I paid a quick visit this afternoon to Mr. Vino's Cucina, the new gourmet food shop on Austin St. The place is stocked with everything from smoked salmon to olives, cheeses and meats. And a lot of beer. Here's a few photos... Also check out their new Facebook page, and don't forget to like them!
It is cute but my loyalties are with the Cheese of the World folks. They have always been so kind to me and accomodating. May buy some beers from them though...
ReplyDeleteThey look like a deli more than a gourmet cheese shop. I would shop there more often it didn't look so run down and depressing.
DeleteDon't criticize it, or Drake might delete your comment. What high end establishment sells single cans/bottles of beer?
DeleteAbsolutely amazing place, the beer selection is the best for miles
ReplyDeleteAny prepared foods? Our hood needs some quality take away.
ReplyDeleteDidn't have time to ask today but I did notice various meats behind the counter. Does anyone else out there know?
DeleteThat was quick. They do plan to sell sandwiches. They suggest you "like" their Facebook page to keep up to date with the latest news. The link's at the top of this post.
DeleteHey, the person with Obsessive-Compulsive postings. Get a life. Only losers get upset over a deleted comment.
ReplyDeleteHa! Guess he doesn't realize Google will be recognizing his IP address as spam the more he does it.
DeleteNah, I figured that Drake.
DeleteWhat high end establishment sells single cans/bottles of beer?
ReplyDeleteEvery single one. Just because they are in cans does not mean that they are a bad beer. Currently the #1 Beer on Beeradvocate.com is only sold in a can. Light can't get into it and disrupt the beers quality.
DeleteI'm really sick of all the people here who know nothing about beer and trying to bash what they're doing.
The poor dude is obviously clueless when it comes to craft beer. Let him wallow in his own watered-down mass market swill.
DeleteI love craft beer. That's not what I'm saying.
DeleteWhy sell singles? What not a six pack? And I don't drink swill, Drake.
The place is more deli and gourmet. That's what I'm focusing on.
Actually, I shouldn't say watered down, as that hasn't been proven in a court of law yet. I meant "bland".
Delete"more deli than gourmet"
DeleteNothing is stopping you from buying 6 of them, but why would you buy 6 of the same beer when you could pick out 6 different ones?
DeleteHave you seen the size of the place? How are they going to be selling six-packs? They have obviously chosen variety over quantity.
DeleteAnd you and I both know it's not anything like a deli. So cut the crap.
And you apparently do not know much about craft beer despite your claims. If you did, you would know that these beers are of such high quality they are meant to be enjoyed slowly, not guzzled six at a time.
DeleteWe'll just agree to disagree. I like that it's there, but it won't be frequent spot. It is a cramped space, that's true. It'd actually be ideal for rotating seasonal growlers over the singles, but I guess that'd be tough to pull off in that space. Whatever the case, I'll frequent it as much as I frequent the other gourmet shops in town.
DeleteNegra Modelo, Modelo Especial, Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Cider, Blue Moon Valencia Grove, Sam Adams Boston Lager, Sapporo, and Dale's Pale Ale aren't that high craft, Drake.
ReplyDeleteGranted, some of these are great. Dogfish Head, Chimay, Delirium, Allagash, Ommegang, Peak's Organic, Samuel Smith's, Porterhouse Oyster Stout. I especially like that they brought in a Gluten Free beer. And many of these are hard to come by in the neighborhood.
But some are grocery store staples. Heck, I can get Blue Moon at Rite Aid. If they want to be gourmet, then they have to do it balls to the wall gourmet - no macrobreweries.
It would have been nice if they brought in local breweries too, which they did only with Six Point. Maybe bring in Queens' own Singlecut, or the Bronx Brewery too.
Those aren't very craft, and I do not understand understand why they have Sapporo/Sapporo Light, Blue Moon, Sam Adams,Dales are all very big "gateway" beers to get people into the other stuff.
DeleteI'm sorry, screwed up my punctuation. I don't understand why they have most of the beers you listed especially Sapporo/Sapporo Light, but Blue Moon, Sam Adams,Dales are all very big "gateway" beers to get people into the other stuff.
DeleteI agree that Blue Moon and Sam Adams are "gateway" beers leading to the finer quality brewers. And I do like them now and again. Definitely the thing I bring to someone's BBQ rather than Bud Light let's say. But that's not the point. If you're going to differentiate yourself in the market and boast yourself as the proprietor of hard-to-find gourmet craft beers, then those items shouldn't even be in your inventory.
DeleteBut, do they sell frozen yogurt?
ReplyDeletecan you blend it?
ReplyDeleteAggressive panhandler still on that block. Is he homeless?
ReplyDeleteHe hangs out by the restaurants and by 71st and Continental. Disturbing individual.
ReplyDeleteVisited Mr. Vino’s Cucina twice today, to ensure I wasn’t making a snap judgment. I had very high hopes for this store and as you can probably tell by that opening line, I found it to be pretty disappointing.
ReplyDeleteEsthetically, it’s beautiful. I had no doubt that would be the case based on the design of its sister wine store.
There’s been a great deal of talk on the issue of the stores craft beer inventory. Personally, I’m happy with a Red Stripe and definitely no expert on craft beer, so I’ll leave that debate to those more qualified.
Upon walking in to the store I noticed some higher priced balsamic vinegar, which made me hopeful that I’d soon be seeing a wonderful artisanal cheese selection (my primary interest). This is where I feel Mr. Vino’s Cucina totally missed the mark.
With the exception of 5 Spoke, which is a local creamery based in Goshen, NY that focuses on raw cheeses (versus those that use pasteurized milk), the cheeses were basically the same run of the mill cheese that you find in Cheeses of The World and The Natural (note: The Natural actually carries some of 5 Spoke’s cheeses).
I was really hopeful that we’d see a wider selection of artisanal cheeses such as those produced by Cowgirl Creamery, Bellweather Farms, Point Reyes Farmstead, Cypress Grove (note: Cheeses of The World carries their Lambchopper while The Natural carries the Purple Haze).
Nothing “wrong” with their cheese selection other than it’s fairly small and definitely uninspired.
The store is too small and not focused.
ReplyDeleteAgree that the same cheese selectiin and manyl of the jarred products can be found at Natural and some even at local supermarkets, esp Stop N Shop
Store can barely hold 12 shoppers comfortably....
The size it what it is. I love the idea of a specialty food store in the neighborhood and I think it can be done successfully within the size parameters that the location offers.
ReplyDeleteMy issue is what products they've chosen to carry and the good news is, that's something that can easily evolve over time.
Someone posted on the FB Group page that the individual working the slicer is good. I didn't pay much attention to the meat selection as that's not my personal focus. However, if they do have a great staff working the slicer, I'd love to see some unique sandwich combinations (if they source bread from La Boulangerie, that would be two thumbs up).
Again, just really keeping my fingers crossed that they re-think their cheese selection. As things stand, I'm probably sticking with Cheeses of The World and The Natural to supplement my trips to Murray's Cheese in NYC.
For whatever it is worth - I went in today and loved it! The place was packed. I think the store itself is beautiful and organized. Picked up some dried meats and a few beers. They had both a cheese expert and beer expert in the store. Looking forward to coming back!
ReplyDeleteIt is a cute store and a great location for people to pick something up on their way home from work. However, for a gourmet cheese shop, they shouldn't be precutting their cheese and wrapping it up in saran wrap. I like my cheese cut to order...like Cheeses of the World does. Also, I bought their French bread. I am not a fan...the crust isn't as crispy as it should be and sort of tasteless. I prefer La Boulangerie's bread. Otherwise the store is very nice....and just like the wine shop, in a very good location.
ReplyDeleteCompelled to post an update to my prior postings upon re-visiting Cucina today. They're now carrying a cheese by Jasper Hill Farm (Winnimere) which is a seasonal cheese produced between November - April. I was thrilled to see this cheese today and it's definitely a step in the right direction in regards to bringing in seasonal, artisinal cheese selections.
ReplyDeleteThis cheese makes a great dessert cheese although I also like it spread on a well toasted slice of Ezekiel bread in the morning.