Terroir (review)
Needed to do some shopping at the Indian Grocery on 1st and 5th and thought I'd check out Terroir. I got one of the only seats at the bar (right by the door). The place is small and narrow with a bar and one long table. Terroir has a great vibe and energy (and some interesting t-shirts for sale). The crowd was pretty young-ish. One other person in my age group realm. As long as you can sit on a bar stool or stand, the ambience will work and the food is really good. My server/bartender was excellent. Now on to the food:
I had a glass of Malbec and decided to start with my server's suggestion of the white anchovy, hard boiled egg and onion panini. Delicious.
Next I had the calamari with smoked chickpeas, garlic, lemon, parsley and chili. The flavors were very subtle and I might have preferred them to be a bit more pronounced. The calamari was cooked perfectly. PS the calamari was NOT fried.
I decided to have cheese next. I again asked my server for his recs and he suggested the Bucheron or ? I opted for the cheese I had not tried before and apologies for not remembering the name. I think it was a gouda?
Finally I could not resist the beet risotto balls with gorgonzola. Who would have thought to combine these ingredients? Crispy and delicious.
They have a recession special with 6 little snacks for $24. Wines were reasonable - my Malbec was $6. Calamari salad was $8. Very good food at value prices.
I'll definitely go back when I'm in the neighborhood in the evening.
Only downside was my clothes smelled like food when I left (reminded me of the days when smoking in bars and restaurants was not a crime) and my creative menu/wine list book was missing "A Stimulus Package as Proposed by Terroir."
Terroir is located at 413 E. 12th Street near 1st Avenue (turn down the street at Hearth). www.wineisterroir.com
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Glad you enjoyed Terroir; it is my favorite wine bar in the City, and I've been to a bunch of them. I especially enjoyed a lentils, fried egg, and cotecchino sausage dish I had there. The best part, however, was the wonderful staff. I ordered a glass of wine that half-way through drinking I admitted to the bartender that I did not care for it. He suggested another wine which he brought to me free of charge; the best part was his reply to me when I told him he could take the original wine: "We're all just trying to have fun, here, man," and he let me keep it for my girlfriend to enjoy. And we certainly did have a fun time at Terroir.
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