This charming little cocktail bar and French inspired restaurant, that just opened a few months ago, has everything you want in a place like this, great cocktails, wine, beers and sexy food in a welcoming setting with charmingly pleasant people. We came upon it by happenstance on the way to the theater when my mobile Foursquare app popped up a suggestion to check this place out.
The Wine: Chateau Soucherie, Anjou Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Loire Valley $$
The Food: Fabulous French Inspired Small Plates
The Place: Wallflower, 12th Street near Greenwich, West Village NYC
We met Xavier at the bar and enjoyed great conversation and two of his masterful cocktails which he creates with the focus and intent of an Old Master.
This is the “Pere Pinard” crafted with Pig’s Nose Scotch, Pear Williams Purkhart, fresh lemon juice, a house made Pinot Noir syrup, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram and Bitter Truth Decanter Bitters. Sounds exotic, but remarkably well balanced and drinkable.
Diana wanted wine, a cocktail she feared may make her drowsy before our show, Once, at the Jacobs Theater. I contemplated the enticing menu by Jared Stafford-Hill of Maison Premiere and Bobo fame.
I chose a Loire Valley Chenin Blanc which proved again that full bodied white wines are great with meat dishes. Chateau Soucherie Anjou Blanc Cuvee Les Rangs de Long.
Château Soucherie is a small, historic and very beautiful estate south of Angers in Loire with a captivating view of the Layon Valley. With the winery there are guest rooms making it a wonderful place to visit.
"The Anjou Blanc 2010 is a golden yellow colour with a beautiful shine, a wine with a good level of grape ripeness. Its milky caramel profile lets through a hint of oak giving it an overall patina.
This less mineral wine is broad and round. The generous palate reveals a beautiful vinosity on a quite powerful juice. However, the mineral tension is not too strongly felt in the aromas and this is most evident in the palate finish. " Says Olivier Poussier, noted as the Best Sommelier in the World in October 2000. Wine Maker
Paired so well with this Beef Tartare with Horseradish Cream Wrapped in a Crouton.
That was quickly crushed to an explosion of delicate flavors.
And this Pork Rillettes with Beets, Greens and Truffles.
Two dishes you might first pair with a Pinot Noir or Beaujolais, but the Chenin Blanc met them nicely.
But I must admit the wine was most perfect with these Sea Scallops with Smoked Caviar Pomegranate and Celery with Celeriac Mash.
I also enjoyed Xavier’s “John Doe” with Rittenhouse 100 Rye, La Cigarerra Manzilla Sherry, Cynar, Green Chartreuse and Orange Bitters. I was concerned about the Chartreuse, not a favorite, liquor, but it made the drink perfect.
235 West 12th St. New York, NY 10014
Sunday-Wednesday 5pm-12:30am
Thursday-Saturday 5pm-1am
F-49750 Beaulieu-sur-Layon France
+33 (0)2 41 78 31 18
Things to do, places to see, with food and booze
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