NYCReview
Ardesia
At first, I didn’t know what to make of Ardesia. Situated at the bottom of a giant West Side condo, this place looks like something a developer thought up so they could add “wine bar” to the list of building amenities, right next to “rooftop pool”, and “monthly singles mixers”. But after a few (five) glasses of wine, and some food, it became apparent that there is much more going on here.
Ardesia is first and foremost a wine bar, and a good one at that. The food is decent, but it’s secondary to what they do best, which is selecting excellent “mineral-driven” wines from all over the world. There are a ton of options to order by the glass, the prices are reasonable, and the service is super friendly. Go to drink, but when you inevitably need some food to soak up the wine, stick to a few simple things on the menu like the cod cakes and the pretzels. It’s a good hang for sure, and a perfect place to kick it with a friend or get to know someone. Better put that singles mixer on your calendar.
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Food Rundown
Homemade NY Style Pretzels
Two soft and salty pretzels served with a side of mustard so strong that could take the paint off a car. Man up. These are really good.
Pork Belly Bites
Small chunks of crispy, fatty pork belly over an apple salad. Tasty, but honestly we’ve seen this movie before.
Salt Cod Cakes
The best thing on the menu, these are perfect, silver dollar sized cod fritters served on a bed of frisee.
Weisswurst
A pretty standard German sausage served with that crazy mustard. Nothing special.
Duck Banh Mi
This has all the makings to be a great sandwich: duck, Sriracha, and Sullivan Street bread. Unfortunately the duck gets lost in the sloppy Sriracha sauce. This is another one you should skip.
