Wine in New York

[Julio G]

I'm off to NYC for a week at the end of the month and was wondering if there are any good wine experiences to be had there. I am well up on some of the fine dining experiences on offer but was hoping not to have to fork out for an expensive meal to get access to good wine. Any tips gratefully received.

Cheers

[Mike Hawkins]

Eleven Madison park is byo - $35 corkage (cheap for NYC). The food is close to the best in the country.

Veritas has the best wine list at all price ranges and the food is pretty good.

[ChrisV]

There's zillions of wine bars, just hit up Google.

[daz]

There's zillions of wine bars, just hit up Google.

Yeah but beware the hype

[rooman]

One of my favourite restaurants in New York is Public down on Elizabeth St south of Hudson. Great food, not expensive and funky. I had a friend from NY over for dinner the other night and he says it is still great. i also saw the guys on a wine forum focused on NY went there recently for a big wine dinner. It is well worth the trip. Eleven Madison also seems to be getting great press but is much more expensive.

[Julio G]

Rooman - Public looks great - heavily Aus/NZ influenced wine list.

Thanks for the info.

[Mike Hawkins]

One of my favourite restaurants in New York is Public down on Elizabeth St south of Hudson. Great food, not expensive and funky. I had a friend from NY over for dinner the other night and he says it is still great. i also saw the guys on a wine forum focused on NY went there recently for a big wine dinner. It is well worth the trip. Eleven Madison also seems to be getting great press but is much more expensive.

Been there a few times and its not too bad - $25 corkage from memory. Just beware of the unisex toilets...

[Julio G]

Well, Public was superb, we had the Sunday supper menu accompanied by a 2006 Olivier Leflaive 1er Saint Aubin and a Craggy Range Bordeaux blend, the former being fantastic, the latter being good.

Also dined at an Italian called Il Buco. Delicious food and a really interesting wine list. Sagrantino is their specialty (biggest collection of any restaurant outside Umbria, they claim). We indulged in one of the cheaper ($85) bottles and were suitably impressed. Will definitely be exploring that grape further.

Mr Hawkins - you live in one hell of a great city!

[rooman]

I am glad to hear you enjoyed Public. I think it is a great venue for what it is, meaning it is not three star uber expensive and tres chic, more down and funky. I also love that simple fresh ingredient style of food. No surprise the chef is from either NZ or Aus, I can't remember which. I do miss NY.

[Hindmarsh]

When my wife and I were in New York last year we went to the Rover Cafe in Brooklyn, just under the Brooklyn Bridge. It is a bit of a touristy, but the view is lovely, and to topic, it has a nice wine list. We had the degustation menu and I ended the lovely meal with a flight of madeira (of which they have a great selection).

We found numerous wine bars in the upper West Side and also downtown, just check the menue for their selection, and don't base your selection on how nice it looks (a trap I sometimes fall into - the not so schmick places had the best wine lists most of the time).

Cheers

Rod

PS - avoid house Merlot and Chardonnay like the plague (unless you like red and pine cordial)

[Mike Hawkins]

Thanks Julio,

It is a great city, though we're expecting a foot of snow tonight which presents its' challenges !

Another benefit is the sheer range of wines and cuisines that are easily accessible - certainly much more so than Sydney. I live on the Upper east Side and there must be 100 restaurants within 15 minutes walk.

Cheers

Mike

[Julio G]

I currently live in London and love it too. The blessing that NYC has (probably a curse in some respects - prices) is that it is bound by the shores of Manhattan Island - you're never far away from anything. If I was describing NYC to a Londoner who had not been there I'd say it is like somebody squashed all of the great things in London onto a small island. Obviously they have their different charms... but you get my drift.

[daver6]

Thanks for reading this thread my wife and I decided to check out Public on our recent trip to New York. We went for the Sunday supper option (5 course meal for $50 based on the fresh produce of the day). What can I say. Excellent value for money! Loved the place. Food, service and wine were great. Only disappointing thing is its in New York and not closer to home.