Terroir

Attention Terroir fans: as of last weekend, the ultra-popular wine bar is serving brunch! So you'll have another chance to grab one of the bar's coveted seats. There are four new dishes: French toast with warm maple syrup and pork sausage, bacon egg and cheese on ciabatta, a rapini-bacon frittata, and smoked salmon sandwich with capers and hard-boiled eggs.

I took my seat at the bar this past Sunday morning, anxious to try one of the new brunch items. But I was distracted by the regular menu, specifically the fried mozzarella and the white anchovy panini. All sandwiches are served on Sullivan Street Bakery bread, and while it would be almost impossible to make a mediocre sandwich with that bread, mine was particularly delicious. The crusty toasted ciabatta was splashed with a bit of balsamic, and then topped with crunchy frisee, delicately sliced hard-boiled eggs (more yolk than white), sweet pickled red onions, and marvelous white anchovies. Everything was sprinkled with a bit of black pepper (it's the details that are important!). I also devoured a bowl of parsley-and-Parmesan-dusted fried bocconcini in a hearty tomato sauce. (Next time I intend to take advantage of the charcuterie and cheese; I'm curious about a cheese with the name "Constant Bliss.")

It was too early for me to have some wine, but I enjoyed reading the funky little book of a menu - it contained a history of Chateauneuf du Pape, a large list of Rieslings with residual sugar, and a tongue-in-cheek poem entitled "Wine In A Box."

The restaurant owners, Marco Canora and Paul Grieco, have such a fixation with sherry that they serve free glasses of it from 5-6. They've also employed a designer to create a line of temporary "Jerez" tattoos! "I think I'm going to cover my entire body with them for Halloween," the bartender told me. He also informed me that there was a special bacon crumb cake dessert (I think I saw something similar to this at the Dessert Truck), but I was too full.

I find it interesting that the coasters implore the customers not to waste their food. At Terroir, how could you?

Terroir: 413 East 12th St. No phone.