I survived my first East Cost blizzard! 25+ inches in a single New York City day. So what did I do on that Saturday, January 23rd? Naturally, I went out to eat. And on a mission to seek out my blizzard wine.
It was totally amazing. All traffic was banned from the streets starting at 2:30pm. If you were driving your car after that time, you’d be arrested.
I was chilling in a cozy air bnb and saw an Instagram post from Fung Tu in the LES stating they would be open. And had a special on a bowl of noodles and a can of beer. So I hoofed it through the trancendently empty streets. Walking down major intersections at 6pm on a Saturday with zero cars?!? When the hell does this happen in New York? (Answer: when you get two feet of snow in less than 24 hours.)
The only traffic, on streets like Houston, were pedestrians enjoying a zen-like reverie:
When I got to Fung Tu, about a mile walk from where I was staying, said noodles and a beer were enjoyed. But those made me very full. (Not complaining.) So it was time for wine. Sitting at the bar, staring out the window at the calm scene outside, I wondered: Should I order a hearty red to warm me up? Naaah. It was time for sparkling rosé.
Blizzard Wine: Val de Mer Brut Nature Rosé
I’ve had the Val de Mer non-rosé sparkling and it’s great. Very lively and racy. The “Brut Nature” means the wine has no dosage, which is a mixture of sugar and wine added to chill out the acidity of a bottle of bubbles before the cork and cage are applied. So Brut Nature is a palate-sizzler, in a good way. The rosé was a bit different than it’s, uh, “regular” sparkling coutnerpart. Very fruity and deep in color. Yet finishes as dry as you’d expect from bubbles with no dosage.
Sidebar: Val de Mar is courtesy Patrick Piuze, who makes killer Chablis. Highly recommended.
The night developed from just me and the staff, as more people wandered in. Soon, almost the entire front of the bar was drinking Val de Mer rosé. Then I fell in love with this dish ordered by my neighbors: Raw Bok Choy with House-Made Shrimp Paste. Food and conversation were shared. Cocktails were poured. Parting shots were enjoyed.
And I walked back home through the snow.
Crunch crunch on quiet streets.
It was a magical night in the city.
Hooray for rosé bubbles on a snow day!!
Preach it!
yum. glad you survived! wish I was there to walk through snow covered empty streets to that sparkling rosé too. so glad Fung Tu was open!
It was a wonderful little slice of a NYC moment.
I am going to miss huge storms like this when I move south; the world never seems so quiet as when tons of flakes are tumbling out of the sky.
Yes, the quiet walk through LES was great.
Awesome story: welcome to NY!
I was stuck with 70n other Bordeaux Grand Cru vintners in Montreal, not able to get back to the city. Some of us made it back on time for the UGC tasting on Monday, but not all!
I am jealous, would have loved to have been there.
Did the very same thing you did in January 1996. Except I went out on my skis.
🙂
I wish I had some skis! That would have been fun. Sorry not everyone made it to the UGC tasting, but Montreal is not a bad spot to be stuck in. Maybe you all made a special trip to Joe Beef?