Lallisse

This past Friday I went to Lallisse, which is located in the Ramada Inn at 161 Lexington Ave. I believe this is the first hotel wine bar I’ve been to.

The place looks like it’s relatively new and it has an upscale beach restaurant feel. The seating around the walls consisted of tall and short heavy wooden benches accented by persimmon colored pillows. The entrance featured lightweight curtains of the same orange color and there were large windows, all with plants in them. Glass globe lamps hung low from the ceiling and added to the crisp, clean lines of the bar. As I was sitting there, I felt like it should be summer with a sea breeze blowing through my hair. But alas, it was a wet fall day. I’d say they definitely achieved the atmosphere they were hoping for.

After opening the menu, I quickly discovered why it had this vibe; it’s a Mediterranean wine bar featuring organic wines. Glasses of wine were $7 to $14 and bottles of the same wines were $28 to $54. There was a separate list for bottles only, which were between $32 and $200, with most being in the $30 to $40 range. Not all of the wines were organic, but if they were there was a notation indicting if it was organic or sustainable. When the waitress came by, I asked her if she could tell me the difference between “organic” and “sustainable”. She told me that in order to have the certification of “organic”, a vineyard has to use organically grown grapes and maintain organic processes and products for at least 7 years. It’s expensive to obtain this certification and includes regulations such as not using herbicides or pesticides and using only natural fertilizers. It also prohibits the use of added sulfites. The label of “sustainable” usually refers to a vineyard that is currently using some if not all of these same organic processes, but either has not been doing so for the minimum of 7 years, or chooses not to partake in the expensive organic certification. Sustainability also focuses on the benefit of the environment beyond the vineyard, so socially and environmentally responsible practices are implemented, such as water conservation and the use of renewable materials. Conveniently enough, many wine regions in the Mediterranean have been making wine this way for hundreds of years, so organic wine isn’t too difficult to come by.

I ordered the 2010 Element Terre Cabernet Sauvignon from the Languedoc region of France, which was an organic wine. It smelled like ripe red fruits and a little bit like cocoa powder. It tasted like blackberry and plum, had really soft tannins and a good balance of fruit and acidity. It was a very tasty wine! The Mediterranean air did these grapes well.

Lallisse has a great, relaxing atmosphere and a plethora of organic and sustainable wines. The waitress very nice and was willing to share lots of information about the wines served here. I really liked this place. I give Lallisse a rating of 4.4 out of 5 glasses.

My glass of tasty organic wine

YN

So, I’m a little far behind on writing my latest review. I went to YN last Tuesday at 227 Mott St in Nolita. It opened in the beginning of 2012, so it’s relatively new.

When I first walked up to the bar, the large windows in the front were open and the sounds of jazzy music were floating out to the sidewalk. I pushed on the metal door only to find that it wouldn’t open. Oops, maybe I was supposed to pull. I pulled and got the same result. Confused, I looked inside the bar to find it empty, but noticed that there was a sign outside declaring happy hour to be from 4 to 7pm. It was after 6. As I was just about to turn around and find another wine bar to review, the bartender jogged up and told me that he had locked the door while he was out for a smoke. At least I was getting in! I followed him into the narrow and dimly lit space and took a seat at the bar. I ended up being the only one there for a while, so the bartender chatted with me for a bit until more people started arriving around 7.

I appreciate the details in wine bars, so I really liked that the menu was made of cork. The wines were well selected and were all from Europe and California. Glasses of wine were $9 to $13 and all $9 glasses were $7 during happy hour. Bottles started at $36 and were no more than $120. Each of the wines had brief tasting notes as well, which is supposed to help you make a choice, but I couldn’t make up my mind because they all sounded so delicious. The bartender was really friendly and asked if he could make a suggestion. I asked him what his favorite wine on the menu was and he told me he would pour a wine for me to taste and see if I liked it. He poured a small taste of a ruby red wine that looked bright and tasty. I took a sip and was impressed, so I ordered a glass of it. He told me that it was the Merlot, which surprised me because it didn’t taste like a standard Merlot. It was the 2010 Clic Delle Venezie from Italy and it smelled like strawberry and cedar, with delicate notes of baking spices and dried berries on the palate. It was medium bodied and had a well-balanced acidity. A very enjoyable wine to drink.

The place had a European ambiance to it and I imagine it would be an intimate escape during cold winter evenings. As the evening progressed, the lights were turned down lower and lower, and soon enough candles were providing a nice ambient light for the bar. The music sounded like something out of a classic film and it made me want to do the Charleston or perhaps travel to an earlier era Midnight in Paris-style. There are very few tables since the space is small, so most of the seating is around the bar. The wooden chairs are pretty uncomfortable and feel like they might actually be from the jazz age, but the rest of the bar is clean-lined and it combines old and new elements, particulary with the bright modern art on the wall opposite the bar.

YN has a nicely selected wine list and a friendly and knowledgeable staff, at least in my experience there. It’s a very sweet and sophisticated neighborhood spot with a great old school feel to it. I will be back. I give it a rating of 4.4 out of 5 glasses.

my glass of Merlot

the cork menu