Cider Town
At Braeburn, apple cider earns its place next to wine
Although a mug of warm apple cider is the perfect late-autumn warm-me-up, it's not the best pairing for dinner. Fermented cider, on the other hand, can give wine a run for its money in terms of complexity and food-friendliness.
Luckily, there's a new crop of artisanal ciders in town, and the best place to try them is at the West Village's Braeburn restaurant, where beverage manager Katherine Beto has assembled a by-the-glass cider list to match chef Brian Bistrong's refined seasonal menu course-by-course.
Start with the dry, earthy Farnum Hill from New Hampshire ($7) or the Duché de Longueville ($7), a Normandy cider popping with fresh apple notes. Our favorite pairing for main courses like skate with Fuji-apple sauce is from Austrian producer Hans Reisetbauer ($12): With yeasty flavors and a ripe, appley tang, it tastes like Champagne's little sister. For dessert, order a tumbler of Doc's Draft Hard Apple Cider ($10) from upstate New York. Off-dry and remarkably savory, it gloriously enhances the restaurant's churro-like, cider-laced doughnuts.
Braeburn, 117 Perry St. (at Greenwich St.); 212-255-0696 or braeburnrestaurant.com
