I started going to BU as a cheaper and more interesting alternative to coffee bars. No joke - even with the current economic crisis, have you seen what a couple of lattés and a cookie cost? And then there’s having to wade through the morass of student squatters who think that the coffee shop is study hall. Okay, so that’s me being an “old guy” crotchety cheapskate exclusion from the demographic that watched Friends, but I’ll get back on topic now.

BU is a hip smart entity that was the first of the current crop of wine bars to open and quickly became very popular with the oenophile crowd, the chef crowd, the local entertainment crowd, and lots and lots of young lawyers and business professionals. No, I don’t know why – maybe they just wanted to show that they knew how to order something other than bulk wine. We’re now five years since inception and more wine bars have opened (and closed; e.g. Aszu) but BU continues on in a direction and feel all of its own: they no longer close at 2:00 AM, the crowd is a little less lawyer-ey these days and there are much fewer trophy bottles being offered but it’s stayed true to the wine.

Oh yes. Wine. Fiel amigo: the liquid deliciousness that was our faithful companion through those seemingly endless pilgrimages to Mount Laurel. It’s what kept us going.

Fiel amigo is also what keeps BU going, but its offerings are considerably more diverse.

Dinner

Food at BU is understated and it’s always been offerings which complement wines. The format was initially only small plates but the bar has expanded its menu to stay competitive. Alongside small plates there are now full-size selections daily specials of a risotto, a pasta and a “special” alongside a vegetarian offering, a veal and a straight out stupid-simple (but very tasty) spaghetti and tomato sauce.

The crostini al funghi I like is no longer a regular part of the menu (it’s been replaced by a more upscale tartufata variant) but it makes an appearance from time to time. I used to go and graze on that and the baccalà mantecato (brandade de morue) before moving on from there but since I now work in the southern apple fields (well, not directly with apples, it’s just next to the orchards) there’s less time available to linger. For this particular visit, I went with a favorite standby: the Assiette BU, a mixed plate of Italian charcuterie, grilled vegatables and chunks of parmigiano. It’s one of those things that can’t really screw up: meaty, full of umami and works well with both reds and whites.

Wine

Wine. Wine bar. No worries.

Definitely no worries here as sommelier and co-owner Étienne Guérin maintains a varied wine list. This is after all where I discovered Viñedos de Ithaca’s Odysseus PX (an terrific aromatic white from Priorat that’s 100% Pedro Ximénes), and where I have been able to enjoy Au Bon Climat’s Knox Alexander Pinot Noir as well as the Pech Abusé that I eventually selected to compete for haricots Tarbais. If a bottle is too much fiel amigo to go with, there are 15-20 wines always available either by the glass, as 3-wine tasting flights, or as 3-wine red or white blind tastings. Per-glass offerings change weekly.

Though this is a great place to drink Grüner Veltliners and Puligny-Montrachet, I was conscious that I need to continue saving (for… the pony!) so it was on to cruising the week’s per-glass features on the last visit. Four aperitifs, including a manzanilla xérès (!), one spumante and one Pinot Noir-based champagne. Blind red or white tasting flights are available but I wasn’t in the mood to mess around with my 3 for 22 track record on blind tastings (Étienne enjoys reminding me that I’m a long way from winning that T-shirt). The trios are available either as single glasses or as flights of three for thematic comparisons, but I had inadvertently run into Italian wine week: a trio of Italian whites. Uh, no. Trio of Italian reds? Trio of wines from Italian islands? Nope. No thanks. Though I do have two bottles in my holdings, Italian wines are something that I prefer to leave for others to enjoy on my behalf.

I went with the manzanilla, and glasses from the two groupings of whites from France, including a Vouvray from the Domaine Huet and a Sancerre from François Cotat. I’ve already got some of the Huet and the glass I had confirms that it’ll be ready to start drinking in about 10-12 years (it’s still a bit grippy). The Cotat? Minerally cat-pee aromas of Sancerre. The manzanilla reminded me of the fun I’ve had eating in Spain and went well with the assiette BU even if it was Italian charcuterie and not oinky Spanish goodness.

Photos

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Impressions

BU was considerably quieter than previous visits; not sure if it was just the night or if it’s the old “economic slowdown” thing. It certainly won’t be quiet for their white truffles event but I’ll take quiet when I can get it as it’s just a great way to enjoy what’s in the glass.

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