Every morning this week we've opened the window onto our fire escape hoping today would feel like a summer, like a craving for sangria. Then, fighting back tears, we put away our new sandals. Again. Every night this week, though, we've been drinking wines like the foodies eat their mac and cheese. On the recommendation of a currently nomadic friend who will always be a Brooklynite at heart, we visited Total Wine Bar in the Slope.
The small space felt warm, welcoming and was beautifully lit, from the U-shaped bar to the small, romantic tables, all pale wood lit from within. The crowd of couples and small groups was peppered with single neighborhood wine enthusiasts seemingly on a date with the bar itself. With an affable bartender negotiating the narrow bar by himself (service at the bar only) and the charming, funny proprieter Adam Robertson (formerly of Naidre's, also in the 'hood) shouting non sequiturs in the tiny kitchen behind the provincal green doors, we can see the appeal. And the wines are pretty seductive, too. The bar serves a variety a choices for a variety of budgets, glasses from $5-10 and bottles from $19-37- we tried a Spanish tinto ($5), a red with a rich, deep flavor that's both invigorating and grounding, and a lovely Chilean pinot noir ($7) that is not just organic, but grown within the constraints of biodynamics and produced by a female-run winery. And the pinot noir was good. Satisfying, it feels like the hearty drinks we still want in this weather especially when we are drinking out of serious, beautiful Riedel tumblers. For those that want to eat, high-end small plates (crawfish etouffee, quiches, even mac and cheese topped with garlic bread crumbs)and cheeses are available. Trust that Adam and his staff will help you pick the perfect wine (or beer -- they stock several unique small brews, including a good pale American lager, Blue Point, from Long Island) as they've been counseling buyers for years, starting at Best Cellars on the Upper East Side.
We look forward to going back to Total Wine Bar and drinking on the what that the bartender calls not so much a terrace as a "balcony overlooking a parking lot" with four tables and circles of astroturf. It's great wine, beer and food, smart, entertaining people and real Brooklyn and we wouldn't have it any other way. Except maybe without the torrential downpours.
Total Wine Bar
74 Fifth Avenue, between Warren Street and Saint Marks Place
Brooklyn, NY 11216
(718) 783-5166
