#thelodgebar

[charmsofmine]

Great night at Bryant Park! .. Here is a picture to prove it lol #bryantpark #bryantparkwintervillage #mulledwine #thelodgebar #nyc #goodtimes #xmastree #nightout #blackandwhite #laugh #posher #meettheposher (at Winter Village At Bryant Park Ice Rink) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5vfeFZFJfU/?igshid=17sx1nlf3ahwq

[eatthiswearthat-blog]

Intimate, warm, delicious and sensual...Date night.

I’ve always felt winter is more romantic than summer. There’s something about snuggling up, sharing body heat, preferably in front of a fire, that just feels much more appealing than sweating in front of an air conditioner not wanting to accidentally brush against the burning hot skin of your beloved. 

So, with the nights getting colder, a wine bar that offers deep couches in an intimate setting with a fire dancing in the background is JUST my kind of place. Never mind one that has truly great food and an interesting, varied wine list.

I was debuting new shoes - black crocodile textured pointy flats from Shubar shoes at Hype DC  - new favourites! Dressy but comfy…

And after seeing a scary new Australian movie - The Babadook (can highly recommend it to thrill seekers), we were after just such a place to continue our date night.

The Lodge Bar is tucked away just off Darling Street in the beginnings of Balmain. It’s dark, the furniture is masculine and sexy and the mood is buzzy but relaxed. No preoccupation with the Sydney seen scene here.

The menu is designed around share plates with some more substantial options if you don’t feel like eating off each others plates. Chef Jon Cowan cooks in the bar alongside proprietor Tom Hoff, who proves a very handy person to get some guidance on wine from.

We are in the mood for red, but feel like trying a few different drops, so he suggests a Valpolicella (my absolute favourite red blend - big points for offering that by the glass) and a Pinot Noir. Since we’d nabbed a table right next to the seductively flickering fire, we sipped our excellent reds and allowed ourselves to be lulled into the kind of relaxed state where good conversation flows and the food and wine just keep coming.

We start with a charcuterie plate featuring waygu bresaola and 24 month aged Iberico jamon and some warm, toasted bread doused in a little olive oil.  The meats are succulent and salty and the warm bread comforting. An excellent start.

A beautifully presented plate of fig, beetroot and goat cheese salad was placed in front of us and we also ordered our next two reds - another Valpolicella - my date was tempted after a taste of mine, and an Argentinian Malbec. The salad was light, tart and delicious and the wine just velvety and sliding down far too easily.

We wanted to order the gnocchi as our main plate, after perving on other people’s dish selections, it looked delicious, but alas, it had sold out. However the roasted spiced carrots, crisp chicken and date puree was no consolation dish. The chicken resembled sticky pork belly in texture and the flavour was rich and warming.

We decided to stop there so that we could enjoy some cheese, which I knew would go fantastically with our little wintry world in front of the fire.

We lingered over the Brique D’Affinois - a cows milk Brie, and a Fourme D’Ambert blue with a generous stack of crackers (for once we didn’t run out before we’d eaten all the cheese).

We rolled out of The Lodge full and happy. My shoes weren’t hurting, we’d had some quality face time and the food, wine and ambience had been the perfect storm of elements for date night. We will return and when we do, that gnocchi will be ours.

Local tip: The Lodge offers a $35 Sunday lunch menu featuring a Chef’s selection of dishes….check out the sample menu here: http://www.thelodgebar.com.au/sunday-lunch-menu/