"Big Night" at Falai

To a couple of kids from the wine sticks, this was a big night. 

Not only were we finally going to Falai, one of the more esteemed new-style Italian restaurants in New York since it opened a year and a half ago, but we were having dinner with a good friend of Courtenay's, Fiona Morrison Thienpont, MW, and Josh Greene, editor and publisher of Wine and Spirits magazine.  Heady stuff for us. 

In collaboration with Alberto Taddei, the sommelier and manager (formerly with Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, no less), Josh had us served a tasting menu and a vast array of Italian wines.  With a ringer from California in there, just to keep us on our drunken toes.

Falai is located a couple of blocks south of Houston Street, in the still ratty-looking Lower East Side.  The restaurant occupies a narrow retail space with the name "S. Klein" in tile outside the door.  On each side of the entrance tables are situated in the old shop's display windows, so the people watching is good whether you're inside or outside.  The dominant interior color of the restaurant is white, a good strategy for making it seem less confining.

Photo NY Times

What did we eat?  I don't know but it was damned good

As I said, Josh and Alberto worked out the meal together.   Course after course and wine after wine, hour after hour -- it was a sensational succession of tastes and textures, discussion and laughter, which didn't end till after midnight.  Rough for a teacher who got up at 5:30 and would have to do it again in a few hours.  (For the record: the hangover was epic.)  But to paraphrase, Valait la gueule.

Fiona and Ken -- taken with the cell phone, sorry (sorry -- the joke word of the evening.  A British thing)

You can check out the menu on menupages and be assured that we had at least half the items on it.  The saving grace was that the portions were smallish,  so we were able to enjoy all of them.  The food was inventive, so that even the polipetti (baby octupus with caramelized olives and fresh oregano), one of my favorites any time, seemed new, a discovery.

What did we drink? For once I take notes.  Some.  With decreasing coherence

I won't bore you with a writeup of every wine we had.  Here are a few of the highlights.

We began with a Prosecco, Valdobbiadene Brut, "Col Veloraz," NV (imported by Montecastelli Selections). It had a pleasing acidity that balanced the sugar, making it more lively and refreshing than most Proseccos. Perfect with Falai's wonderful breads and amuse-bouche as  Josh and his date, Greta, and Ken and I waited for Courtenay and the Southern contingent, as well as Fiona.  (It turned out that Fiona had been having drinks with Hugh Grant and his brother; I'd have been late for us too.)

One of the early standouts of the evening was a Gavi -- a Gavi, of all things -- Cascina degli Ulivi.  This was sensational, a Mediterranean spice garden of rosemary and olives, dry and lively.  A great aperitif or, really, antipasto wine, which would pair superbly with a simple but satisfying grilled chicken.  As my tablemate Robin O'Connor, president of the Society of Wine Educators, said, "Not many of the good Gavis make it over here."  Clearly.  Here was a telling exception.

The reds were especially interesting to me.  The first was a Trimpilin, Marche, 2003, which was made by Alberto's brother.  It was huge, as the vintage would lead you to expect, at 14.5% alcohol, an 80% sangiovese blend with several local varieties.  Chocolate, coffee, rich, chewy.  Young but already interesting, fairly complex.  Made 50/50 with new and one-year-old Allier oak barriques.  (Imported by Panebianco?  Here is where the notes start to get a bit fuzzy.)

Fiona thought the Trimpilin was too cooked -- well, it was a very hot year -- and over the top.  I acknowledged what she was saying; I felt it when I tasted it in combination with a couple of the later reds.

A Rapet Babera d'Alba, 2005 was served after something not too memorable.   Made by Ruggiero Corsilli, this was tipico in a good way.  By this time it was getting late and, as I said, the coherence of my notes falls off sharply from here on out.  (OK, this is one from Panebianco, who do have a great Italian portfolio.)

Except for the California ringer I mentioned before.  Josh brought a bottle of Oak Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 (Napa),

Correction from Fiona!
 

Oh, and by the way – the Californian wine that Josh brought to the table was Shafer Vineyards Hillside Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – my favourite Californian wine – your notes MUST have been getting a little muddled by that stage of the evening.

 (Another demonstration of how fuddled I was.)  Anyway, I did manage to note that it was 14.9% strong, notably scented like prosciutto and smoked ham, super rich and concentrated.  This sort of big red isn't normally to my taste, but I did sip the Trimpilin and this together, several times, and I have to admit that the Shafer vineyards wine came out ahead.  It had more guts, more structure, and its finish was long and luscious, where the Trimpilin faded comparatively fast.

The last wine I recall at all, which was served as part of the dessert course, was an old favorite of mine, the Valle dell'Acate Frappato.  I was surprised that most at the table, big time wine folks that they are, had not heard of this delectable wine or the variety. It was a huge hit, even with Courtenay, who normally drinks only whites. I did feel good parading my easy familiarity with this wine among all those wine mavens -- I mean, Fiona's a Master of Wine and runs the famed Le Pin with her husband.  Good choice, Josh.  This light, Beaujolais-colored and pleasing Frappato was a welcome change from the massive, concentrated reds we had been drinking.  Although it too is a formidable 14%, it never seems at all hot or heavy.  (Again: Friday, 5:45 AM, epic hangover, pain, pain, pain.) 

All that pain and $125 a head, beyond our modest means.  But...

My God, it was worth it.

 
Above: The founder of the feast, Josh Greene

The party's over...

Falai

68 Clinton Street (between Rivington & Stanton), 212-253-1960. Open for dinner. Closed Mondays

Comments

[Gabrio]

Trimplin is imported by Artisan...
see you soon

[Fredric Koeppel]

Lord have mercy, what a night! I'm envious ...

[Terry Hughes]

I told you my notes were getting, um, messy, to say the least.

The handwriting deteriorated in a most hilarious manner.

Thanks for the clarification. Ciao.

[Terry Hughes]

FK, it was great. Just told Julie to get over there soon.

Writing this post, which took hours thanks to looking up all the links, brought back the hangover though. A vivid reliving of the event, to be sure!