On Sunday, you can get drunk on some monkey at "The Secret Tutelage of the Primate Nation."
No, this isn't some weird segment from Bizarre Foods: It's a wine-and-food event (two of them, really) at the Infinite Monkey Theorem Urban Winery, the facility that Ben Parsons opened last summer in the Baker neighborhood, which has to be the coolest winery around. This is the first official party that Parsons has thrown there; let's hope there will be many more.
While Parsons has yet to finish the renovation of his winery, that's part of its charm. And there are still plenty of shady spots where you can enjoy the refinement of a Cab Frac. Another big plus to this evening: The food -- all six courses -- is coming from Justin Brunson of Masterpiece Deli.
"It's pretty simple, really," Parsons says of the dinner-party plan. "There will be six stations with one
person talking about the food, one person talking about the wine, and
the two of them talking about why they go together."
But putting the event together wasn't that simple. "We spent four hours tasting the wines and pairing food with each,"
Parsons explains. "It's going to be awesome. In the
courtyard, pretty industrial, but cool. Everyone will get to see the
winery, too, and see what goes on. All the reds are barrel samples,
because the wines have yet to be bottled. It's a great way to see how
the wines taste as they age in the barrel."
And, he adds, "It's also good way for people to say, 'Yes, I like this, I want to buy a case when its bottled,' or, 'No, I don't like that..'"
But what's not to like?
The Infinite Monkey Theorem will offer two rounds of the dinner party -- at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. -- and each costs $115 per person. The winery is located at 931 West Fifth Avenue; to reserve a spot, call 9700260-0710.