Restaurants

What a week! I haven’t felt like blogging or doing much of anything this week with my focus 1000% on Sandy’s destruction in my home state of NJ. I still can not get over the devastation at the shore, and parts of my family are to be without power for at last a week. A favorite tree in our yard uprooted, my sister had to drive to Pennsylvania to get gas for the generator, school is cancelled all week, and everyone, while thankfully fine, is definitely tired. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone suffering right now.

With everything so up in the air and with so many people without power, water, or even their entire homes, I decided to defer my New York City Marathon race entry to 2013. Logistically, getting into the city for bib pickup and then the race would be a nightmare, but mostly I didn’t feel okay celebrating when the city is in shambles.

Not that it compares to what anyone in the affected areas is going through, but I am exhausted. Worrying about my family and then agonizing over the marathon decision have been on my mind 24/7. I’m relieved I have a firm decision.

One thing I would not agonize over is the fact that Pigalle is one of my new favorite restaurants after attending a bar menu tasting there last week. It’s cozy, plays some great jazz music on Monday nights, and the food and wine is superb.

I have really been in a “cozy wine bar” mood lately, so prior to going to Pigalle, I stopped at Sip in Downtown Crossing. It was pretty disappointing. The wine list was not very diverse, they didn’t have my first two choices, it felt very corporate, and the wine I did have tasted like it had been opened for a very long time.

Grabbing a seat at Pigalle gave me exactly what I wanted. Just a few seats line the L-shaped bar, but it was just enough for our party to be comfortable and carry on conversation.

The wine list included a Viognier, one of my favorite whites, so I ordered that and really enjoyed it. Manning the bar was Ian who was delightful to chat with and who made exceptional cocktails he let us sample later in the night.

Monday nights at Pigalle are a new thing. They used to be closed, but they are now open for business and feature jazz every week. The music and vibe were fantastic; I want to make every Monday Pigalle date night.

Bar seats included a glass of crispy bacon and a basket of house made chips snack on while sipping drinks and waiting for the main event.

Pigalle generously provided us with a great mix of their favorites. Oysters with Pigalle’s house mignonette were pure perfection. I loved the fresh cucumber mixed with the briny oysters.

We were also treated  to clams and bacon, takeout containers with delicious noodles, sliders on buttery, heavenly rolls, short ribs topped with mashed potatoes, and soft, decadent eggs in a jar.

Expertly crafted, creative cocktails were fun and delicious. The Seelbach, bourbon, combier, bitters and sparkling wine, had a nice bitterness, a little sparkle, and quite the kick to it. It was definitely a drink I would order again.

With winter looming, Pigalle seems like the perfect place to hunker down on a chilly night to share appetizers or entrees and a good bottle of wine.

Do you have a favorite place you go to when you want something super cozy?