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Bar review: Ten Belles

By Lauren Shockey | Metromix.com

Review: Ten Belles

247 Broome St., between Ludlow and Orchard streets

212-228-4450

Oh, the wine bar. What seemed to be a late-'90s fad has been making a comeback in New York City thanks to hotspots such as Bar Boulud, Terroir, Bar Baresco and now Ten Bells, a Lower East Side newcomer from the crew behind Le Pere Pinard and Les Enfants Terribles.

But there's one thing that separates this bar and keeps it in line with the times: The wines are all-natural, organic and are produced using biodynamic and sustainable methods. Gimmick or great idea? Will Ten Bells be the model for the future of wine bars? We ducked in to get some answers.

Drinks: Ten Bells offers an ample selection of international wines, with about 15 by the glass and 50 by the bottle. We enjoyed the Corbieres 1e Pas 2005 ($7 glass/$40 bottle), a medium-bodied red from the Languedoc region that was nicely spiced with strong berry notes. The Muscadet 2006 ($6 glass/$34 bottle) was a fresh white with lots of fruit flavors and the Gruner ($5 glass/$30 bottle) proved to be a real thirst-quencher on a warm night.

Food: The bar offers a large, mostly European-inspired food menu of cheese (including a cow's milk cheese called Barick Obama -- cheeky!), charcuterie and salads and appetizers. Be sure to check out the oyster happy-hour special from 5 to 7 p.m. -- you can eat your fill for only $1.25 a pop.

Digs: The dimly lit nook bears some resemblance to Le Pere Pinard, with its charming pressed-tin ceiling, exposed brick walls and frosted glass mirrors. Although there are some rustic touches (menus written on chalkboards along the wall) à la Le Pere Pinard, Ten Bells opts more for a grown-up, romantic vibe. Overhead, the music was low enough for conversation.

Crowd: Given the owner's associations with such Francophilic establishments, it wasn't at all surprising that we heard more French than English, although there were some local neighborhood types hanging around as well. We also spied several couples on what appeared to be first dates, and given the ambience, we'd want to be taken here on a date, too.