Nebbiolo, You Smoky Devil

It's been a while since we've done anything wine-related, but a recent meal in our friend's backyard inspired us to change that. We had decided to welcome the (slightly) warmer spring weather with grilled fish and some light, smoky nebbiolos. The nebbiolo came in two forms: a 2005 Carema and a 2007 L.A. Cetto Private Reserve.

Carema is nestled in the mountains of northwestern Piemonte and is one of the smallest wine growing regions in the world. There, Luigi Ferrando makes what many consider to be the best nebbiolos the region has to offer. Ferrando has two labels: Etichetta Bianca and Etichetta Nera. The Nera is only produced in exceptional vintages. It's a bit more complex and slightly meatier than the Bianca, but both are organic, made exclusively from nebbiolo grapes, and far and away some of our favorite wines - nebbiolo or otherwise.

The high altitude in which the grapes grow results in a light, aromatic wine with racy acidity and bright minerality. White wine is a safe bet with seafood, but when it's only 45 degrees out, Ferrando's Etichetta Bianca is an exquisite pair with charred, grilled fish.

While nebbiolo thrives in Piemonte, where the Tanaro River and Mount Blanc moderate the climate and ensure a steady growing season, producers in other parts of the world have had their share of success with the fickle grape.

In the state of Baja California, Mexico, in Valle de Guadalupe, L.A. Cetto makes a nebbiolo in the style of Piemonte's prized Barolo. Cetto's wine is aged for two years in barrique (small French barrels) and another two years in the bottle. Because Valle de Guadalupe is a much hotter, drier climate than Piemonte, the result is a much richer, more extracted wine. It shares nebbiolo's classic tannin structure, but has prominent aromas of black fruits and leather. The nearby Pacific lends itself to coastal influences and make for a unique, surprisingly well-balanced wine.

Construction Well Underway at Dinosaur BBQ BK

Work started earlier this year inside 604 Union Street, where Dinosaur Barbecue will open later this spring. But a lot was done to the restaurant's facade recently. Large holes have been cut from the brick wall to make way for windows, and a steal foundation is in place to support a large awning.

Construction for the windows cut into a mural that was painted in dedication to Raul Vasquez Jr., who was the victim of a stray bullet in 1995. Dinosaur founder John Stage, after seeking out Vasquez's late mother, got permission to relocate the mural. It'll remain on the building's facade, and bricks from the original will be used in various places throughout the restaurant's interior. More pictures after the jump.

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Eat the Week; March 25th - 29th

Franny's has their last night of service at the original location | Signage goes up at Alder -- opened on Thursday | Pete Wells awards three big ones to Danny Meyer's Dining Room at The Modern | Bobby Flay's Spanish restaurant Bolo may reopen at 324 Lafayette | Donde Dinner? - 202 Centre Street

Donde Dinner? - 202 Centre Street

Donde Dinner? wants to make your next dining experience an adventure. So, every Friday, we pick a restaurant and post its address for you. The catch is, that's all the information you get. No name, no type of cuisine, and no Googling. But first, here's last week's address:

81 Greenwich Avenue = Barraca

This week's restaurant follows typical Donde Dinner? fashion. Price, quality, and accessibility have all been taken into account. You won't be waiting at the bar for two hours with $15 cocktails and you never have to worry about a dress code. Just hop on the train, or your feet, or your bike, and head to:

202 Centre Street (map)

Going Going, Back Back, to Bolo Bolo

[324 Lafayette]Bobby Flay wasn't an owner when he started his career with Mesa Grill. He became a partner after a year and a half as the executive chef. The first project he opened as an owner was Bolo. That happened in 1993 on East 22nd Street, where the restaurant enjoyed a 15-year run. The menu there was a break from Flay's southerwestern cooking and highlighted his Spanish influences. As his first restaurant, it's a project Flay holds close to his heart. That's why, although it closed more than five years ago, the Iron Chef wants to bring the restaurant back to Manhattan.

Flay and buisness partner Laurence Kretchmer got approval from Community Board 2 last week for a full liquor license at 324 Lafayette Street. It's not yet confirmed, but there's a strong possibility Bolo will be the new tenant. Either way, Flay promised New Yorkers they'd see Bolo reopen in 2013. If it happens at 324, and with Andrew Carmellini's highly anticipated French project (Lafayette) opening in a few weeks at 380 two blocks north, it could be a big year for big names in Noho.

Dan the Man

[robert wright for the times]Pete Wells has given one four-star review in his 15 months as critic for the New York Times. Reviews of this sort are few and far between, which is not surprising when you consider the shift in restaurant trends over the past few years. Casual and small has become the new fancy and grandiose. Loud is the new quiet, and downtown is definitely the new uptown.

There has been a handful of three-star reviews though. Ichimura at Brushstroke was the last recipient back in September. Before that is was Atera, before that The Nomad, Kyo Ya before that, and Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria was the first on February 14th. Today, Wells has another for the Dining Room at the Modern.

The eight-year-old Danny Meyer restaurant was reviewed by Frank Bruni shortly after it opened in 2005. He gave three stars to the restaurant's Bar Room and two to the Dining Room, where on a recent visit, Wells found, "the cooking has more focus and intensity than I remember from the early days." He writes, "Sweet apple-wood smoke made its way into every bite of a sturgeon and sauerkraut tart topped with a glittering vein of caviar. It was elegant and powerful, like the pairing of a luxuriously soft poached egg with squid-ink spaetzle, sea urchin, roasted salsify and fragments of black truffles."

Executive chef Gabriel Kreuther's food matches the artistry found throughout 9 West 53rd Street. "He is bold with color," writes Wells, "painting salmon crimson with a marinade of beet juice, or drawing a dark green stripe of powdered Kaffir lime down the center of a monkfish fillet resting in a gorgeous sauce of blood orange and mustard."

The review breaks a streak in covering newly opened restaurants. It's a breath of fresh air that proves it's OK to get dressed up for dinner, and that, after running restaurants in New York for 30 years, Mr. Hospitality's still got it. [NYTimes]

Show Me a Sign: Alder

Signage is up at Alder, Wylie Dufresne's second restaurant, and it's set to open this Thursday, March 28th. WD-50, Dufresne's Lower East Side atelier, will turn ten on April 9th. Though unlike that restaurant, which serves two dining options (both prix-fixes), Alder will offer an a la carte menu with items like pub cheese, clam chowder, pigs in a blanket, calamari, and ox tail stew. Nothing on it will exceed $25.

John Bignelli will be the executive chef and Kevin Denton is heading up the cocktail program. Both Bignelli and Denton are WD-50 alum. Geoffrey Fischer is in charge of the wine list, and a rep informed us "the goal of the wine program is to be ever changing, and supportive of the menu. The by-the-glass selection will showcase wines either usually offered by the bottle or from less traditional regions."

Alder will be open Wednesday to Sunday from 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. Seating is on a walk-in basis only; no reservations at Mr. Dufresne's 56-seat East Village eatery.

Alder | 157 Second Avenue | 212-539-1900 | www | map

Update on Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 11:41AM by Craig Cavallo

Menus are up online!

See You In Two Weeks Franny

Last night was your last chance to eat at the original Franny's location. Regulars and pizza lovers joined employees past and present at 295 Flatbush Avenue to celebrate the end of the restaurant's eight year run there. With its locavore mentality, Franny's quickly became a haven for those seeking Italian fare sourced from nearby, sustainable farms. The demand eventually outgrew the space and, early last year, owners Francine Stephens and Andrew Feinberg announced they'd be moving their operation down the street to 348 Flatbush. The time has come.

With construction nearly finished, the next two weeks will be spent making the transition into the new digs. Franny's 2.0 occupies a bigger space with extra seats and a second oven. Combined with a new reservation policy (6 or more) and take-out counter, Stephens and Feinberg will be able to better serve the droves that have been seeking out their food since 2004. 2.0 is slated to open Monday, April 8th.