Terroir
Editor's note: Starting this week I am going to post a restaurant review every Tuesday night. Why? Because it's fun to do and because I think serious eaters could use a little guidance when they're searching for something delicious to eat in New York City (I know I certainly appreciate any reliable food advice I get). That's what my reviews are going to focus on: the search for deliciousness. When it comes to what I'll be reviewing, I'm certainly not going to limit myself to fancy-pants restaurants or even dinner. In the coming weeks I'm going to review breakfast joints, lunch spots, and even places that serve only snacks. Serious eaters just want something delicious when they're hungry, and hopefully we're going to help you find exactly that. —Ed Levine
Terroir
From left: Veal and ricotta meatballs, beet risotto balls with gorgonzola cheese.
I drink so little wine I would not even call myself a casual drinker, so wine bars in and of themselves hold little interest for me. But when a serious chef and his passionately unsnobby wine expert and restaurateur partner open a wine bar, well, that gets my attention.
Marco Canora, whose long, deep-flavored food I've been eating for ten years, and his business partner, Paul Greico, have opened Terroir, a casually spiffy wine bar just down the street from their first restaurant, Hearth (they also own a terrific Midtown Italian restaurant, Insieme).
Though the food at Hearth and Insieme is clearly the work of a very serious cook using the best ingredients, Canora has always had a fondness for hearty populist foods like sandwiches, soups, and sausage. He was the original opening chef at Craft Bar when those kinds of items were on the menu there, and the food at Terroir is a continuation of his love affair with those kinds of foods.
