I had the pleasure of going to Ardesia last night at 510 W 52nd St. It’s a little out of the way between 10th and 11th Ave, but it is certainly worth the trip.
The first thing you notice about the bar is not only the relaxed outdoor seating area, but it’s very spacious. The ceilings are really high and the wall of wine above the bar really showcases the vastness of the space. There is also a cool seating area off to the side of the bar with low profile plush velvet couches. It looks cozy and definitely a great place to reserve for a party.
There are over 30 glasses of wine on the menu and happy hour specials are $2 off any glass of wine. I love this because it doesn’t limit you to a specific list of happy hour wines. It’s always a little sad when I see a wine that I really want and realize that I can’t get a discount on it. Yes, the thrifty side of me does emerge from time to time. Glasses are priced between $9 and $15 and bottles are mostly in the $40 to $60 range and up to $180. There are lots of great selections from all over Europe and the US.
I had trouble deciding which wine I wanted because there were so many that I wanted to try. The waiter asked if he could make any recommendations, so I asked him what his favorite wine at the bar was. He told me that he really liked the 2008 Cellars Can Blau Montsant from Spain, so I decided to give it a try. It was quite lovely. It smelled like cassis and chocolate and tasted like blackberry. It had smooth, round tannins and was very easy to drink.
The staff was incredibly friendly. The waiter would stop by my table a lot and would make some casual conversation. It’s the perfect nice and fun environment for enjoying a glass of wine and some tapas.
I decided to stick around for a while, since I was enjoying the atmosphere of Ardesia so much. For my second glass I ordered a 2009 Sierras de Malaga Moscatel Seco, which was also from Spain. It smelled so good! It was very aromatic and smelled like peach. It tasted like passion fruit and finished quite dry, which I wasn’t expecting. A pleasant surprise.
I started to get hungry, so I ordered the quail egg toast. It was magnificent and I want to eat it every day for breakfast. If you come here, order this and pair it with the Moscatel. It’s to die for!
The place started to get busy around 6:30 with many different groups of people. Some looked like they had come from work while others were dressed much more casually and seemed to have been hanging around there for a while. It’s a very lively place and I think its location helps to keep it from getting standy.
Ardesia is a very clean lined and modern bar. It’s casual, yet refined and kind of sexy. Not to mention they have a delicious selection of wines. Come here during the week before 7 so that you can take advantage of the special prices! I give Ardesia a rating of 4.5 out of 5 glasses.
The exterior of Ardesia
My glass of Montsant
Moscatel!