, in this case these qualities added to the wine's overall performance as they augmented what was otherwise just a medium-bodied wine. This wine is at or near its peak now so I would not wait too much longer to consume it. Cost $53.99/btl. Rating CW89 This was an elegant wine that was well structured, full bodied but tilted toward minerals and acidity
This was a very well structured and balanced wine that displayed a rich honey color, providing a combination of oak, fruit, acidity and some floral qualities on the nose. The wine seemed more forward and had a buttery middle palate right from the start, with the back end developing a fuller structure with time. Clearly great care was taken to make this wine as it seemed to balance its flavors, acidity and power very well. Still I would characterize this wine as full bodied but not rich, flavorful but more balanced toward minerals and acidity than oak, vanilla or some of the buttery and creamy textures some of the newer entrants to Burgundy have displayed. Cost $59.99/btl. Rating CW89 This was an elegant wine that was well structured, full bodied but tilted toward minerals and acidity
This was a very well structured and balanced wine that displayed a rich honey color, providing a combination of oak, fruit, acidity and some floral qualities on the nose. The wine seemed more forward and had a buttery middle palate right from the start, with the back end developing a fuller structure with time. Clearly great care was taken to make this wine as it seemed to balance its flavors, acidity and power very well. Still I would characterize this wine as full bodied but not rich, flavorful but more balanced toward minerals and acidity than oak, vanilla or some of the buttery and creamy textures some of the newer entrants to Burgundy have displayed. Cost $59.99/btl. Rating CW89 This was a nice wine that was tilted more toward the minerality and steely side of the spectrum and had a medium body
The wine had a nice light honey lemon color with some floral hints and modest amounts of fruit and minerality on the nose. After opening the wine displayed some buttery vanilla and pear flavors, but this was clearly a wine for those who love to experience a variety of minerals and acidity. While the wine was a bit forward initially, it did develop a bit longer finish with time and had a creamy texture. Still, this is not a power house of fruit flavor but a nice combination of mineral, some fruit and hints of oak. I felt this wine was reasonably structured and balanced. I would drink this wine now as it is unlikely to develop deeper flavors over time. Cost $49.99/btl. Rating CW87 A blind tasting of an up and coming Sonoma producer vs. two Santa Rita Hills based producers At this blind tasting we sought to contrast different wine-making styles while at the same time comparing wines made in Sonoma to wines made in Santa Barbara County. We tasted the following wines, which are listed below:
Executive Summary:
For more details please visit: www.wines-earle.com I have always had a preference for a village type wine from an excellent producer rather than relying on a producer of just average wine. I especially like Pernot's Bourgogne Blank since his grapes come from Puligny. This 2015 presents with a pleasing pale gold color and initially had some good minerality presenting on the nose along with a mild floral aroma. Initially the wine has a good structure for a $25/btl wine. I sense reasonable structure but is surprisingly not as expressive as i thought it might be for this type of wine. Overall the wine presents with a good balance of minerals and fruit with a characteristic creamy texture, which is indicative of Pernot's style. I would certainly recommend this wine for a hot summer day, and certainly for the price it is well worth it. For this meal we both felt the wine balanced well with the food as some of it's overt minerality faded over time. As the wine opened up, there were more hints of creamy butter,
This remake of David Burke's Townhouse is less formal and very well appointed. The menu can be described as American with strong French influences. The dishes are not heavy but still very flavorful, a good balance between the two styles. Tavern62 has a more relaxed feel to it vs. the old venue, but still maintained its excellent style. The service was also very good.
For appetizers, my wife had the west coast oysters and I had the angry lobster dumplings in a spicy tomato sauce, both were excellent. The dumplings had a good balance of spice that added to the dish without taking away from the flavor of the lobster. For the main course I had the risotto with scallops and the wife had the halibut with asparagus in an artichoke purée. The risotto was flavorful but light and not overpowered by the scallops. Overall, I would say the risotto was excellent, especially as it is not the easiest dish to make. The halibut was perfectly cooked with sliced baby carrots, asparagus and artichokes. The wine, Paul Pernot - Bourgogne Blanc Chardonnay 2015, paired very well with the food. Rating TBD, corkage $50/Bottle. A more casual venue that still maintains its style and high standards This remake of David Burke's Townhouse is less formal and very well appointed. The menu can be described as American with strong French influences. The dishes are not heavy but still very flavorful, a good balance between the two styles. Tavern 62 has a more relaxed feel to it vs the old venue, but still maintained its excellent style. The service was also very good. For appetizers, my wife had the west coast oysters and I had the angry lobster dumplings in a spicy tomato sauce, both were excellent. The dumplings had a good balance of spice that added to the dish without taking away from the flavor of the lobster. For the main course I had the risotto with scallops and the wife had the halibut with asparagus in an artichoke purée. The risotto was flavorful but light and not overpowered by the scallops. Overall, I would say the risotto was excellent, especially as it is not the easiest dish to make. The halibut was perfectly cooked with sliced baby carrots, asparagus and artichokes. The wine, Paul Pernot - Bourgogne Blanc Chardonnay 2015, paired very well with the food. Rating TBD, corkage $50/Bottle. Categories All |
Nelson EarleA seasoned wine collector who is marrying the skills learned on Wall Street as a research analyst and manager to the wine business. |