Pudding Stones: What is a pudding stone?

I must admit, I am a little embarrassed. I called the co-owner (he’s my friend) of this beautiful enchanting wine bar on the upper east side the other day to ask him what a pudding stone was – I knew it was one of those stones that were really smooth and so pleasurable to rub your fingers all over, but I didn’t know the “absolute” meaning of a pudding stone (Bobby Khorami and Peter Rabasco are the owners of newly opened Pudding Stones Wine Bar and Restaurant on 3rd Ave between 82nd and 83rd St.). Being “unconscious” as I still find myself in little pocket moments of my life, I wasn’t proactive and sought instead the easy way out – ‘let me just call him and have him tell me what it means,’ I thought to myself. Well, I was delighted, and yet felt a little stupid when I went onto his website, www.puddingstoneswinebar.com/, and found that this question: “What is a pudding stone?” was immediately addressed. Here is what was written: “Wine is called "Pudding Stone" because of the large stones covering the floor of the vineyard which consists of large smooth pebbles that are either Lydian, Quartz or Pudding Stone called Grave de Palassou. This outstanding terroir is ideal for making great wine. The stones retain heat and warm the fruit and soils allowing the grapes to achieve maximum ripeness.”
Okay, now I feel better. I don’t like really liking something and not knowing anything about it; for example the 2002 Petite Sirah we ordered by the bottle, by Barra of Mendocino. I love wines from Mendocino, not only because I know that the region produces some great wines, but because I used to live in Mendocino county, and anything grew amazingly there – it was my first real garden – full of heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, cherry tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe – and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I lived in the middle of wine country and as the seasons passed by I could witness the thick warped and gnarled stalks of old wine stems transform into beautiful little trees with perfect green leaves and awe-inspiring grapes that delicately hung from the life-force of that immobile “creature.” Not only did I know something intimate about Mendocino, I knew as well that Petite Sirah was not Syrah, like most would automatically associate, and I had been wanting to try a non-italian wine with Mauro for awhile. My wine taste buds grew up on California wine, so I still harbor some Cali-pride, even if I am being blown away with Mauro’s Italian picks.
What is Petite Sirah if it’s not syrah? Once again, I had to look to the internet for an answer: “Although the nomenclature is similar and Petite Sirah is a true offspring of Syrah, the vines and grapes of parent and child are quite different and distinct from one another and these varieties should never be used synonymously. In April, 2002, the TTB announced they will forthwith consider Petite Sirah and Durif synonymous for use on wine labels.” (For more info on Petite Sirah, I got the above description from: http://www.winepros.org/wine101/grape_profiles/petite.htm).
I don’t know about you, but I love to try new things. Yes, Mauro and I have our favorite spots and favorite everythings, but how did they become our best? At one point we had to do something different and take a chance, try something new, and this night Mauro and I did something completely out of the range from our regular downtown Manhattan routine and I had one of the best nights I’ve had in awhile. Not only did we go all the way uptown to Spanish Harlem to have Mexican food with my good friend Marcus Burrowes, but after dinner we decided to stay on the upper east side and spend some time in a new neighborhood. I called some friends to meet us there, and Mauro and I were delightfully joined in waves of different groups, one coming as the other was leaving. Not that I wouldn’t have rather had them all together at once, but it was nice to see New Yorkers leave their neighborhood and “trek” uptown to be with friends and drink wine and eat cheese.
That’s what I love about wine bars, how we come together and share history swirling in our hands and then indulged into our bodies. It’s a wonderful feeling, it’s a warm feeling, and it’s nice to find a clean and beautiful place like Pudding Stones where the atmosphere is conducive to conversation and the service is very good. The manager Mike, took amazing care of us – like I said. Everyone was coming in groups, and it was a Monday night around midnight, when some friends/cooks from Le Cirque who I had worked with finally made it uptown – Mike told us, in no way making us feel uncomfortable, that we were welcome to stay a little while longer and that he would let us know when last call was. This doesn’t sound like it should be a notable quality – but believe you me, I think the worst part about service in NYC is that most servers are so spoiled and lazy that when that clock gets near to ticking towards them saying goodnight, this nasty, horrific attitude comes out of them as if they were Jekyll and Hyde. I know you all know what I’m talking about if you have ever been to a restaurant near closing time. So Mike, I thank you, you made us all feel so welcome. Customer service is getting worse and worse in America and I think it’s a huge reflection on society – so please take a moment to consider how we all have helped to create and attitude of disinterest and un-caring to our fellow neighbors and how very often, just getting a job done and making money has become more important than finding a job that you would like to do with passion. Personally, I’m tired of spending my money somewhere and getting an attitude as well as dissatisfactory product.
But Pudding Stones didn’t make me feel that way. The ambiance is very relaxed, and the music is great. If anyone ever underestimates the impact of music in an establishment, think again. Music is like the backbone of your whole environment, and Erin, my very beautiful and amazingly magnetic fellow-Aquarian girlfriend could not help but be “totally ecstatic” about the play list that night. As I came to find out, Erin loves Jill Scott. So, to wrap up this report, Pudding Stones had everything I believe a wine bar needs: nice ambiance, good music, solid wine menu (they had a nice selection of Old and New World wines), a nice cheese plate and other food options, and perfect service (not over-the-top and never rude or dismissive). I hate going to a wine bar wanting to try something new and you get that feeling that no one is really there to help you – at Pudding Stones you will get love and attention – and my god do I need that in my life!