Some people need food, water, and shelter to exist in life. Us? Our three staples are wine, cocktails, and cheese. We stopped into Terrance Brennan’s new Bar Artisanal, and found a lot to sustain us. The restaurant was bustling with folks who were similarly fromage-inclined, so we decided to perch at the bar and take it all in (“it all” being the cheese). Artisanal is the type of place that’s good for a long, leisurely meal of multiple courses. After a few hours picking at the small dishes in the posh space, we realized why our life-supporting staples are a bit different from everyone else’s. Sometimes, it’s not just about survival. It’s about living.
While other folks suggest wine pairings with their food, Artisanal suggests cheese pairings with their drinks. Want to try the Peppery Peach Bourbon cocktail? It goes great with some of the Ribiola du Latte, Bianca Sardo. They offer a Rubharb Mojito, perfect for summer, and even more choice when paired with the their Chabichou du Poitou, Garrotxa. Their countless cheese selections may seem intimidating to the new initiate, but the staff knows more about the stuff that you’d think possible. They will help you navigate the list. If you’re still a little shaky even after their suggestions, go with one of the wine and cheese flights. They’ll do all the work for you, and you’ll get contentedly tipsy in the meantime.
The restaurant serves a full dinner menu, but to us it’s really a “sunny-Sunday afternoon” type of place. After a long week of indulging, you come to a haunt like this to unwind (albeit, with more indulgence). After some duck pizza, oysters, Coupole from Vermont, and (of course) wine, you’ll be energized for another week’s grind through the city. If that’s not enough to get you through, treat it as a pit stop, and drop in mid week to recharge.
The bar also offers a Late Night dining menu, for those of you who are more worried about the nightly grind. Instead of slumming it with diner food before hitting some downtown spots, stop in here and do it with class. Or, if you’re a bit frugal, have some Artisanal snacks and then head across the street for some cheap beer and shuffleboard at Nancy Whiskey Bar.
They say you should have three weeks of food and water on hand in your apartment in case of an emergency. We nabbed one of the curated cheese lists from the bar, and have been stocking our fridge. If something happens, we will be ready.
Bar Artisanal is located at 268 West Broadway, at 6th Avenue.
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