Descending into the cave that is this wine bar, heat sneaks up on you. A reddish hue fills the…read morecellar's chambers, and the energy level is high, the mood festive. Table after table is crowded, and there is much merrymaking: revelers mosh and dance and grind and laugh and hug to the DJ - Pierre - behind the bar, where an Israeli flag proudly hangs next to Canadian and UK flags and retro pin-up models. When Pierre played "Hava Nagila", all hell broke loose.
Later, we asked Pierre if he was the owner (he wasn't). He invited us behind the bar, then poured us hefty glasses of wine for free. Discovering we were Americans, he blasted the American national anthem - twice.
Friends and I emptied a few bottles of Sancerre (Domaine Paul Cherrier, 2008). We put one aside, where strangers accidentally finished it. They apologized profusely, then bought us yet another bottle. Needless to say, my time here was a blur of awesomeness.