La Barrique

Last night I visited La Barrique at 38 W 39^th St. My experience there was…interesting.

Let me start by saying that upon walking in, the bar is up to par with what your average wine bar should look like. It has a cool tin ceiling, it’s dimly lit, and it has wine themed décor such as a two oak barrels serving as the base for a table in the front of the bar. There is even a cute little bistro area in the back if you want to have a nice meal there.

And that’s about where the good experience stops.

I took a seat at one of the small tables close to the bar and waited for service…and waited…and waited…and waited. I didn’t even have a menu to peruse through. I chose a midtown wine bar for the sake of convenience, so my expectations were not that high to begin with, but it was still disappointing. The bartender did come by eventually and I received the wine list. It looked pretty good. There were a lot of French wines from quality regions and pretty well priced. The menu listed the grape used in the wine, which doesn’t usually happen with French wines. Typically, only the village or region is shown on the label and you need to know which grape variety is predominantly grown in that area in order to know what to expect. So, the menu was definitely helpful in that area. Glasses are priced between $9 and $12 and bottles of the same wines started at $38.

I ordered the Crozes-Hermitage, which is 100% Syrah, grown in the Northern Rhone Valley of France. It smelled rich and a little bit like chocolate and red fruits. And it packed a kick! This wine was high in alcohol and I could feel it warming my chest. Probably not the most well balanced wine, but it was almost necessary after the day I had. This wine would be better paired with a high protein meal, such as a rare steak, which would mask the tannins and higher alcohol of the wine. It had a cherry flavor and was full bodied. A good fall wine. The pours are very healthy here too.

Now, on to the weirdness. As a preface to the following criticism of this place, I enjoy a good dive bar, pub, sports bar, etc. and can kick back and enjoy beer and football with a side of nachos. But c’mon. A wine bar needs to have at least a little sophistication, right? The story continues…After a while, only groups of middle aged, very loud and boisterous, casual business men were in the bar. I haven’t seen this type of crowd in a wine bar…well, ever, really. And I quickly discovered why they were there. Unlike any wine bar I’ve ever been to, the bartenders were bouncing around to the classic 80s music that was playing, singing along into wine bottles, and began to choreograph a dance for the men, who in turn suggested that they should dance on the bar. Thankfully the girls didn’t, but they continued to flirt with the men for tips and one dude even tossed an ice cube from his drink at one of the girls who squealed and threw one back at him. I didn’t realize that Coyote Ugly had opened up a wine bar. This place was definitely not classy and I apparently was not the only one who thought so. Every other female in the bar was seated in the bistro in the back of the bar, far away from the awkwardness that was blossoming. It may look like a wine bar, but the atmosphere is that of a trashy pub. Weird, weird, weird. I actually started to feel bad for the wine that was being served there. I found myself wishing that the pour had not been so large so that I could finish my wine and get out of there.

I was not impressed with La Barrique and it was honestly a lot a little strange. Whether or not I was just there on a bad night, I shall never know. As for now, I give this place a rating of 1.5 out of 5 glasses. Sorry guys, class up the joint a bit if you want to call yourselves a wine bar. Gross.

I think not.

My glass of Crozes-Hermitage that I ultimately felt sorry for

Just a sampling of the fine men at La Barrique

The bistro in the back where all the women seem to have relocated

Update on Tuesday, June 11, 2013 by drinkofthevine

Hallelujah, La Barrique has closed! The plague is over.