Well, well, well..lookie what I found here. I was walking down St. Marks a few weeks ago and saw a family talking to a young Japanese man outside a door, which was behind a curtain. My interest peaked, "Wait, what is this? Is there a restaurant behind that door?" The answer is yes, and I have found a truly hidden gem people.
Read moreTABLE FOR ONE: PIG AND KHAO
The Filipino inspired Lower East Side restaurant Pig and Khao is a fun and great spot. I dropped in recently and had a fabulous meal.
Read moreTABLE FOR ONE: MIGHTY QUINN'S BARBECUE
Everyone's new favorite BBQ joint is the new East Village spot Mighty Quinn's. Many critics and fans are raving about the 'cue here. I stopped in recently and had a delectable bite
Read moreTABLE FOR ONE: CALLIOPE
One of the best restaurants to open in 2012 was Calliope in the East Village, a "neighborhood bistro serving up European farmhouse food." I've been to Calliope twice so far, and each time I step into that corner space on East 4th Street and 2nd Ave, I am whisked away to Paris.
Read moreTABLE FOR ONE: MOMOFUKU NOODLE BAR
First off, let me just say for the record that my all round favorite restaurant in NYC is Momofuku Ssam. It used to be Momofuku Noodle Bar, until Ssam opened up.
Read moreTABLE FOR ONE: TERROIR
Wednesday night I went to the wine bar Terroir in the East Village. Terroir comes to us from chef Marco Canora and sommelier Paul Grieco (Hearth, Insieme).
The place is small, with just one long communal table and the bar. It has a very laid back and comfortable feel, typical of most places in the East Village.
I luckily walked in with Mr. Grieco, (who I recognized outside, because I have the ability to recognize most personalities in the NYC restaurant industry) and I had him recommend what I should order.
I took his recommendations and went with the Hearts of Bibb Lettuce salad ($7) and the fried Sage Leaves with lamb sausage ($7). He paired these dishes with a unique Hungarian wine, which was wonderful.
The Hearts of Bibb Lettuce came with creamy garlic vinaigrette and bread crumbs. It was tasty, refreshing, and crunchy. I'm not a huge salad eater, but it was a nice start.
The fried Sage Leaves with lamb sausages were great! The lamb was juicy and succulent, and the wrapped fried sage leaves around them gave it the perfect crisp.
After these two little bites I decided to grab another bite and went with the fried Beet Risotto Balls with gorgonzola cheese ($7). (Too be honest, I initially thought it said "Beef" instead of "Beet" so my first thought was "Wow this beef tastes like beets!") The gorgonzola was the perfect complement for the beets, and both flavors were equally strong.
Terroir is the perfect wine bar. It has an amazing selection of unique and great wine, as well as a great menu of small bites to pair with the wine. The prices are not expensive too. It is definitely one of my favorite wine bars in all of NYC!
Terroir
413 E. 12th St. (at 1st Ave)
New York, NY 10009
646-602-1300
