"Our foods are created to pair with and complement wines."
- Michael Dorf, Founder & CEO

While most restaurants consider wine the supporting player to food's starring role, at City Winery, Chef Andres Barrera is creating a food pairings menu specifically designed to let the wine take center stage. In the same manner that a master sommelier designs a wine list to create the best pairings with the chef's cuisine, Barrera, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, plans to present dishes that are ideal accompaniments to City Winery's 500-strong wine list.

With this in mind, Chef Barrera has turned his attention to the world's great wine regions for culinary inspiration. "There will be a Mediterranean taverna feel to the menu," says Barrera. "But it isn't our intention to create strict reproductions of each Mediterranean country's dishes; we are going to blur the lines." In addition, Chef Barrera will take full advantage of his access to a functioning winery by using the grape varieties brought on-site for winemaking as a source to also make special house vinegars, condiments and grape leaves for steaming fish.

The specialized service at City Winery will also reflect this unique approach to dining in New York. Instead of waiters, City Winery's staff will consist exclusively of wine stewards. Instead of beginning the evening with food choices, diners will first select their wine, and then be guided through City Winery's selection of small and large plates to pair with their choice: at City Winery, the wine will always be the star!

City Winery will be open daily from noon to midnight, serving a special lunch menu on weekdays and an additional brunch menu on Sundays.