Great dinner at brook*vin last night. The braised, roasted octopus salad is probably the finest preparation of it I've ever eaten- crunchy outside and tender inside. The mac and cheese with thick, homemade bacon chunks (basically smoked pancetta) is creamy and flavorful. And we learn once again that everything goes better with bacon.
Two wines, Weninger Zweigelt from Austria (I'll be writing a whole post about the great reintroduction of Austrian wine, especially and surprisingly to most red, to this country) and Tres Palacios Carmenere from Argentina. The latter was recommended by PJ behind the bar to go with the mac and cheese. Not only was it a perfect pairing, but it was also the cheapest price on the list.
The guys and ladies working there LOVE to talk about wine, and I had a very pleasant hour and a half there.
Today is a day off for most people in NY who don't work retail, and brook*vin is doing an all-day Happy Hour. I'm nt remotely capable of drinking all day anymore, but I may stop by again for a bit.
I also learned the owners own Big Nose Full Body, one of the Slope's many great places to buy beverages for home consumption. I'm sure this is not news to many people in the area, but I'd never been to the restaurant before. I will definitely not wait so long before going back.
FYI, I get no compensation from anyone I write about on here, the opinions are solely my own (who else would want them?), and any ads are entirely controlled by Google adSense. I'm too stubborn and opinionated (ask my wife) not to be objective.