Serge the Concierge

Girl Cuvee, Quick Bite, Mostly French Wine List, Le Siffleur de Ballons, Paris

Taking their name Le Siffleur de Ballons literally could mean drinking your wine in a hurry.

Many neighborhood places, some frequented with blue collar people used to served their wine in fillettes and ballons.

My grandfather frequented one such Bistro with a 'jeu de boules' in the back.

No 'jeu de boules' at Le Siffleur de Ballons in Paris.

This casual bistro-cave a vins has a mostly French list. All regions are represented.

A good place to catch up with friends with a plate of cheese and charcuterie and of course, wine.

The Girl Cuvee? It's Cuvée "Les filles" by Gilles Berlioz which I have not tasted.

i would not have known about the place if parisienne Eva Robineau had not given it her seal of approval.

Thanks for the tip, Eva.

Le Siffleur de Ballons is located 34 rue de Citeaux 75012 Paris

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday:

10:30 AM to 3 PM, 5:30 PM to 10 PM

Squid Ink Risotto, Roast Duck, Ceviche, Natural Wines, L'Hedoniste Bistro in Paris

Bistronome Fabrice Ivara gives a 'thumbs up' to L'hedoniste, a Parisian bistrot in 'Le Sentier' (2eme Arrondissement) on Coup de Fourchette (January 18, 2011).

What's not to like in a place that offfers squid ink risotto and roast duck amongst other things.

If you just want a quick bite and some wine, you can go for jamon iberico plus fine cheeses. They will be happy to accomodate you.

Francois Simon also gives kudos to L'Hedoniste in Paris. L'Hédoniste, j'ai franchement bien aimé (French only, January 28, Simon Says). He had lunch there, Ceviche followed by Scallops with Radishes and Turnips...

Short wine list puts the accent on Natural Wines. It has the good taste of including Loire Valley picks like Nuit d'Ivresse by Catherine et Pierre Breton, I also noticed a personal favorite Les Sorcieres by Herve Bizeuil.

Time for Lunch, too bad I 'm a bit fat from L'hedoniste.

(* L'hedoniste site and Coup de Fourchette are both in French mostly)

Hong Kong CV Winebar , All California Wines, Opens January 11, 2011

I let A bistro a Day fall by the wayside.

I did not have to go far to notice California Vintage CV Winebar which just opened on January 11, 2011 in Hong Kong.

They introduce CV Winebar as "Hong Kong's FIRST and ONLY all California wine bar featuring over 88 premium wines by the glass, delicious small plate California cuisine.With ongoing tasting flights..."

Prior to big day, they did a soft launch with a number of pop-up tastings around the Central district.

I will share other details on the place once I get them.

No Big Bad Wolf, Just a Wine Bar, Le Trou Au Loup, Near Besancon, France

I don't know if Grandma and the Big Bad Wolf are regulars at this Wine Bar.

All I can say is that Le Trou du Loup ('the wolf's hole') has an air of mystery to it.

One thing for sure you will find Stephane Delanoe the owner who turned a well known 'auberge' into a 'bar a vins' a wine bar which opened its doors in February 2010.

High above Besancon after the Tunnel of Morre, the Trou du Loup is also a permanent showcase for the paintings of Yves Hasselmann. Find one you like order it on the spot.

The art and wine blend is not surprising once you learn that Stephane Delanoe was a professional musician for 15 years.

As for the wine and the food, you will find Grands Crus, Local Wines, Organic Ones and a selection of wines by the glass refreshed weekly:

Red Wines:

Vin de table de France Gueule de Loup de Roquefort 14% 2,50 €

AOC Côtes du Jura Poulsard 2008 - Domaine Baud 12,5% 3,50 €

Vins de Pays de l’Ardèche Le Mazel Cuvée Briand Organic 13% 3,50 €

AOC Cotes de Bergerac Château Masburel 2000 Quality of St Emilion 13% 4,00 €

White Wines:

Vin de Pays Côtes du Luberon La Vieille Ferme (Perrin & Fils)  13% 2,50 €

Vin de Pays de l’Ardèche Le Mazel Cuvée Les Lèches Organic 14% 3,50 €

AOC Cotes du Jura Rosé Rosé floral Domaine Grand 13% 2,50 €

AOC Montravel Château Masburel 2001 Coup de coeur 13% 4,00 €

Sparkling:

Crémant du Jura brut Domaine Rolet 12% 4,00 €

Champagne brut tradition Brigandat et fils 12% 8,00 €

Champagne ½ bouteille brut  Billecart Salmon 37,5 cl (= about 4 flutes) 12% 19,90 €

(voted best of world by Decanter)

You must have noted the accent on Jura for the local flavor.

Hungry as well as thirsty, order a cheese plate or a selection of saucisson, ham and other cuts or smoked trout.

It will taste better if you sit outside this summer.

Heart Beating, Tapas Bar and Art Space, Atelier des Arts in Brussels, Opened June 19

Should art spaces be staid affairs?

As museums bring music and restaurants inside their walls, why wouldn't art in all its forms find its place in wine bars ans small plate eateries.

Under the Heart in Motion banner, a group of people opened L' Atelier des Arts on June 19, 2010 in Brussels.

Whether you like art on the wall or in the air (say music) it will be there.

There is also a full bar and food is served.

I am still waiting to hear from them as to what the menu and the wine selection looks like.

They want both their heart and their art to beat stronger.

L' Atelier des Arts is located 9, Rue Haute in Brussels and there is outdoor sitting.

(illustrations for this piece via L'Atelier Facebook Page)

6 Wines By The Glass, 6 Days a Week at Colorado Wine Company in Eagle Rock, LA

There is more to the Colorado Wine Company than being a wine store.

Call them a wine bar/ wine store as they offer 6 Wines by the Glass, 6 Days a Week.

They are closed on Mondays.

Current by the glass selection is:

Verde Ca’Ruptae Verdicchio  dei Casteli di Jesi 2008, Italy

Caliberico Verdelho 2009, Lodi, CA

Drouhin Vero Chardonnay 2004 Bourgogne, France

Heartland Shiraz 2008, South Australia

Renato Ratti Colombe Dolcetto D’Alba, Italy

Mary Elke Pinot Noir 2008, Anderson Valley, CA

At night they will open anything in the store for the retail price of the bottle plus a $5 Corkage Fee.

That corkage fee is waived on Wednesdays.

Colorado Wine Company does not offer food but they let me know that Four Café, Brownstone Pizza, and Camillo’s Bistro all deliver to your table. 

They do have Cheese Pairings on Flight Nights (Fridays , Sundays) and these cheeses come from Auntie Em’s Marketplace in Eagle Rock.

By the way, the Colorado Wine Company is located at 2114 Colorado Boulevard in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles.

I never visited the place and this neither a paid or unpaid ad.

It just looks welcoming.

Wine Loft, Wine Bar in Auckland and Now Wellington, A Bistro A Day, May 7

The well had run dry of wine bars in places I had not mentioned yet so I started asking for suggestions.

First new catch to land in my net is the Wine Loft in Auckland at 67 Shortland Street in the CBD Neighborhood.

Owners Graham Fairest & David Robinson offer about 60 Wines by the Glass, mostly from New Zealand which is nice for a visitor looking to try local producers they might not know.

For both Whites and Reds they always have a wine of the month.

All wines by the glass are served in either tasting pour of 50 ML (1.69 oz) or 150 ML (about 5 oz).

Let me mention a few of those currently being served (prices in New Zealand Dollars of course):

Whites:

2008 Pasquale Dry Riesling Hakataramea Valley (The Haka’) North Otago  $4.00 $11.00

2008 TW Viognier Gisborne $3.50 $9.80

2008 Arthur Metz Anne-Laure Pinot Gris Alsace $4.50 $12.50

2007 Villa Maria ‘Ihumatao’ Verdelho Auckland $3.50 $10.00

Reds:

2008 Churton Pinot Noir Marlborough $5.50 $16.00

2006 Leapord’s Leap Pinotage/Shiraz Franschhoek South Africa $3.00 $8.50

2007 Terrace Edge Syrah Waipara $4.00 $11.00

Rosé:

2009 McBride-Sillig Cabernet Franc Rosé Marlborough $3.50 $10.50

The food is simple bistro fare, antipastos, finger foods and pizzas.

More recently, they opened a second Wine Loft in Wellington located at 73 The Terrace, I will have to ask my secret agent to check it for me.

On May 8, they happen to have a fundraiser for Oxfam in Wellington with local jazz band Percolator from 7 to 10 PM.

Thanks to Jennifer of Heilala Vanilla for mentioning them.

Feel free to share your own favorites with us, from Mumbai to Mars

Mua in Oakland, From Bubbly to Dessert, All Wines Available by the Glass

You will have to cut me some slack if I you think I am straying from the hardcore Bistro roots by selecting Mua in Oakland (California) for this edition of A Bistro A Day.

If you open your eyes and your mind though they fit the Bistro-Wine Bar-Enoteca-Bodega idea.

Decor is minimalist, menu has a lot a starters and inexpensive dishes and all the wines on the list from bubbly to dessert are available by the glass.

The decor, see for yourself below *.

Menu

Here's a sample:

Tomato Bisque and Mini Grilled Cheese 8

Mixed Olives 5

Grilled Artichoke | tarragon aïoli 9

Kabocha Winter Squash Tempura 7

Crispy Tofu | black bean-sweet chili sauce 7

Chicken Satay | cilantro sauce 7

Beef Carpaccio | manchego, arugula, pine nut  8

Berkshire Pork Lettuce Wrap | spicy mustard seed sauce, carrot salad 8

Lamb Cheeks | daube braised, parsnip  10

Wine:

A few things I noted:

Bubbly:

Rosé (pinot noir) | Allimant-Laugner alsace france 10.5 / 42

Prosecco | Di Conegliano Sommariva  veneto italy 8 / 31

(what I would be drinking if I made it to Vinitaly)

White:

Pinot Gris | King Estate  oregon 10 / 39

Muscat | Allimant – Laugner alsace 8 / 32

Pouilly Fumé | Claude Michot  loire 10 / 40

Albarino | Bodegas As Laxas  spain 8.5 / 34

Red:

Pinot Noir | William Knuttel napa 10 / 39

Zinfandel | Frog’s Leap  napa 11 / 44

Add to that the Art on the Walls and you have a place where you should feel comfy.

No fuss Mua for A Bistro A Day of April 6, 2010.

(* Dining room view snapshot courtesy of Oaktown Art)

2 Tartines, 2 Tartine Bistro, Monaco and Ohio, A Bistro A Day, March 31

I have not kept up with this new A Bistro A Day feature in past few days.

To make up for it a bit, I decided to serve you 2 Tartines in this edition.

We're not talking bread slices here.

The tartines in question are 2 bistros using the same Tartine Bistro moniker.

First to appear on my radar was Bistrot Tartine in Monaco.

Weather permitting you can choose to eat in the dining room with its warm recycled wood interior or escape to the terrace.

You get a chance to sample Mediterranean cooking of Stéphane Chenneveau with 2 course lunch for €15.80.

Next we pay a visit to Tartine Bistro in Rocky River, Ohio.

The Monday through Wednesday Happy Hour from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM (at Bar only) sounds like worth checking.

Here's a sample of what $10 ($5 per food item, $5 per 2 wines by the glass) gets you:

Food:

Crab & avocado salad, piquillo pepper puree, mango vinaigrette

Imported cheese plate, lavender honey, candied nuts, roasted grapes

Charcuterie plate, whole grain mustard, house pickles, toast

Wines by the Glass:

picpoul de pinet 2008 coteaux du languedoc for white

jade mountain mourvedre for red



I'm pretty sure I will find more tartines along the way.

A large helping for A Bistro A Day of March 31, 2010

Darts and Writers at Crush Wine Bar in Whitefish, Montana, A Bistro A Day, March 23

I put it in my head that for this edition of A Bistro A Day, I had to find a Bistro, a Wine Bar with a Literary Bent.

I was about to give up when I found Crush Wine Bar in small town Whitefish, Montana.

No combination bookstore-wine bar here though I know there are some places that fit that profile.

No website that I know of either but a Crush Wine Bar Facebook page.

Here's what they stand for (in their own words):

"An innovative new bar on Central Avenue in Whitefish, Montana, specializing in an eclectic selection of fun affordable wines, handcrafted and specialty beers with a lounge like atmosphere featuring great music, desserts and appetizers."

Where's the book connection?

In collaboration with the Whitefish Review, a local literary magazine, Crush Wine Bar hosts readings and other events.

The latest was with a book release 'party' with Jon Turk for "The Raven's Gift: A Scientist, a Shaman and Their Remarkable Journey Through the Siberian Wilderness" (St. Martin's Press) on January 19.

On March 25 (6 to 8 PM) they have a "Great night of darts!! Wine Tasting: $15 for apps, desserts and wines from Washington state!"

Not a bad way to spend the evening.

Moving to Montana Soon?! Darts, Wine and Writers for A Bistro A Day on March 23.