Matt Skinner's insider guide to New York

Spending a third of each year on the road, one of the few things that excites me about the prospect of once again packing my life into a 60L synthetic wheelie bag and leaving my family and home is knowing that I’ll soon be somewhere different which, because of the nature of my work in the wine business, means eating and drinking in places I wouldn’t normally get to eat and drink.

To me, discovering a new city, or simply revisiting one you already know, is about immersing yourself as wholly and deeply within it as you possibly can in whatever time you have. This involves caffeinating where the locals caffeinate, shopping where the locals shop, lunching where the locals lunch, drinking where the locals drink, dancing where the locals go to dance, and afterwards – sleeping somewhere frighteningly expensive. You are basically doing everything within your powers and your budget to pretend – if only for a matter of hours – that you belong. By all means hit the tourist spots too, but be warned, it’s unlikely you’ll find good coffee there, and if you happen to come across some friendly local folk in places like the Big Apple, chances are they’ll be wearing uniforms.
 
Bearing all that in mind, you might appreciate that of all the cities to find yourself in with a few days to kill, New York, as exciting as it may be, is also one of the most daunting prospects for an approach like mine. The problem with this city isn’t so much one of where you’re going to eat and drink – New York and its five boroughs are a veritable food and wine utopia that pulsates 24/7. No, the problem with this city is where on earth do you start? And even harder, how do you stop when the time eventually comes to leave?

It’s been three years since I was last in New York, at which point all the talk in the world of wine and food was of Thomas Keller’s brilliant but blow-out-expensive Per Se, of Keith McNally’s uber-cool duo Balthazar and Pastis, and Mario Batali’s growing monopolisation of the city’s dining scene. But the talk now is of the raft of great-value places to eat and drink that New York has given birth to over the past couple of years. Places for the people, by the people, serving up terrific food and wine experiences minus the corresponding price tag. I came back from the trip with a list as long as my arm but a simple cup of coffee seems the most logical place to get started.

A couple of good strong coffees are the cornerstones of my day and the best I came across was at Brown Café (61 Hester St, New York, 212 447 2427), which also doubled as the coolest spot in the city for breakfast. This tiny, white-walled and timber-furnished organic cafe specialises in eggs baked in small, square ceramic dishes with a range of extras, such as tomato and pancetta; and chorizo, roasted red peppers and feta. Better still is the Tuscan breakfast platter, served on a timber board loaded with good prosciutto, soft ricotta cheese, a pile of dressed peppery rocket, a few semi-dried tomatoes, a small pot of wild honey and a couple of slices of grilled sourdough. It’s absolutely perfect.

From Brown, a short trip across the Williamsburg Bridge will find you around the corner from The Bedford Cheese Shop (229 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, 718 599 7588), an incredible store bursting at the seams with an amazing selection of local wine, cured meats, roasted coffee beans and other deli items. As the name suggests, this shop also boasts one of the best cheese selections in the city. Extraordinarily knowledgeable and passionate staff set this place apart from Manhattan’s flashier alternatives.

A morning trawling Williamsburg’s vintage clothes stores is bound to work up an appetite at which point you should head to nearby Bonita (338 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, 718 384 9500) to refuel. Serving up some of the most authentic Mexican food on the east coast, expect creative offerings such as crispy pork skin and sheep’s cheese quesadillas alongside textbook fish tacos, the freshest guacamole and a great range of Mexican beers.

Back on Manhattan, Insieme (777 7th Ave at 51st St, New York, 212 582 1310) is the perfect spot for a more civilised lunch. It is the latest offering from chef Marco Canora (also co-owner of Hearth) and is located uptown at The Michelangelo Hotel. This is slick Italian and while classics like vitello tonnato, spaghetti vongole, swordfish tartare and tagliata di manzo are worth the plane fare alone, the wine list and sommelier Paul Grieco in equal parts are why many come. Global, but with a strong lean towards Italy, this beautifully presented list is up to the minute, full of affordable options and very clever indeed.

A trip to New York wouldn’t be complete without an afternoon of shopping, which besides cashing in on cheap Levis, for me also means the chance to trawl the city’s best wine shops minus a two and a half-year-old girl – a dangerous shopping companion at the best of times!

Located smack in the middle of Union Square, Italian Wine Merchants (108 East 16th St, New York, 212 473 2323) is not only New York’s finest independent wine shop but also possibly the best of its kind in the US. A joint venture between Mario Batali, Sergio Esposito and Joe Bastianich, this is where you come for hard-to-get super-Tuscans, small-scale Barolo producers, the hottest wines from the south, rare and out-of-stock back vintages and, above all else, expert advice.

For a more international wine experience make sure you head to the newly opened branch of Astor Wines & Spirits (399 Lafayette St, New York, 212 674 7500) for a huge selection of labels from around the world and a lean towards wines by organic and biodynamic producers. The staff are friendly and super-helpful.

As most New Yorkers choose to eat late, a pre-dinner drink is a must. Beer fans should stop at McSorley’s Ale House (15 East 7th St, New York, 212 474 9148), not so much for the product but out of respect for this iconic bar’s past. From the sawdust on the floor to the choice of only two beers (light and dark) and the bizarre ritual of serving your beer in two separate glasses, little has changed in the last 150 years. This is one slice of NYC history that is well worth the trek.

Wine lovers would be wise to indulge in a quick vino and a plate of prosciutto at Bar Veloce (17 Cleveland Pl, Soho, 212 966 7334). This little gem is fashioned on the tiny paninotecas of Italy. The list is small and to the point, with a selection of great-value regional examples from around Italy: Greco di Tufo from Campania, vermentino from Tuscany, arneis from Piedmont. Cured meats are sliced to order.

People watchers should make a beeline for the bar at Cipriani Dolci (Grand Central Terminal, West Balcony, New York, 212 973 0999), part of Venice’s legendary Harry’s Bar Group in the beautifully restored Grand Central Station Terminal. Opt for a perfectly mixed negroni and watch New York as it frantically rushes to get home below you.

Dinner in New York is probably your most difficult decision, and to avoid being seated at 10pm, bookings are an absolute must. The Spotted Pig (314 West 11th St, New York, 212 620 0393) has been packing them in since it opened its doors four years ago. You have to come here for Brooklyn Pale Ale on tap, famous faces and outstanding dishes, such as devils on horseback, char-grilled tongue with horseradish and baby beets, and a burger complete with 400 grams of prime beef cooked rare, charred brioche buns, a slab of gorgonzola cheese and a pile of shoestring fries. This place is definitely not for the faint-hearted. 

Further south, Peasant (194 Elizabeth St, New York, 212 965 9511) is a Soho institution that turns out great wood-fired pizzas and a mouth-watering range of spit-roasted chickens, pigs and anything else that can be forced on to a stainless-steel skewer and cooked over a fire. You can smell it from a block away and as a result, it is ridiculously popular. Good news is that the same team have just opened Bacaro (136 Division St, New York, 212 941 5060) on the Lower East Side that, minus the wood-fire oven, still turns out delicious regional Italian food accompanied by a thorough and accessible all-Italian wine list. The best thing is you can still get a table... for now.

And if you’ve still got a little left in you after all of that then head for The Back Room (102 Norfolk St, New York, 212 228 5098) – an old speakeasy on the Lower East Side. You enter through the faux toy-shop façade on the street, go down a flight of stairs and through a maze of narrow corridors that lead to a huge, paisley-wallpapered, cavernous space buzzing with those in the know. In a nod back to the days of prohibition, bottled drinks are served in brown paper bags and Champagne from teacups!

When the music finally stops and the lights come on in The Back Room you’ll know it’s almost 5am, or so I’ve heard, by which time you’ll be in need of a place to collapse. Thankfully, the nearby Hotel on Rivington (107 Rivington St, New York, 212 457 2600) is the perfect place to drop. Large airy rooms look out over the East River and surrounding neighbourhoods. The beds are some of the comfiest I’ve slept in and a great shower when you’re travelling is always a bonus. This hotel is big enough that you can retreat from the hustle of NYC, yet small enough that the doorman will still remember your name in the morning.

PHOTOGRAPHY THE SPOTTED PIG

This article is from the December 2008/January 2009 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE magazine.