Cityscene
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Abattoir
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Two meat hooks dangle globe-shaped light fixtures in the center of the rustic-chic dining room at Abattoir. They are the only clues that the restaurant, whose name is French for slaughterhouse, resides in what used to be a meat-processing facility. As befitting the location, chef owners Anne Quatrano, Clifford Harrison and Joshua Hopkins delve into head-to-tail creativity with dishes such as lamb sweetbreads in rosemary-scented plum sauce, an herb-scented tripe stew and corned lamb kidneys. The menu contains almost 50 modestly portioned dishes, so stouthearted vegetarians can also feast happily—on local vegetable salads, perhaps, or a confit of mushrooms over grilled sourdough bread. The wine list—with selections ranging from a 2008 Domaine Tariquet Ugni Blanc to a 2005 Mettler Family Petite Sirah—keeps it wholly affordable: Most bottles cost between $15 and $30.
—Bill Addison
Abattoir, 1170 Howell Mill Rd., Atlanta; 404-892-3335,
starprovisions.com (reviewed W&S 10/09)
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Rootstock
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Located on a block in the Humboldt Park neighborhood that is, frankly, a little sketchy, Rootstock is a small, glowing respite in a city full of more "traditional" (read: boring) wine bars. Simmering with hushed jazz, idiosyncratic wines, artisanal beers and a brilliant menu by chef Remy Ayesh, the place evokes the debauchery of the '20s more than the cabernet worship of the '90s. So even though pairing wine and cheese is old hat, this place somehow makes drinking the 2007 Leitz Eins Zwei Dry Riesling with some aged goat cheese and Earl Grey-soaked figs feel revolutionary again.
—David Tamarkin
Rootstock, 954 N. California Ave., Chicago; 773-292-1616,
rootstockbar.com (reviewed W&S 12/09)
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The Bazaar
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The Bazaar marks the California debut of José Andrés, the noted protégé of Ferran Adrià. Whether you choose to dine in the tapas bar, Rojo y Blanca, or the bustling Bar Centro, adjoining Philippe Starck-designed spaces in the SLS Hotel, surprises await. The buñuelos (cod fritters) are traditional, the caprese salad, with liquid mozzarella, not so much. Perhaps the best thing about The Bazaar's menu is its juxtapositions: Compare an arbequina olive with one of Andrés's substitutes, its skin containing an olivaceous center possibly more complex, and certainly more surprising, than the real thing. Lucas Paya's wine list keeps up with the inventive menu, covering Spain's best, including Rafael Palacios's evocative godello, As Sortes, and the Mallorcan red AN/2 from Anima Negra.
—Patrick J. Comiskey
The Bazaar, SLS Hotel, 465 S. La Cienaga Blvd., Beverly Hills; 310-246-5555,
thebazaar.com (reviewed W&S 10/09)
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Bar Henry
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First there was Café Henri, a cute, French-styled café in the West Village that serves 1997 Lafarge Volnay alongside a menu that maxes out at $14. Now there's Bar Henry, a slightly more ambitious project from owner Winston Kulok, with the help of sommelier John Slover, who's moonlighting from Grand Cru Wine Consulting. The space is dark and subterranean and the menu is a work in progress (go for the Pat La Frieda steak), but the wine list is a work of art, stacked with older Burgundies, Bordeaux and Barolo; hard-to-find gems like a 1991 Gentaz Dervieux Côte Rôtie Côte Brune ($411); and half bottles and magnums, all at fair to firesale prices (1,500 ml of 1971 Produttori Barbaresco runs $338). To sweeten the deal, everything on the Market List—about 100 bottles deemed ready to drink now—is available by the half bottle, and the remains of that bottle get sold by the glass. And yes, that extends to the 1989 Déydier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Clefs d'Or.
—Tara Q. Thomas
Bar Henry, 90 West Houston St., NYC; 646-448-4559 (reviewed W&S 2/10)
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Nios
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Nios, named for the nine muses of Greek mythology, pays homage to the art of drama, as is fitting here in the heart of the theater district: Designed to evoke the elements, the space features a virtual fireplace lit by a bronze log, and a forest of trees dripping with gold-filled cups. The centerpiece of this jewel-box space, however, is a refrigerated wall of wine flanked by a rolling ladder: Master Sommelier Emily Wines, who runs the wine program at San Francisco's Fifth Floor, selected the 100-bottle list. Wine even features prominently in the cocktails, created by mixologist Jacques Bezuidenhout of Harry Denton's Starlight Room in San Francisco, with drinks such as the Zin Cup, a blend of zinfandel, Pimm's and ginger beer. Chef Patricia Williams sends out classic American cuisine in small-plate format—perfect for a pretheater fly-by and a sip of something delicious.
—Anthony Giglio
Nios, 130 West 46 St., NYC; 212-485-2999,
niosrestaurant.com (reviewed W&S 10/09)
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SD26
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SD26, on the north side of Manhattan's Madison Park, is the new face of what had been San Domenico for two decades on Central Park South. The massive space—the first American restaurant created by Italian designer Massimo Vignelli, resplendent in rich tones of red and gold—holds 138 in the main dining room, plus 70 more in the wine bar/lounge. Though there were never any doubts about executive chef Odette Fada's capabilities, the Mays sent her and chef de cuisine Matteo Bergamini to Rome for the summer to get a pulse on how hip Romans mangiare. The result: dishes like butternut squash gnocchi with chicken liver and fried sage or roasted guinea hen with chestnuts and leeks. Fans of San Domenico's classic uovo di raviolo (a raviolo oozing with soft-cooked egg yolk and truffled butter) will be happy to know it made the cut, and is as gooey, gorgeous and delicious as ever. Wine, of course, remains as serious a business as it was uptown. In the dining room, you can peruse the 10,000-plus bottle inventory via the wireless digital menu, but the real fun is at the wine bar, where a 24-bottle Enomatic system spouts out 1-, 2- or 4-ounce pours, including high-end picks like Batasiolo's 2004 Barolo or Triacca's 2005 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Poderuccio. The pours are tracked on a special SD26 smartcard, handed to guests upon arrival and redeemed on the way out. If you're a registered smartcard member (you can sign up online), you can run a balance for future use. Yes, you will be back.
—Anthony Giglio
SD26, 19 E. 26th St., NYC; 212-265-5959,
sd26ny.com (reviewed W&S 12/09)
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Flour + Water
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One bite of the hot, popping-crisp crust of a flour + water pizza and you might think you just arrived in Naples. But that's not the only reason to check out the newest addition to San Francisco's deep roster of pizza-centric Italian eateries: Handmade pastas take inspiration from California's seasonal ingredients mixed with dashes of Piedmont (agnolotti), Liguria (herbed noodles, pesto) and Puglia (capers, chiles); the three main courses, often based around an entire pig or lamb, sometimes recall Tuscany. Partner/wine director David White's list focuses on Italy, ranging from northern whites to hearty aglianico-based reds from the south, with a smattering of Italian varieties from California, like Jim Clendenen's tocai.
—Wolfgang M. Weber
Flour + Water, 2401 Harrison, San Francisco; 415-826-7000,
flourandwater.com (reviewed W&S 12/09)
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Quince
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When Michael and Lindsay Tusk announced their plans in early 2009 to move the intimate Pacific Heights restaurant Quince to a bigger, flashier downtown space in Jackson Square, a collective shudder was felt in San Francisco. Would the new place be the same? It turns out, in some ways, yes: Michael Tusk's Northern Italian-inspired pastas, such as agnolotti dal plin and pappardelle with suckling pig, still rule the menu. The biggest change is that those dishes are now presented in an expansive space that feels like an elite club rather than a small dining room. The Tusks also brought David Lynch, former wine director for NYC's Babbo, out west. Lynch expanded the old list to feature plenty of regional Italian wines, including rarities like Ar.Pe.Pe.'s Sassella Vigna Regina, a silky nebbiolo from Valtellina that just begs for a plate of the agnolotti.
—Wolfgang M. Weber
Quince, 470 Pacific Ave., San Francisco; 415-775-8500,
quincerestaurant.com (reviewed W&S 2/10)
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Proof
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With the opening of the Verizon Center, the Penn Quarter district could easily have gone into sports bar overtime, but it did the unexpected, building DC's hottest dining zone. And if wine is your game, Proof is where you want to be. The 1,400-plus cellar is packed with first-growth Bordeaux, California cabernet icons and cult wines like Sine Qua Non. The by-the-glass list is just as exciting: This is where wine director Sebastian Zutant indulges his irreverent, avant-garde side, trading in crowd pleasers for outsiders like a Lebanese white blend and a Txakolina from Basque Country. Just when they become faves of Proof's fans, though, Zutant sends out a new first line.
—Christine Leddy
Proof, 775 G St., NW, Washington, DC; 202-737-7663,
proofdc.com (reviewed W&S 10/09)
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