Presenting the first guest blogger in Terroirists history: Jeff Vejr of Portland, OR has visited New York, NY and has returned with a scintilating blog post in-hand. It is below; please enjoy responsibly.
Location: 247 Broome Street (Lower East Side), New York, NY 10002-3837
www.thetenbells.com
Sometimes when duty calls, one must rise to the occation. I had notified the Terroirists that I would be traveling to NYC for the National Kermit Lynch tasting event on April 27 and they put in a simple request: cover the event for the blog, and throw in a wine bar review if possible. Great minds drink think alike, because I had already planned on doing a little research and development in the Big Apple.
There are not enough days in the month to even begin to cover all of the wine bars in New York, so in order to widdle my choices down, I turned to my friend Google. After typing in my chosen search terms “natural wine new york wine bar” (try it, it works) the results came back (there was only one) with the name Ten Bells. Ten Bells? Could Google be wrong? Was I being sent to a bells and wine specialty shop? Armed with my MetroPass, I set out to find this wine bar on an uncommonly cold and rainy night. Joly’s speed young man. Joly’s speed.
Discovery
Apparently, signage isn’t en vouge in this neighborhood as all of the bars, restaurants, and café’s on Broome Street can attest. This must be tourist protection. After a few walk-bys, it was evident which establishment was the ellusive Ten Bells. I wiped the wet hair out of my face and walked in.
Entry
Immediately, the dimmly lit, cavernous feel engulfs you. Everything is dark except for the thin white marble bar top, illuminated by votive candles — cool factor: 100. I snag one of the last remaining seats at the bar and shortly notice that the menu is written on a chalkboard on each wall. Excellent, we are saving trees here too. Through the dim light, underneath the heading “White” I noticed the word “Movia.” Now I know I’m home.
Disappointment & Redemption
Bliss, Condensed
I order the Movia, but the Movia is sold out. This is disappointing, but it means that a lot of people have consumed the Movia, and that is a great thing. The bartender (a jovial Frenchmen) could see my unhappiness, but he had a remedy, he knew what would cheer me up. It was (out of a magnum) the 2007 Thierry Puzelat “La Tesniere” Touraine Blanc (75% Menu Pineau, 25% Chenin Blanc), which cured me to the fullest. The minerality hit me immediately. I started smiling and scrambling to read the day’s oyster selection. This wine wa begging for oysters, it was shouting at me to do the right thing! I ordered half a dozen each of the Fanny Bay (B.C.) and Malpeque (P.E.I), but this wine was so damn delicious I couldn’t wait for the oysters, so I savored sip after sip of this briny, crisp, lemon zesty white goddess from the Loire. This glass went on a solo trip. Oysters are up! Another glass of the Touraine PLEASE! It was an amazing pairing which took the wine to new heights (from the meatiness of the oysters), and the oysters were lifted by the acidity and lemon zest notes in the wine.
Food & Wine
I’m a huge fan of the small plates format (obviously) — especially when executed right. I’m looking for homemade, creative, and fresh/seasonal dishes. Food, like wine, is meant to be shared; it should be communal, you should have fun trying different dishes, pairing them with wines and talking to your dining compainion(s) about what works, what doesn’t, what is a must try and what you want to attempt to make yourself at home. The menu is extensive relative to the size of the kitchen.
I see Smoked Duck Breast on the menu and order it after devouring the oysters. I could see the cook slicing up the duck breast; it was clearly house cured and smoked and had perfect texture, perfect smoke, and an excellent fat-to-meat ratio. I paired this with a glass of 2007 Domaine du Cros Marcillac Rouge ‘Vieilles Vignes’, which is a stunning wine. I had tasted this wine before, but only once. Made of 100% Fer Servadou from an 80+ year old vineyard, this wine has an iodine/iron backbone that really held up and complimented the smoke.
Next up was the Hand Cut Steak Tartar. I can’t pass up Steak Tartar, who dosen’t like uncooked meat? There was a good amount of green onion and horseradish throughout and it was way too horseradishy for me; the onion and horseradish took away from the meat. It seemed I had ordered onion and horseradish tartar. I was teary eyed, literally — not good. It would have nuked any wine pairing option, so I choose a bread pairing instead to soak up the heat. I wasn’t deturred and was still riding a wine nerd high, so I ordered the daily empanada special. Hallelujah.
The empanada was handmade and was stuffed with chorizo and cheese. Excellent! Next up was the pulled pork slider with pickled onions. I needed a bigger wine to go with this, so I settled for the 2007 Descendientes de José Palacios ‘Pètalos’ — 100% Mencia from Bierzo, Spain. Ah, the wine gods are making up for the Movia now. The Mencia was dense, with great spice and stone fruit notes. By this time I was holding court with the fellows behind the bar. The staff was great and we traded wine recommendations back and forth. Then the wine sharing hit new levels. Bottles from underneath the counter came out and the real action started. I was blind tasted on a couple wines, a Cabernet Franc from the Loire and a Tempranillo from Spain. I nailed them both, cementing my memebership into their unofficial wine club. We became fast friends, said our warm goodbyes, and hoped that our wine paths would cross again someday. Four hours well spent.
If you find yourself in NYC, do yourself a favor and stop by Ten Bells. You will not be disappointed. If you live in NYC and you haven’t been, GO, this is a special place. Who knows, the Movia might be back in stock.
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