Ten years after the opening of Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels in SoHo, Experimental Group is set to open its second Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels wine bar in New York: La Compagnie Wine Bar Flatiron (La Compagnie Flatiron). Following the wine bar, the group will also open Experimental Cocktail Club New York (ECC New York). Both bars will be located at 6 West 24th Street in New York’s Flatiron neighborhood, with ECC’s subterranean bar tucked underneath La Compagnie.
“Our first location of Compagnie in SoHo was incredibly well received, and we’ve been looking for a second location to expand our footprint in the city for a long time. We found the perfect spot in Manhattan’s beautiful and historic Flatiron District. The incredible building, erected in the 1860s and emblematic of the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century, will be home to our newest wine bar, with a cocktail bar in the basement” said Romée de Goriainoff, co-founder and partner in a statement.
Designer, Dorothée Meilichzon, has imagined a bespoke setting for La Compagnie Flatiron, keeping the rough New York brickwork, bringing in natural materials and light. The place pays homage to wine, earth, and nature, with strong symbols drawn on the banquettes by French artist Clovis Retif. The moon is present both on the fabrics, in prints on the lime, and in the alabaster that imitates its surface so well. A marble, leather, and bronze counter is divided into three sections, with a central part that becomes a communal experience, mixing guests with sommeliers.
Hundreds of bottles from small producers, both local and international, will be the highlight of La Compagnie Flatiron, with a nod to French and American estates served by a team of sommeliers. Programming will include in-house events such as the “Jurassic Park” Jura wine party, a continuation of the dynamic “Wine Boot Camp” education series, and a daily “Mystery Wine” to taste.
Chosen to match the vast selection of Champagne, a wide choice of hyper-local and inventive seasonal snacks, as would be enjoyed at a French dinner party, will be available to order. The evening menu, curated by Managing Partner and Executive Chef Eric Bolyard, will revolve around luxurious grilled meats, sustainable seafood, and regional vegetables designed to accentuate a fine selection of Burgundies and Bordeaux, Barolos and Brunellos, and even old Californian and other American vintages.
One floor down, you enter a subterranean haven for cocktails. This marks a return to New York for Experimental Cocktail Club, which closed its original location back in 2016.
At ECC New York, Dorothée Meilichzon no longer plays with leaves, but with the roots of their trees. Supple, they descend from the ceiling, wrap themselves around the columns, and entwine the globes of the lamps and the walls. In lacquered wood and glistening metal, they invade the counter and its shelves of bottles. This deliberately organic space revisits the codes of Art Nouveau, but in a more nocturnal vision, with amber hues reminiscent of scotch, rye, and rum.
Large upholstered banquettes by Zak+Fox, colored glass sconces by Sophie Lou Jacobsen, and large mirrors will house a lacquered white piano that sits in the middle of the bar, welcoming pianists and DJs alike, in a nod to Experimental Cocktail Club Paris. Intimate seating and standing room will both be on offer in the subterranean space.
On the back bar, guests will discover the most extensive collection of rare, artisanal, and sometimes out-of-production regional French aperitifs and liqueurs. Carefully curated by Experimental Group partners Romée De Goriainoff, Olivier Bon, Pierre-Charles Cros, and Xavier Padovani, this selection of spirits comprises precious finds only otherwise available in small villages throughout France. Entering this new iteration of ECC will be akin to touring local distillers and producers.
ECC New York also marks a reunion with Nico de Soto, who started out with the group as head bartender at Experimental Cocktail Club Paris, then at ECC Chinatown in London and ECC Lower East Side in New York. Since then, he has opened Mace in NYC, Danico in Paris, and Wacky Wombat in London, traveling the world in an insatiable quest for new flavors and techniques. Nico will be designing Experimental Cocktail Club’s beverage menus, which will feature classics such as Old Cuban, St Germain des Près, and Kota Ternate, as well as surprising novelties using clarification, carbonation and lacto-fermentation.
Nico de Soto: “I’m thrilled to be partnering with the Experimental Group once again. It’s reminiscent of my days living in Paris and London, when I worked with them to open the first two Experimental Cocktail Clubs, and then when I traveled to New York to open the original location of ECC New York. We’re picking up where we left off, with a new location and new offerings, but the same vibe and attention to detail and quality that ECC is known for.”
