Terroir

Note: Terroir in the East Village closed in January 31, as part of the culinary “divorce” between chef Marco Canora and sommelier Paul Grieco. The East Village location is expected to become a new restaurant under Canora’s supervision. Three other Terroirs (in Tribeca, in Murray Hill, and on the Highline) will remain open, under Grieco’s control.

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I dropped by Terroir the other night to taste the pork blade steak that Frank Bruni has been raving about. He rated it one of the top ten dishes of 2008.

He’s right—up to a point. The steak, just $17, is a pig shoulder, cut thin, broiled on high heat, and lightly seasoned. Unlike Bruni, I saw no need to dump arugula and parmesan on top. The intense porky flavor never wore out on me, even though consuming this beast is a major project.

The server’s suggested wine pairing, a 2005 Merlot from Shinn Estate Vinyards on Long Island ($11.50/gl.), was as provocative as it was successful.

My last visit to Terroir was on opening night, in March 2008. Since then, the wine list has expanded, and it’s full of sommelier Paul Grieco’s signature wit. If you’re alone, it can take the place of a dinner companion.

The only trouble with Terroir is getting in. When I arrived at about 7:00 p.m. on a Friday night, I snagged the last stool available at the bar. By the time I left, the server was quoting about 15–20 minute waits for parties of two.

Although the space is perpetually full, the servers provide plenty of attention. Most people seemed to be there to drink. The chef, who occupies a cramped corner in the back of the restaurant, wasn’t working up much of a sweat. But everything she was asked to produce looked wonderful.

There’s a lot of Terroir left to try.

Terroir (413 E. 12th Street east of First Avenue, East Village)

Food: *
Wine: **
Service: *
Ambiance: *
Overall: *

First Look: Terroir

Note: Terroir in the East Village closed in January 31, as part of the culinary divorce between chef Marco Canora and sommelier Paul Grieco. The East Village location is now a wine bar called Fifty Paces, which Canora owns. Terroir Tribeca remains open, under Grieco’s control, and there is also a Highline outpost in the warmer months.

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It takes a lot to draw me over to First Avenue on a weeknight, which is about as far out of my commuting path as I could get without leaving Manhattan. But when I heard that sommelier Paul Grieco (Hearth, Insieme) was opening a new wine bar, I had to give it a try.

It’s called Terroir, for the French word that describes the “sense of place” that gives each wine its personality. Grieco’s partner, Marco Canora, is in charge of the food, which includes several favorites from his tenure at Craftbar, and other snacks that go well with the informal bar setting. There isn’t much of a kitchen in the tiny space at Terroir, but a lot of the food comes from Hearth, which is just 30 yards down the street.

The vibe is very East Village-y, including the gentle price point. There are over twenty wines offered by the glass, from just $5 to $19, with many at $10 or less. All are also offered by the half-glass. The variety is hard to characterize, but rest assured anything Paul Grieco offers will be compelling.

The wine list at Hearth is famously verbose, but for now the much smaller list at Terroir is limited to the bare facts. “There’s not much literature in it yet,” Grieco said. “Right now, it’s like an e. e. cummings poem.” I suspect it won’t be that way for long.

The food menu fits on one page: bar snacks ($4–5, or 6 for $22); fried stuff ($7); salads ($7–8); bruschetta ($6–7); charcuterie ($4–5, or assortment $21); cheese ($3.50, or 6 for $20); soup ($8); panini ($9) and large plates ($15), with generally four or five choices in each category. The large plates include such choices as veal & ricotta meatballs, braised duck leg, sausage, and broiled sardines.

I ordered the charcuterie assortment ($21), which came with about nine different kinds of hand-cut meats (which is more than I saw listed individually on the menu), a terrific pork terrine, and sliced bread. Canora explained each one, but I won’t attempt to duplicate his descriptions.

I asked Grieco to pair wines with it. He chose a contrasting white from southern Italy and a red from France; for both, he opened a fresh bottle and gave me a small taste before pouring a glass. I was charged half-glass prices ($4.00/$4.75) for what seemed to me generous pours. They were wonderful choices, as I have come to expect from anything Grieco recommends.

The small space was full, but I had no trouble getting a bar stool after about five minutes’ wait. This being opening night, a lot of the customers were friends of the owners, stopping in to say hello. For such a small space, it seemed to be well staffed, with everyone pitching in: Canora cleared plates; Grieco dried glassware.

Now that Canora and Grieco have three restaurants, there is one problem: I don’t know where Grieco will be. I trust that the kitchens can execute Canora’s cuisine in his absence, but who will be there to recommend wines? Wherever Grieco is working on any given day, that’s where I want to dine.

Terroir (413 E. 12th Street east of First Avenue, East Village)

The Bubble Lounge

Did everyone else in town know that the Bubble Lounge is a champagne bar?

It seems obvious now, but I’ve walked by it for years, and never went inside, or even made the connection that bubbles = champagne. Well, I was meeting a friend for drinks after work, and I picked The Bubble Lounge simply because I’d always been curious. So now I know.

The Bubble Lounge is actually a mini-chain, with outposts in both San Francisco and New York, and if the website is correct, more to come in other cities. The speciality is a menu featuring over 300 varieties of champagnes and sparkling wines. The food menu is strictly hors d’oeuvres.

The vibe is cool and dark, the seating comfortable. My friend and I found a couple of soft, wing-backed chairs right next to the jazz band. We spent an hour or so talking, but once the band arrived there wasn’t much hope of conversation. That’s not the bar’s fault, and the jazz at least was excellent.

The sparkling wines are a better bet than the cocktails. I tried two of the latter, neither of which impressed me, but the champagne we tried was very good. However, there aren’t many bargains to be had: the bill was $98 for six drinks (including tax, before tip). We only drank, so I can’t comment on the food.

The Bubble Lounge (228 West Broadway between N. Moore and Franklin Streets, TriBeCa)

Petrarca Cucina e Vino

The restaurant Arqua has been dishing out solid rustic Italian fare in east TriBeCa for almost twenty years. Bryan Miller’s two-star review, dating from 1990, comes right out of a time warp:

Arqua is out of the way for most fans of Italian food, unless you have business at City Hall or are prosecuting drug dealers in Federal court. Speaking of courts, that artichoke lasagna alone is reason to volunteer for jury duty.

Nowadays, TriBeCa restaurants no longer depend on prosecutors and city contractors to stay in business. Indeed, traffic must be better than ever, because earlier this year Arqua opened a casual cousin across the street, Petrarca Cucina e Vino, an informal restaurant and wine bar.

Miller found Arqua’s wine list over-priced, but Petrarca has an ample number of reasonable selections by the quartino, many priced at $20 or under. You can nurse two glasses out of a quartino, so that’s not bad by today’s standards.

After I ordered some wine, the bartender offered me a selection of bar snacks. I should have been suspicious, because it was clear the other patrons weren’t touching them. Indeed, they were cold, dull, and about ready to become cat food — except that most cats would have the good sense to give them a pass.

The décor is rustic chic, with broad windows, wine bottles on floor-to-ceiling shelves surrounding the room, and comfortable bar stools. There are tables for dinner, but I didn’t examine a menu. I won’t rate a restaurant solely on stale bar snacks, but would note that Frank Bruni wasn’t smitten.

Petrarca Cucina e Vino (34 White Street at Church Street, TriBeCa)

Vino Vino

Vino Vino is a small wine bar in TriBeCa, right next to the old El Teddy’s lot. The space is divided by a glass partition, with the retail wine shop on the right and the wine bar on the left. There are comfortable benches with a view into the retail space, with small tables and upholstered stools. At the back of the deep, narrow space is a traditional bar with about 5-6 seats.

A colleague and I visited Vino Vino last night. There were less than 10 people there, leaving the space eerily solemn, but perfect for a quiet conversation. There seemed to be only one server, and it took him quite a while to come to our table, even though he didn’t seem to be busy. However, he was fully knowledgeable about the menu, and gave accurate descriptions of the two Pinot Noirs we wanted to try. We wound up having a glass of both — 2003 Christom Vinyards “Mt. Jefferson Cuvee” ($14) and 2002 Walter Hansel “Estate Cuvee” ($16).

The menu offers about 30 wines by the glass, ranging from $6–20; most are $10–15. The food menu includes a limited selection of cured meats ($9–13 ea.; $14, plate of three), patés ($10, plate of three) and cheeses ($9, plate of three; $15, plate of six). We shared the plate of 6 cheeses, which were excellent — again, well explained by our server, once we could get his attention.

The bill, including two glasses of wine apiece and the cheese plate, was $96 including tax and tip. Although service was spotty, we would definitely go back to Vino Vino, as prices are reasonable, and the space is both comfortable and serene.

Vino Vino (211 West Broadway at Franklin St, TriBeCa)

Food/Drink: ★
Service: ★
Ambiance: ★
Overall: ★