CITYSCENE
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Buttermilk Channel
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Buttermilk Channel takes its name from the waterway a few hundred yards west, between Brooklyn's shipyards and Governors Island: Local dairy farmers used to say the strong current could churn milk into butter on the boatride to Manhattan. The borough's dairies are long gone, but owner Doug Cromwell has done his best to find every other local specialty available, from mozzarella made right up the street at Caputo's and sausages from neighborhood favorite Esposito's to meats and vegetables from local farmers' markets. He's complemented the food with an all-American wine list heavy on East Coast offerings, like Hermann J. Wiemer's Dry Riesling from the Finger Lakes, Pellegrini's Cabernet Franc from Long Island and a merlot from Brooklyn Oenology, made just the other side of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Red Hook.
—Tara Q. Thomas
Buttermilk Channel, 524 Court St.,
Brooklyn; 718-852-8490,
buttermilkchannelnyc.com (reviewed W&S 6/09)
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L'Artusi
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The lads who made cramped-comfort chic at teenie dell'anima have unfurled their wings at their spacious second Greenwich Village venture, L'Artusi, whose name winks at a famous 19th-century Italian cookbook author–Pellegrino Artusi. In his new open kitchen, executive chef Gabriel Thompson riffs on classic Italian dishes–most priced less than $20–with modern twists. At the huge bar, Aaron Sherman's cocktails (all under $12) commingle Italian and American spirits and liqueurs, like the Benevento, an Italian version of a Manhattan (Michter's Rye, Carpano Antica and Strega) and the Sicily Flip, a mixture of gin, bitters, egg and nutmeg. Beverage director Joe Campanale has crafted a wine list rich in bargains, especially those from lesser-known appellations, like a Lini Lambrusco Bianco from Emilia-Romagna ($36) or La Pallaza's 1998 Sangiovese di Romagna Notturno ($46); in fact, there are myriad older vintages on the list from the 1990s—when Campanale and his cohorts were in high school.
—Anthony Giglio
L'Artusi, 228 W. 10th St., NYC;
212-255-5757
lartusinyc.com (reviewed W&S 6/09)
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Olivéa
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Olivéa is the restaurant you want around the corner from your home—chef John Broening's food is great, owner Stephanie Bonin's wine list short and sweet, and the prices are eminently reasonable. There's ambitious housemade charcuterie, really good flatbreads and destination dishes like airy gnocchi lifting a sugo packed with flavor. The wine list is stocked with great bottles under $50 (J. L. Chave's Mon Coeur, the Cuvée Silex Vouvray Sec from Domaine Vigneau-Chevreau). Be sure to linger for one of Yasmin Lozada-Hissom's desserts: The fromage blanc ice cream alone is worth a visit.
—Robert Pincus
Olivéa, 719 E. 17th Ave., Denver; 303-861-5050
(reviewed W&S 8/09)
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Anchovies & Olives
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Seattleites are long accustomed to measuring the progress of the year in salmon runs. But at his new Anchovies & Olives, Ethan Stowell (Union, How to Cook a Wolf) focuses even more intently on the seasonality of the Northwest's seafood. Every menu is a snapshot of the day's bounty, each dish composed with the purity of a sushi chef: In spring, Shigoku oysters are garnished with a few flecks of pickled beets; a salad of cauliflower and foraged miner's lettuce is tossed in an anchovy-flushed dressing; grilled mackerel is simply set atop roasted hedgehog mushrooms and treviso. Picking from the wine list compiled by Angela Stowell, who delves even further into Italian whites than she did at How to Cook a Wolf, diners can accompany the crudi with the mineral-peach notes of a Muri-Gries Südtiroler Sylvaner and the pastas with the rolling washes of fruit and earth in the bianco Falesco Ferentano.
—Jonathan Kauffman
Anchovies & Olives, 1550 15th Ave., Seattle; 206-838-8080,
anchoviesandolives.com (reviewed W&S 8/09)
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Poppy
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As chef of The Herbfarm, Jerry Traunfeld once envisioned each nightly meal as a multi course, four-hour spectacle. At Poppy, his new bistro in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, he compresses the same fragrance and flavor into a single thali. Up to ten tiny bowls crowd together on the trays, inspired by the meals he ate while traveling in India. Each element is composed with the nose of a perfumer. The aromas of ginger and rosemary fuse together in a sweet-potato purée; wagyu brisket, fragrant with Seville orange zest, is served atop coriander-scented potatoes. Traunfeld keeps his wine list short, concentrating on the rich whites and zesty reds of the Northwest that can stand up to the spice. But the drinks that echo the food most evocatively are the chef's complex, aromatic cocktails, such as the Lookout, with gin, Aperol, yellow Chartreuse, and mandarin orange.
—Jonathan Kauffman
Poppy, 622 E. Broadway, Seattle;
206-324-1108,
poppyseattle.com
(reviewed W&S 6/09)
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Oasi
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For wine geeks, Oasi is indeed an oasis of a Mediterranean sort, one filled with wines heavy on acidity, minerality and all the other stuff we crave. It's the work of John Szabo, Canada's only Master Sommelier and the head of Toronto's Centre for Vine Affairs wine school. He's organized his eclectic selection by style, setting off each section of the list with a photograph that captures the defining characteristic of the wines within: Water cascading down a sheer rock face leads off "tears from stones," a section of mineral-laden whites such as Sigalas Santorini and Allram's Strasser Gaisberg Grüner Veltliner; a swath of ethereal gauze introduces "caressed by silk," an array of finely textured reds such as Raffault's Clos des Capucins Chinon and Sangiovanni's Rosso Piceno. Most bottles run less than $100, with many available by the glass or 3-ounce taste–all the better to graze your way through the marinated sardines, marjoram-scented grilled octopus and other Mediterranean-inspired dishes chef Todd Clarmo turns out.
—T. Q. Thomas
Oasi, 99 Sudbury St., Toronto, Canada; 416-849-6567,
theoasi.com
(reviewed W&S 6/09)
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Cellar 56
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In Buckhead, Atlanta's swankiest neighborhood, chef Paul Agnelli and his partners at Cellar 56 focus on affordability: Small plates, from jumbo lump crab salad with avocado to Guinness-braised short ribs, and prosciutto and green chile-laced mac-and-cheese, run $4 to $5. Charles Smith's Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Hermanos del Villar Oro de Castilla Verdejo and La Posta's "Cocina Blend" of malbec, bonarda and syrah all sell for $3 by the half-glass, $6 for a full glass, and $24 per bottle. From the looks of the nightly crowds, these prices have successfully swayed newly frugal locals.
—Bill Addison
Cellar 56, 56 East Andrews Dr., Atlanta; 404-869-1132,
cellar56.com (reviewed W&S 6/09)
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Flip Burger Boutique
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After impressing Top Chef: Chicago judges with his fauxhawk, liquid nitrogen tank and unusual combinations, Richard Blais is now back in Atlanta, putting Blaisian touches on house-ground beef patties and grill-toasted buns at Flip, his upscale burger joint in booming West Midtown. The burgers draw long lines at all hours, as much for the meat as for sides like sweet potato tater tots with blue cheese foam and the drinks: liquid nitrogen pistachio milkshakes; a "cream soda" of vanilla Cognac, vanilla liqueur, cream and ginger ale; and a rye Manhattan given a twist with smoky, caramelized cherries. Best of all, everything on the menu is under $10.
—Krista Reese
Flip Burger Boutique, 1587 Howell Mill Rd., Atlanta;
404-352-3547,
flipburgerboutique.com (reviewed W&S 6/09)
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Play Food & Wine
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There's not a dish on Play's ever-changing menu that runs more than $15, and nearly every wine comes in under $90. That's how Stephen Beckta and chef Michael Moffatt encourage people to take a light approach to food and wine at their slick new space on the edge of the busy Byward Market. It's a great place to explore the local bounty, from Ontario pickerel with lemon and artichokes to an all-Ontario cheese list. Beckta, former sommelier at NYC's Café Boulud and Eleven Madison Park and proprietor of Ottowa's Beckta Dining and Wine, does his part with a heavy mix of Niagara wines on his international list. Check out the bright, fresh Ladybug rosé from Malivoire with bacon-enriched Digby scallops or the old-vine gamay from 13th St. with steak frites.
—T.Q. Thomas
Play Food & Wine, 1 York St., Ottawa, Ontario, CA; 613-667-9207,
playfood.ca
(reviewed W&S 6/09)
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RN74
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Named for the main highway running the length of the Côte d'Or, RN74, the new restaurant from Michael Mina, Rajat Parr and Jason Berthold, is a wine geek's dream. Parr, Mina's long-time wine director, was given access to collector Wilf Jaeger's personal cellar to build a stunning program. Featuring historical verticals and rare bottles from producers like Ramonet, Georges Roumier and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Château Rayas and August Clape, it's easy to experience a sudden case of acute cellar envy. Beyond the trophy wine, there's the Market List, which features notable bottles under $100 (lots of German riesling, Austrian grüner, cru Beaujolais), an extensive by-the-glass selection and an ever-changing last-bottle list—a working train board—featuring deals from the collection, such as the Blain Gagnard 1979 Chassagne Montrachet for $129. Once you've found your treasure, dive into Berthold's menu of hearty dishes like cornmeal and mascarpone angolotti, or lamb loin with morels and fava beans.
—Wolfgang M. Weber
RN74, 301 Mission St., San Francisco; 415-543-7474,
rn74.com
(reviewed W&S 8/09)
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Nopalito
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Nopalito, the bustling new restaurant from the crew behind Nopa, is in the running for serving up the best carnitas in San Francisco–no small feat in a city filled with exceptional taquerias. Even better, the beverage choices go far beyond the usual cervezas to include organic almond horchata and a focused selection of local wines under $40. Check out Lioco's Indica, a carignane blend from Mendocino, or a Sonoma County rosé from Sutton Cellars. Here's a tip: It's busy most nights but call ahead to leave your name on the waiting list.
—Wolfgang M. Weber
Nopalito, 306 Broderick St., San Francisco; 415-437-0303,
nopalitosf.com
(reviewed W&S 6/09)
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Taxim
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Chicago's no stranger to Greek food, but Taxim brings Greek wares the likes of which this city has never seen. Instead of spanakopita, try rampopita—housemade phyllo stuffed with ramps, goat feta and dill. And instead of meat carved from a spit, roasted duck and walnut-yogurt mousse fills Taxim's gyros. Simple mezedes (fresh fava beans tossed with crispy bits of lamb confit) and perhaps the city's best Greek wine list (Boutari Skalani, Sigalas, Skouras and Tselepos, to start) are helping pack this place. But the best part is what's not here—notably guys in blouses shouting "opa!"
—David Tamarkin
Taxim, 1558 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago; 773-252-1558,
(reviewed W&S 8/09)
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