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Local Restaurants %u2018Uncork New York%u2019 To Offer Vintage State GrapesBY ELIZABETH FOSTERA handsomely appointed steward is r ecommending a bottle of wine to go with your elegant meal at the River Cafe on Brooklyn%u2019s waterfront. The restaurant is filled, as always, with an atmosphere of romance and bustle. The lights of Manhattan sparkle on the river%u2019s surface outside the large picture windows. Tantalizing ananas waft across the room as elegant dishes are served to customers who have come to expect only the best from the threestar River Cafe.%u201cHave you tried our Wagner Chardonnay from the Finger Lakes region?%u201d the wine steward asks. %u201cOr perhaps a bottle of Lenz Reserve from the North Fort; of Long Island.%u201dThe toney River Cafe serving upstate New York wine? It sounds unlikely, but several of Brooklyn%u2019s finest restaurants have added wines from New York%u2019s four principal growing regions %u2014 Lake Erie, the Finger Lakes, the Hudson River Valley, and Eastern Long Island %u2014 to their cellars, alongside the finest French and California names in their cellars.Brooklyn restaurateurs have discovered that New York state%u2019s wine industry has recently begun producing wines worth serving to a discerning clientele. Their primary interest is in pleasing you, their customer.If you haven%u2019t tried them already, New York wines are gaining a reputation for excellence.GAGE & TOLLNER%u2019S%u201cBasically, New York wine is speeding off like mad,%u201d says Ed Dewey of Brooklyn%u2019s landmark restaurant, Gage & Tollner. A fifth of Gage & Tollner%u2019s wine list %u2014 15 white, three reds and one champagne %u2014 cranes from New York state wineries. %u201cThe %u2018old%u2019 feeling was that local New York wines were foxy, but now customers know thatM ic h a e l G ross, o w n e r o f N ew P ro s p e ctC a fe in Prospect H e ig h ts pours a g las s o fN e w Y o rk %u2019s finest fo r a c u sto m er at h isre stau ran t. (P h o en ix/G arcilazo Photo)they%u2019re getting something good,%u201d Dewey says. %u201cA good many New York wines have come into their own.%u201dDewey%u2019s prediction is that sales and customer acceptance will gradually increase, if not skyrocket, in the comingyears, but he is prepared for a New York wine Doom %u2014 a special Cruvinei wine dispenser is on order at Gage & Tollner.The machine replaces the wine poured from a bottle with nitrogen, keeping the remainder of the bottle fresh. Dewey is looking forward to serving wine by the glass,%u201cor even by the taste,%u201d to introduce Gage & Tollner clients to the New York state wines he has grown to trust. He is especially fond of two Long Island chardonnays, Wickham and Wagner, which he has a hard time choosing between.Gage & Tollner, 372 Fulton St. For reservations 875-5181NEW PROSPECT CAFEMichael Gross, of the more informal New Prospect Cafe in Prospect Heights, has been serving one or more New York wines for the past three years. Gross finds that a good many of his customers are always willing to try something new, and since wine is served by the glass at the New Prospect, his selections have been tasted and judged winners. %u201cI%u2019ve tried almost all of the Long Island wines,%u201d he says enthusiastically. %u201cThe Pindar house sells 130,000 cases a year. These wines are definitely worth paying attention to.%u201dPatrons of the New Prospect Cafe can try a dry Johannisberg Reisling from Hermann Wiemer Vineyards in the Finger Lakes region and a Finger Lakes Chardonnay %u201985. An organic wine, Four Chimney%u2019s Kingdom White %u201985 from the Seneca Lake area, is the third white wine regularly available at the New Prospect Cafe. Gross also serves a Lenz Merlot, which he proclaims %u201creally great%u201d in the red family.New Prospect Cafe, 393 Flatbush Ave.For reservations 838-2148.ONE MAIN RESTAURANTAfter trying a wide variety of New York wines at a recent state wine tasting, chefScott Weaver added four to the cellars ofihe new One a lu m R c a u iu ia m , lutdtcu axFulton Landing on the Brooklyn Waterfront. Guests at One Main can choose between three chardonnays %u2014 Bridgehampton %u201985, Wickham %u201984 and Lenz %u201985 %u2014 and one red, Lenz Merlot %u201984. Great care is taken at One Main to match good wines with the eclectic cuisine, says Weaver. %u201cThe Lenz Merlot, for example, goes very nicely with our mesquite-grilled veal chops in green peppercorn sauce. The wine has a soft, fruity character that complements the picquancy of the spices in the dish.%u201dWeaver, originally from California and familiar with most of the region%u2019s big names in the industry, was surprised to find that the New York wines ranked with his West Coast favorites. He no longer hesitates to serve the New York wines that have come of age with his excellent meals at One Main or even to guests in his home.One Main at Fulton Landing, 1 Main St.237-1555.THE RIVER CAFEJoseph Dilisseo is the wine director at the River Cafe. He hesitates to rank New York state wines with those of France and California. %u201cIt%u2019s a matter of preference, like choosing a Corvette over a BMW or a Mercedes,%u201d he says, but is quick to add that New York state vineyards are fast proving that they can produce world class wines. %u201cNew York state is not an area that should be ignored any longer as a wine producer,%u201d Dilisseo says. %u201cThe New York vintners are making wines from the same noble grapes as in France. These are quality wines.%u201dThe River Cafe serves two New York chardonnays, Wagner %u201984 and Hermann Wiener %u201984, and one red, a Lenz Merlot Reserve %u201983.The River Cafe, 1 Water St. For reservations, 754-9494.T A N P O P OJAPANESERESTAURANTO pen for Lunch Tues-Fri, Dinner Tues- Sun36 Joraiemon St. %u2022 Brooklyn Heights %u2022 596-2968Thanksgiving DayComplete Turkey Dinner*7.95Complimentary Glass of WineOnly 2 blocks from the Brooklyn Academy of MusicOpen 7 days%u2014 5:30am-Midnight; Fri., Sat. till 2am515 Atlantic Ave. (at 3rd Ave.) %u2022 625-0883/0984TRADITIONALTHANKSGIVING DAY DINNERRoast Vermont Turkey (with All The Trimmings) Prime Rib of Beef Au Jus Fresh Filet of Norwegian Sole( in d ll%u2014CS! SOVtp Hpccprt Mr hw /erace)$13.95 per personF or R eservation s call788-3245140 7th A ve. B rooklyn N Y 11215%u2022s7th Ave & 8th St. Park Slope (718)768-8967 Custom CateringPrivate A Corporatew sLight Meals Elegant DessertsSat. A Sun. Brunchfrom 10a.m.Holiday TreatThe New Saint Clair RestaurantAir ConditionedSea Food %u2022 Steak %u2022 ChopsNow Open Sundays %u2022 7am-11pm93 Smith Street (comer Atlantic Avenue) (212)624-3741Can Tom: 857-6145FOOD& FLOWERS& everything you need for a swell party . . .Sample MenufFmaAed ffafntan 'Canaftez&taAAif Meta udfA (ilinea a n ti W in*ffioienAa mi/A W i4d *A(MbAt*ootn&^fuceJuni fffu ffrd wi/AfffunacA and <8c*ponffoia<%u20acaxnt*4i^**l .Prat Pfaxt$22 per personNew American and Regional Cuisine7 1 cuawnth Avn Brooklyn Thanksgiving DinnerTwo Seatings %u2022 3pm & 5:30pmThree Course %u2022 Prix FixeFor Reservations 718-230-8450l$ClfuldU ebnp0rtingCfy.$nc.Located on A tlantic Avenue Since 1945LARGEST SELECTION OF MIDDLE EASTERN FOODS & GIFT PRODUCTSl IN T H E U.S.A. nuts %u2022 candies %u2022 dried fruitgrains %u2022 grape leaves %u2022 olivesbulk spices %u2022 coffees %u2022 teasexotic canned goods %u2022 pastriesSee Our Expanded StoreSame Location * The Better To Serve You187-189 Atlantic Ave.(718) 624-4550 %u2022 (718) 624-5762November 20,1986, TH E PHOENIX, Section Two, Page 7