The Ten Bells

February 8, 2009

Drinks of any kind are fun to review, but that fun comes from the joy of drinking them. And of course the better the drink the more fun there is. Talk about something obvious, right? That is one statement that is not worth mentioning. But this is - the place matters and makes the drink. You can have your favorite beer, but if you aren’t in with the place you’ll feel uncomfortable, annoyed and probably not get lucky in the end. The place, be it a bar or a pub or a dirty old Moe’s, must provide you with your favorite drink and with a good atmosphere; it must play on all your senses. Its hard to find those kinds of places which is why everyone is spending so much time going around choosing place after place or sifting through numerous review sites (if you are such a person, welcome!) or bugging all your friends.

Now, since it is so hard and so important to find a good place to have your drink, we, the authors of this site, will try to help you. The name of the place is “The Ten Bells” and it’s located at 247 Broome St in New York City’s one of the best neighborhoods for outing LES. Be careful when you look for it, it’s inconspicuous location is further disguised by its entrance that sports dark doors and no house number in sight. But its there, looked very closed and abandoned from outside when I was looking for it. Yet once you enter, you are welcomed into a warm friendly atmosphere that you usually find at French establishments. Cozy with muted lights Ten Bells has a bar in the center and a few tall commune tables in the back all littered with empty wine and champagne bottles. The bar section sports this nice sushi enclosure that is filled with, what else, but cheese.

The beer selection is, obviously, very limited. If my memory serves me correctly, when inquired about the choice of drafts, the list consisted of maybe 4 items of some local brews. Well… you don’t go to a French place to sample beers do you? Worry not, the wine selection is great. Food selection is superb too. But the gem is and have always been in pairing wine with food, or cheese. If you are anything like me, then you don’t know much about wines, just the basics and the names you like. Thank fully the staff knowledgeable and capable in pairing. Find a big round guy with a beard, he’ll give you good drinking sequence that you and your other will enjoy. While you enjoy the wine served to you in a professional French tasting glass you will notice young lively crowd that is on the Asian side. Being so close to the Chinatown’s dirtiest has its advantages or disadvantages (depending on your taste).

All in all, its a good place to take your date to or have a simple romantic evening with your significant other. Just look for a table in the back with flowers and the bottles. You will be sharing with others, but its not crowded and no elbowing around.

The only major con is that the Ten Bells is cash only. They do have an ATM right outside, but its just so inconvenient. A box of matches is always available at the entrance in a big wine glass.

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