Where to Drink Well During NYC Restaurant Week - Wine & Spirits Magazine

Where to Drink Well During NYC Restaurant Week


During its summer installment, from July 22 to August 16, New York City Restaurant Week includes some of the best places to drink wine in the city. More than 370 New York eateries are offering prix-fixe meals (lunches for $26; three-course dinners for $42), including a number that have recently appeared in the Wine & Spirits NYC50—our annual list of the city’s top places to eat and drink well. Here are eight picks for the best places to drink—and eat—during New York City Restaurant Week.

Casa Mono
The wine list, while limited to Spain, is seemingly unlimited within Spain. Check out the Rioja selection, with verticals of CVNE, La Rioja Alta and López de Heredia stretching back to the 1940s. And if it’s Sherry you’re seeking, they’ve got you covered. —Joshua Greene

DaDong
Take advantage of all the Burgundy and Champagne packed into the wine list at DaDong, which is organized by the Chinese Zodiac. For 2019, it favors the Year of the Pig vintages (such as 2007 and 1959), as well as plenty of fascinating matches for wagyu beef fried rice. —Joshua Greene

Gloria
Sommelier Phil Johnson focuses primarily on natural wines from France, and which fall largely in the sweet spot of $50 to $75, at this humble spot that masters a meatless menu. Have your pick of any to pair with Gloria’s seafood: wild, sustainable and from the north Atlantic. —Deanna Gonnella

Molyvos
The wine list is unparalleled, with more than 700 bottles of exclusively Greek wine, many of which Kamal Kouiri has personally wheedled out of producers, or aged carefully in his cellars so that they are showing their best. —Tara Q. Thomas

Noreetuh
Taking its name from the Korean word for playground, this place may tempt you to slide down the riesling rabbit hole. Jin Ahn has broken up his selections by levels of sweetness and not only has a page dedicated to Dönnhoff, but to their most famous site, Niederhauser Hermannshöhle. You can drink well for under $100, even bottles with some age. —Deanna Gonnella

Nice Matin
Nice Matin is a gold mine disguised as a brasserie if well-priced, old-vintage wines are the treasure you seek. The unpretentious dining room sits atop a trove of 10,000 bottles collected by beverage director Aviram Turgeman and overseen by sommelier Wally Dunbar. Collectors in the know head here for the deep Burgundy options, but Dunbar might direct more value-minded guests to the Bandol section filled with aged bottles of Tempier, Terrebrune and Pibarnon, most priced under $150. —Stephanie Johnson

Ortzi
Jose Garces’s heritage may be Ecuadorian; his personal roots may be in Chicago and, later, Philly; but his take on Basque tapas is one of the most creative and exciting Spanish options in NYC. Grab some Basque sidra or Txakolina from the parron and order a range of preserved fish from Spain—Bonito del Norte, cockles (berberechos) or mussels… —Joshua Greene

The Modern
With 3,000 bottles that span the globe, it’s easy to get lost in the wine list at The Modern. Better to let Courtney Wieland, who came on as wine director in June, and her able sommelier team navigate. The wine list goes deep in classics and back vintages, especially in France and Germany. Or, they can steer you toward something less expected, like a Yarra Valley nebbiolo from Luke Lambert or chenin blanc from Testalonga in Swartland. —Allison Bart

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