Racine's NY at a year!

A few weeks longer than one year ago we made our first trip to Racine's NY at the soft opening April 2014... here is the post from the evening we spent there - http://blog.semifreelife.com/2014/04/the-main-event.html

and tonight we went back for the second time to find a fully functioning restaurant and wine bar that has a supremely welcoming vibe and fabulous food along with the incredibly great wines that are selected by our dear friend Arno Tronche - (owner/sommelier) who runs the front of the house along with many other tasks (adjusting lighting,  buying extra bread etc...)

We are completely happy to report this is as great as the reviews it has been getting for the last eleven months.  A great evening dining with daughter Angela, her guy Lee along with Laure and Alix.

We had a number of terrific dishes - and here are some photos etc...

Amuse of chilled soup-  and below - the fabulous an amazingly varied tastes of the fluke starter.

the mackerel - with cauliflower-  very good as well- (this came for the table)

the soft shell crab special - also for the table-

my main the monkfish- was excellent! with a hearty sauce of mushrooms and hazelnuts!

we tried these three desserts but I only got one with my dying cell phone - and below a photo of the interior (not a great one but you can at least see the scale- very cozy but not sitting on top of each other...

the coffee parfait with milk chocolate sauce - was good but the chocolate caramel tart was the big winner in the dessert courses!

It was great to see Arno enjoying himself and fully in his element.  Super to catch up a bit with Angela and Lee as well as touch base with Laure and Alix one more time before leaving town... tomorrow "Number One Son" and his friend Carolina... at dinner- and a high end treat of a lunch at Juni! so stay tuned for more fun- we also are programming good weather for a walk along the High Line! - always a winner with us!

the main event!

So as you know we have been in NYC for a few days - even though there is a ton of stuff to get done before I leave here for the north- we did not want to miss the opening of our friend Arnaud Tronche's wine bar and restaurant - Racine's NY.... so when all the permits were in place and things all approved we "took" our tickets and headed there to help celebrate the event long in coming!

the evening was lovely despite the uneven first time service - the food was wonderful and the place has the most welcoming ambience- clean crisp lines of natural wood and stone and brick - reflective of the general manager Arnaud Tronche's taste for not just design but wines as well.  The focus is on those wines grown organically and biodynamically... Tribeca will definitely be enriched by the food and wine on offer here!

the menu for the very first night of regular food service-

an amuse of watermelon radish soup- the watermelon is an adjective - LOL - not an ingredient...

the ceviche and the veal tartare starters -

the scallops main and the pork mangalitsa -

the logo to look for-

this morning - the day of the first public dinner reservations and customers- there was an article by FLO FAB (Florence Fabricant) in the NYT (Times) about the opening! See: http://nyti.ms/1ev7Pbs

here is the text-

Headliner

RACINES NY

The notion of opening a restaurant in New York has been percolating in David Lahner’s head for many years. He is finally bringing a branch of Racines, his two Paris restaurants, to New York with his partners: David Lillie, who owns Chambers Street Wines, and Arnaud Tronche, a sommelier who will be the general manager. The somewhat narrow space with an open kitchen has an air of refined rusticity with brick walls and mirrors. The chef, Frédéric Duca, is from Marseilles, but his brief menu has only a light French accent. There is sea bass ceviche, squid a la plancha and lamb shoulder confit. “I want to showcase quality ingredients to go with wines that express the soil,” he said. Mr. Lillie, whose shop holds a trove from small French producers, said they are making a commitment to natural and biodynamic wines, or, as he put it, “wines from the earth.” (Opens Wednesday): 94 Chambers Street (Church Street), 212-227-3400, racinesny.com.

so, bon chance! and congratulations to Arnaud Tronche (and his biggest supporter and help mate - Laure Vienot Tronche...) all the best for you and Racine's NY and many years of success to come! Cheers!

PS- great news! a big article in Zagat! http://www.zagat.com/b/new-york-city/first-look-racines-a-tribeca-outpost-of-a-paris-wine-bar#4

excellent write up - and the people have started coming!!!!!

tasting menu at degustation

Still fabulous!

And starting with dessert! The amazing bruleed French toast.

The pre-dessert. Pop rocks and Gelee of red fruits

And then in quick notes and reverse order - because I am doing this on my phone

Wagyu beef -an amazing pasta course - incredible pork belly with an egg - lovely scallops - yummy grilled asparagus -oysters with a divine sauce.

Chicharones on lichens (they are just for show) LOL and they called them "caribou moss" but I saw a reindeer in Lapland eating the exact same thing when we were north of the arctic circle on our wedding trip.

The menu

Men at work in the kitchen. (Note to Phil- see Honey, it can be done! LOL)

a last shot

at the Asolo Theater before heading north after Easter- and a last film (of the ones I chose) at the Sarasota Film Festival (SFF)

but first a three word review of She's Beautiful When She's Angry- GO SEE IT- seriously - enough said... for anyone interested at all in the women's movement(s) of the mid 60s and early 70s of last century this is must see... and how could they possibly approach such a massive topic in 90 minutes? (but they did) Bravo!

saw that on Sunday night and then Wednesday GA and I headed to the Historic Asolo Theater to see 4000 Miles-

a little jewel box of a theater- it has been around for ages and was moved from a prior location on the Ringling Estate to the current Visitor's Center - lovely and intimate it was perfect for this particular play.

so for this winter we saw - everything between Philly and 4000 Miles on the promo list below- and I would say my favorite was Other Desert Cities- a comedy with gut wrenching truths about familial relationships- and then the very fun Vanya & Sonya tied with the intense Grapes... excellent season AGAIN!

now back to the Film Festival - for the Thursday showing of If You Take This-

the review- Time to go back and have your drugs re-titrated man... seriously- something is not right in your brain.

the festival runs through the weekend but I am headed to NYC for the opening of Racine's NY- a venture of a partnership including our friend Arno Tronche (wine geek) which has been many years in the making but has finally arrived- open to the public April 16th! (family and friends two days earlier in "soft openings" to practice)... so more on that later!