Last night we picked up a couple of friends and crossed bridge to Nyack to celebrate another friend's birthday. Cute little restaurant called Cafe Barcel, with a Spanish fusion menu. Betsy and I split an escabeche of shrimp, squid, and octopus with chickpeas and fennel, then I had a Comte cheeseburger and Betsy chicken with preserved lemon.
List was predominantly Spanish/South American, and I had called to ask about the possibility of corkage (either a 73 LdH or a 95 Prado Enea), no go. OK, so we had a few glasses.
2008 Itsas Mendi Txakolina (I'm assuming it's Txakolina, menu just said Hondarrabi Zuri)
I'm not really on a good Txacoli roll, this is better than last week's Amezta, but still a bit dull. Fat for HZ, at least some saline quality, good length though. B-
2008 Morgadio Legado del Condes Albarino
Peach and grapefruit, a light grassy note, medium acidity. B
2007 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir
Light, red cherries, a bit of sweetness. A little spice. OK. B-/B
Fun night, happy to celebrate Dolores' birthday. . I just don't understand the logic of a place with small list saying no corkage. Why not say $20 or $25, I would have gladly paid. Certainly more profit in that than some of their $28-30 bottles. I know I'm unusually wine-centric, but no corkage and that list means I'll not have Cafe Barcel on the list next time I'm thinking about a dinner place in Nyack (I live in Westchester). Maybe for lunch (if they're open). I understand not wanting a flood of people bringing bottles to be cheap, but if you make fee enough to equal profit on most bottles......
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.