Terroir
439 Third Avenue, between 30th and 31st Street, Murray Hill
Getting There: 6 to 33rd Street
Terroir Murray Hill

The third outpost of wine bar Terroir officially opened up shop in Murray Hill this past Saturday, adding a little touch of class to the youthful and often frowned upon but fun neighborhood. Already ripe with similar spots like Vino 313 and Wine:30, only time will tell if Terroir’s successes elsewhere will be sustainable here. But with East Village and Tribeca locations already in full swing, the team behind restaurants’ Insieme and Hearth see no reason to think otherwise. And if their first full week in operation is any indication, their rustic stone signage should remain firmly entrenched on Third Avenue for some time.

What’s nice about Terroir is that it still smells new- from the wooden countertops and flooring, to the steel high top stools, to the bevy of hundreds of wine bottles on display behind the pouring counter. Also, the place just has a certain openness and comfort to it wherein you can imagine kicking back with a pre-dinner glass of vino, and noshing on some small delicacies. The menu here ranges from bar snacks like olives ($5) and anchovies ($5), bruschettas ($4-$7) and salads ($8-$11), to some different sandwiches and hot foods- of which will all be available any day.

Unfortunately the value of happy hour here ends a bit on the early side at 6pm, and from there the glasses (while the options are aplenty) jut up to standard Manhattan prices. It should be noted that each glass (6 oz.) is also offered at a more affordable clip (3 oz. taste) and there are some cheaper bottles sprinkled in throughout the menu. In our first foray to the new location, we nibbled on some fresh prosciutto ($6) and two cheeses (Clothbound cheddar $5; Camembert $5). All of which were delicious, but at $16 for two bite sized pieces of cheese and two diminutive slices of the Italian meat left something to be desired- in the form of a dinner elsewhere. That said, now we know what to expect from Terroir- a new, exciting destination in an area void of them, and if you aren’t eating dinner there, it makes as a terrific, albeit pricey spot to begin any evening out.