Into Autumn: Heading Stonehome
Bar-bistro hybrids have grown out of every available Manhattan nook and cranny, designed to the nines to look like they’ve been pocketed there for a century or more.
But what of Brooklyn? The locals swear there’s a new breed promising more than Disney-fied steak frites. Seasoned chefs reside in the Borough of Kings, knives sharpened to carve out their own history. Marcel heads into the shadows of the Brooklyn Academy of Music to suss out Stonehome Wine Bar.
Goes great with: an appetite, an attention to detail, an evening walk and a MetroCard.
Trustworthy partisans of mine have been seduced by a spot in Fort Green, Stonehome Wine Bar. The name gave me pause – fresh home-made wine in historical dress? I did not know what to expect.
At first blush, the interior does not help my mood: IKEA stools and halogen lighting, some ‘wine-themed’ art. Okay, let’s order.
The Rosé flight – a Provence with a honey finish, a Piedmont with a sexy melted-popsicle palate, and an Abruzzo for some bass. Wagyu Beef Carpaccio with a smoked pepper aioli and arugula is a masterful study in salt. A sauteed Skate is a bountiful proportion for a small plate, and melts away.
We skip along to the ‘Floral and Aromatic’ flight…and cheese! A Swiss Tete de Moine the texture of raw pasta: incroyable with a 2006 Schuman Nägler Riesling. A lightly smoked Idiazabal from Spain gracefully marries a 2005 Christian Binner Alsatian Gewürz.
The staff is attentive without being slavish, the shadows of the room now warm. We finish with a bittersweet chocolate cake and a 1979 Toro Albala Sherry, all molasses and vanilla – an amazing discovery.
I conspire with my tender: who is this chef, John Gibson? He is deep into ingredients, sourcing locally, aligning with the wine. The owners have been local for decades; now I know why ‘home’ is in the name. With a joyous stomach and a happy mouth, life is good. I cannot wait for my next journey to Stonehome.
Stonehome Wine Bar
87 Lafayette Ave.
Brooklyn NY 11217
718-624-9443