October 12, 2006

Gotham glasses…

Last week, a quick drink with a fellow wine PR person turned into a serious repast.

We sat at a table in the bar of Gotham Bar and Grill. Everyone was elegant and I was a bit un-fabulous in my post Astor attire and sneakers, but it was a good hair day. I perused the wine list with what I hoped was aplomb, and was surprised by the limited by the glass offerings, including a $26 Pinot Noir from California. $26 a GLASS for Pinot Noir! I mean come on! But it was worth it.

Kidding, I ordered a Fino Sherry. Tasty and a relative bargain, even though it didn’t go with our oysters. They were delicious, and so fresh I could almost feel the tang of salt air (really). My dining partner followed with seafood risotto – perfect texture and creaminess from the forkful I tasted. To go with it, she picked a white from Spain, but neither of us had heard of the grape. It was oaky and strange. Why didn’t they just have an Albariño instead? I had a glass of Rosso di Montalcino along with my Muscovy duck and foie gras terrine. A very flavorful dish and generous appetizer portion, though not really a terrine and where was the foie gras? Had it already been outlawed along with trans fats? I followed the server’s advice and dutifully dipped the duck in the accompanying sauces – mango, red onion and mint/basil, if memory serves me right. Literally all over the map, but yummy, especially the mint.

Back to the wine. The Rosso tasted pretty dusty at first, but improved after sitting in my glass. The last sips were the best, but that probably had something to do with the number of sips I had....

We ended on a high sweet note with a “s’more” – warm chocolate tart, graham cracker crust and toasted vanilla marshmallow, blackberry sour cream sorbet (I checked the website). A très gourmet version of the ones I made this summer at the beach. The dessert wine/digestif list was quite respectable. Aged Tawny Port for me and Moscato d’Asti for my friend. Moscato d’Asti, as she commented quite aptly, makes you happy. I couldn't agree more - its florally aromatic, sweet yet balanced bubbles are an instant mood lifter. In any case, I was in cheery spirits on the subway ride back to my borough.

Phew, that was longer than planned. Thanks for reading!

Coming soon – my infatuation with bubble teas and impressions of Nomad in the East Village.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

hi vino girl - i love the update. never thought i'd be reading a blog written by a friend who is close to my age (and even closer as of last friday!) ;-)
looking forward to your next posting.
xoxo,
j