The Tasting Room NYC

I wanted to give an oenophile friend the perfect birthday dinner. After mulling (no pun intended) over the excellent Veritas and I Trulli, I instead brought her to The Tasting Room NYC, which features a visible wine cellar. What a wonderful choice this turned out to be!

We sat at a cork table in one of the large back rooms. Although there was an intriguing cocktail menu with exotic ingredients like Ceylon cinnamon, we each ordered a glass of wine. My friend ordered a woodsy Flying Vine red and I went with a glass of Gruet.

The menu at the Tasting Room is somewhat misleading; portions are available in both "tastes" and "shares," but a "shared" entree is really only enough for one person. We were quite hungry and knew that we'd each need both an appetizer and a large entree! I chose the creamy, rich Jerusalem artichoke soup with a small floating island of green garlic. In between bites, I poached from my friend's lemony mache salad, which included the fanciful addition of popcorn.

Our entrees were creative and comforting at the same time. My crispy-skinned ivory salmon arrived atop a bed of fluffy barley in an almond sauce. Although I couldn't taste much of the almond and initially thought the sauce was some sort of root vegetable puree, there was definitely butter in there - and I can never have too much butter!

My friend ordered the sturgeon, which was served in a bacon-accented broth of lentils de Puy and green lentil sprouts. The hefty slab of sturgeon was luscious and moist, and the green sprouts added crunch and lightness to the dish.

On the phone, I'd alerted the hostess to the fact that our table was a "birthday table." However, when we arrived at the restaurant, I neglected to tell her which one of us was the birthday girl! So, when the waitress came by with the dessert menus, I mouthed "birthday" as discreetly as I could, hoping she'd realize that the surprise was meant for my friend. Fortunately, everything went perfectly; a festive candle adorned my friend's warm chocolate cake with dulce de leche ice cream. Once again, I poached from her selection; my jar of chocolate-topped butterscotch pot de creme was excellent, but what I was thinking, not ordering the warm chocolate cake?!

The Tasting Room NYC: 264 Elizabeth St., (212) 358-7831. (NOTE: This location is closed as of June 2008. The original wine bar at 72 East 1st St. will stay open.)