Corkbuzz Winebar Chelsea Market: Champagne, wine & good eats

October 01, 2014 ChubbyChineseGirl

Dear Food Diary:
A few weeks ago, on a rainy Saturday, I was invited to a tasting at the new Corkbuzz Winebar Chelsea Market.

Our group of foodaholic ladies sampled European inspired small plates by Chef Missy Robbins, paired with champagne and wine by Master Sommelier Laura Maniec. What a treat…

From left to right: @thejudylab, @amandadilauro, @divathatateny, @jeaniusnyc, @restaurantfairy and @littlemisslocal who organized the event with Corkbuzz’s @rachtakeover.

Tip: Corkbuzz Wine Bar has a back door on 15th St. between 9th and 10th ave. Just look for the hot pink on the sidewalk.

They currently have a #champagnecampaign – 1/2 off any bottle of champagne from 10pm to close.

Here’s @rachtakeover and @thejudylab with her light!

Corkbuzz Winebar Chelsea is an all women team. Starting with part owner and Master Sommelier Laura Maniec (she’s 1 of only 21 in the world). Michelin Star chef Missy Robbins of A Voce and communications director Rachael Wilson (A knowledgeable wine lover. You might have seen her in the documentary SOMM).

Laura obviously knows her wine. Food & Wine magazine named her one of 2013’s “Sommeliers of the Year”. Her philosophy for the wine bar is a welcoming atmosphere where anyone from a wine experts to a novice wine drinker could enjoy.

The concept is very casual and European. Have a few bites and get a glass of wine as you pass by the market or stay for a while…

Their current menu is filled with stories from Missy’s personal life and her travel journey across Northern Italy.

POTATO CHIPS fennel, chili, sea salt
Paired with Aubry Premier Cru Brut NV, Pinot Meunier Blend
Homemade, crunchy and salty. Like a homemade kettle chip. I know its cliché to say “addicting” but I don’t have a better way to described them.

Story: This is Missy’s favorite spice combination.

GOUGERES fontina, speck
Paired with Aubry Premier Cru Brut NV
Buttery little pockets exploding with melted cheese, laced with salty “fat”. OMG (sorry the Valley Girl voice came out). So perfectly paired with the hints of green apple and subtle sweetness of the bubbly. So good.

WHOLE ARTICHOKE “Italian dressing”
Paired with Muscadet Sur Lie, Chateau du Coing ‘00
I love sharing artichokes. It’s such a fun way to eat. Peeling away pedal by pedal (nature’s spoon) and getting the flesh with all those herbs before reaching the soft center. Finger lickin’ good.

Story: Missy grew up eating whole artichokes, she loves them stuffed. The recipe for our resulting artichoke dish was achieved one night when Missy accidently recreated the flavors of Wishbone Italian Dressing of her childhood.

ROASTED EGGPLANT pine nuts, golden raisins
Paired with Muscadet Sur Lie, Chateau du Coing ‘00
Light yet so flavorful. The eggplants absorbed all the spices. It’s soft without being gooey. The pinenuts add a nice fragrant punch.

Story: During a visit to Venice, Missy visited a checcheti style of restaurant, standing only, ledges for a quick drink and a small plate. She dined on a sardine’s dish that she turned vegetarian. This style of dining was the foundation for the style of Corkbuzz Chelsea Market.

CUCUMBERS coriander, cumin, chile, yogurt
Paired with Muscadet Sur Lie, Chateau du Coing ‘00
The cucumbers were refreshing and packed with flavor. Very simple.

ANCHOVY’s salsa verde, bread & butter
Furmit Sec, Kiralyudvar ‘11
The naturally oily anchovies are salty and covered in a bright salsa verde and olive oil. The parsley brightened up each bite of bread, butter and fish. I wanted to dip my fingers in it.

Story: Missy was in Piedmont last November visiting snail farms. On one such day she was quoted an hour and a half wait. She went to the bar next door to wait and was greeted with the most luscious anchovies dish drowned in salsa verde. The resulting dish is her interpretation focusing in on the finest quality ingredients.

TOMATO BRAISED CALAMARI fennel pollen
Chardonnay, Domaine Labet Fleurs ‘09
Tender but al dente texture of the calamari cleverly disguise as pasta in this dish. The sauce has a really good balance of sweet and that natural tomato tartness. Bits of crunch on top making it an excellent alternative to the pasta dishes that Missy is known for.

Story: Pasta is very integral to Missy’s culinary profession. But this kitchen at Chelsea does not allow for the space that is necessary to produce pasta. So this is her way to put “pasta” on the menu.

CURED SWORDFISH giardiniera, taggiasca olives, capers
Furmit Sec, Kiralyudvar ‘11
Beautifully cured with the right balance of tart and sweet while allowing the the meaty fish pop. Nice fresh crunch and gorgeous colors from the surrounding pickled vegetables.

Story: Off of a cove in Positano, Italy, a restaurant across the cove ferried the customers across in a boat. The ship captain would come ashore and yell out “Da Adolpho” the restaurant name. On the cove you would rent a beach chair for the day, enjoy some beer and food. Most of the food was fresh fish, to which the presentation options were limited by the facility, so most things were preserved. We here at Corkbuzz find ourselves limited by our kitchen size, and to capitalize on the flavor preservation suits us perfectly.

TUNA CONSERVA zucchini, dill, pistachio
Chardonnay, Domaine Labet Fleurs ‘09
The tuna was bland and a bit dry. I enjoyed the zucchini and dill but nothing to sing about.

SOPRESSATA gnocco fritto
Nebbiolo, La Prevostura ‘10
One bite and I wondered where gnocco fritto have been all my life. This was my introduction to this deep fried carb porn. Light, crisp and airy without being greasy.

We pulled apart piping hot dough around the table and made our little bit size sandwiches. The smokey paprika and cayenne in the sopressata kicked it all up a notch. Meat and carb in the most comforting way. I would love to end any day with this and a glass of wine.

Story: A traditional staple in Emilia Romagna. Stylistically the gnocco fritto is smaller, more bite sized.

PANZAROTTI ricotta and mozzarella filled, 30 clove sauce
Nebbiolo, La Prevostura ‘10
The love child of pizza and calzone, only with a softer, fluffier dough. Warm and oozing with creamy ricotta and mozzarella. I loved dipping and double dipping in that 30 clove sauce. Pure, robust tomato goodness. That sauce can be used for anything, seriously, I wish they would bottle it.

Story: Missy suggest we get immediately off the plane and head to the panzarotti carts outside the Duomo in Florence. Traditionally they are prepared with the sauce fried into the pocket.

COTECHINO SAUSAGE SANDWICH baguette, salsa verde, aioli
Tempranillo, Senoria de P. Pecina Reserva ’05
This brought me back to the streets of Costanera in Buenos Aires. It looked identical to a “choripan” only the cotechino sausage had a completely different texture. Soft and melt in your mouth, think spam without all unidentified ingredients. These are made with pork, fatback and pork rind, all things that make a Chubby like myself drool.

The salsa verde and baguette held it together in a massive flavor explosion of a bite. It made me smile, proving once again that good eats really don’t need to be fancy or expensive. I will definitely be back for another one.

Story: Modena Masamo Bottura’s restaurant, Osteria Francescana, introduced Missy to the first sandwich she has ever really liked.

BURRATA SANDWICH semolina, hot chiles, basil
Tempranillo, Senoria de P. Pecina Reserva ’05
This was a superb sandwich that allowed the ingredients to shine. Lick worthy burrata with fresh basil and a smear of heat. On any given day I would of been all over it, but by this point I had sampled too many good dishes to give it my full attention.

Story: Missy follows the heart of Italian cooking with amazing ingredients, in the simplest form possible. Parisi bread, Murry’s burrata

CANNOLI CREAM FILLED ÉCLAIR
The Rare Wine CO New York Madeira
There have been a lot of blissful food marriages like the cronut and ramen, so why not a cannoli cream filled eclair!? Maybe call it an Eclannoli?!

The choux pastry was a buttery air filled with sweet milky ricotta cream. Well balanced without being clogging, perfectly chased by a sip of the rich and sweet madeira. What a wonderful way to end a meal.

POPPED CORN Sicilian almonds, smoked paprika, sea salt
The Rare Wine CO New York Madeira
The finally to our delightful tasting were these sweet, smoky and salty popcorns with a nutty touch. The flavors offset that sweet madeira brilliantly. Opposites do attract.

Story: While cooking a Mexican themed dinner party, Missy thought back to this amazing dinner she had at Yardbird, Hong Kong. The resulting appetizer is the popped corn, with a blending of sweet salty and spicy flavors.

Superb wine and food go hand in hand at Corkbuzz Winebar. Missy has created some fantastic dishes for Laura to flawlessly pair. I can’t wait to bring my girlfriends for a night out and ChubbyHubby on our next date.