Table Talk: WD-50 and the Secret Sherry Society

WD-50
50 Clinton Street
New York, NY 10002
Phone: 212.477.2900
Wednesday – Saturday, 6PM to 11PM
Sundays from 6PM to 10PM

Last week I was invited to an super exclusive introductory meeting by The Secret Sherry Society that was being held at the acclaimed WD~50. I RSVP’d immediately being very anxious to see what all the secret was about. The moment I arrived I was given a sherry cocktail made with Manzanilla, gin, vermouth, and orange bitters to start the night and then I was led down to the private dining wine cellar which consisted of about 12 members of the food media.

I was excited for the tasting menu of the infamous and daring Chef Wylie Dufresne. As we began with the first dish, WD-50’s version of lox and cream cheese, Cesar Saldaña, General Director of Jerez Consejo Regulador, began explaining how sherry is made from the white Palomino grape and comes in many different versions—from white and dry to dark red and sweet. As interesting dishes like Foie Gras with passion fruit filling were served with sherry pairings, I began to understand why Spanish people have been drinking this libation with their food for centuries, and not only as a dessert wine or aperitif.

I must admit Chef Wylie Dufresne’s food hit or a miss, but all in all kudos to WD-50 for thinking out of the box and taking chances. The Secret Sherry Society shouldn’t be a secret at all, after my experience with this versatile grape from Jerez (Spain’s oldest winemaking region), I think everyone should learn a little more about “wine’s best kept secret”.

www.wd-50.com

www.secretsherrysociety.com