Elite Event: Artisanal Fromagerie Bistro

I hadn’t been to an Elite event in a while, then the Artisanal email popped in my inbox and I knew they’d have to serve their gougeres, so I was in. Not wanting to be pigs, my guest and I ate before hand, but I wish we hadn’t. There was plenty of food and drink, and it wasn’t over crowded.
It’s been ages since I’ve been to Artisanal, so this was a good reminder of why it used to be a «go to» place for us. What a great time! Thanks, Ruggy!

Wow — This has got to be one of the best Elite Events I’ve ever attended. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted to a welcome glass of champagne then whisked over to the back corner. Here, they had tons of delicious cheese and charcuterie to munch on, and Julio did an awesome job talking us through all the varieties and answering questions.
What made this event memorable is the way they kept one-​upping themselves! Just when you thought the cheese and free flowing wine couldn’t get any better, out comes trays of tuna tartare. Not enough? How about some duck confit and escargots. Five minutes later came tons of piping hot mini cast-​iron mac & cheese bowls. Then two different types of grilled cheese sandwiches. Then mussels. Needless to say, everything was incredible and bite-​sized enough that we were able to sample it all.
From Joshua the consummate professional host, to Carlos mixing some tasty specialty drinks, to Julio working the cheese & charcuterie spread, to Steve bringing out endless trays of more food, and to Kailee for keeping our water glasses filled, the service here was by far the best I’ve ever experienced — Unilocal event or otherwise. Thanks to Ruggy and to everyone at Artisanal Fromagerie for an incredible event!

This was an amazing Elite event! The staff was incredibly knowledgable and helpful providing information about different cheeses and drinks. They even went above and beyond to answer my question about the chocolate (Vanilla Taza) by bringing out an extra wheel accompanied with fresh strawberries. Wonderful, old-​school ambiance perfect for changing up your standard brunch routine. Thanks again for a wonderful event– I will definitely be back!

Really great first Elite event in NYC! Definitely had a blast and a full stomach coming away from Artisanal Fromagerie.
We got there almost exactly at 1 on the dot, and started munching away on the delicious cheeses and meats laid out so elegantly — interlaced with fruit and chocolate. The first red wine we had was wonderful and complemented the variety of tastes smoothly — we found out it was an Oyster Bay Merlot (which surprised some fellow Elites). After more people started filling in and space was reduced to standing room only, the more substantive dishes started coming out. Although the mac and cheese in the event photo was mobbed and we sadly did not get to sample it, we were able to try a delicious duck confit spring roll and grilled cheese sandwiches. Some interesting cocktails were served… everyone at my table decidedly felt they were a bit too experimental with their flavors. The final pairing I had before the sweets was an excellent heaping of mussels with a crisp white wine.
We finished with a large array of desserts — macarons, crème brûlée, sorbet to name a few — that many missed out on by leaving early! Overall, very pleased with the generosity of Unilocal NYC and Artisanal Fromagerie and many thanks to Ruggy for pulling everything together!

Phenomenal event. We got to taste such a wide variety of cheeses and small plates. Even muscles were served. And the wine selection was very much so on point. My wife and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend 2 hours on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Highly recommend this venue with a cheese and wine pairing.

I went to a Unilocal elite event at Artisinal today. What a great event. I have come here several times before because it is in my neighborhood; it has always been a hidden gem. Very romantic and unpretentious.
Artisinal shined today. What a great spread: cheeses from around the globe, charcuterie, tuna tartare, mussels, you name it, they brought it out. The best cocktail and wine sampling I’ve had. All as part if an elite event!
I’m an artisinal fan for life. Bravo!

This was my first event as a Manhattan Elite, and it was a wonderful experience! Artisanal Fromagerie Bistro had such a beautiful spread of food throughout the entire afternoon.
The cheese selection was excellent– so many choices to try! I also loved that the restaurant’s cheese expert was on hand to explain the flavor profile of each sample. He was kind and incredibly informative.
The flow over the event was perfect– cheese and charcuterie to start, then heavier foods (mac and cheese, mussels, tuna tartare, grilled cheese) as the afternoon wore on. Both the red and white wines were excellent and balanced many of the flavors offered throughout the event.
Fantastic event! Thanks for hosting it!

Another great Elite event. Artisanal Fromagerie is awesomely located in the Gramercy area and the space is gorgeous.
We were greeted with a drink and a smörgåsbord of various cheeses, fruits, breads, crackers, frites, shellfish, mac and cheese, and others. The drinks (wine, specialty cocktails) were plentiful.
It was the nicest spread I’ve seen at any YE event. Hats off to this fine establishment. Also hats off to the servers, especially Kayleen (not sure if I have her name right?) for keeping my glass of water topped off.
It’s always great to chat with some new and old friends, including Kara M. and Madison G.
Another great event, thank you Ruggy and the team at Artisanal Fromagerie.

There was some very tasty cheese at this event. And some overly tasty cheese too, man that italian blue one with the brownish tinge was nasty! But overall the food was lovely, and the cocktails were mighty fine too — especially the french mule with cassis. The mushroom grilled cheese thing was delicious. Great cheese is kinda to be be expected at a cheese specialist. The nice surprise was how enthusiastic and knowledgeable all the staff were about their cheeses, how they were made, the flavors, what they paired well with.

I felt like Peggy Olsen the minute I walked in this place. The location was great and I am glad this was done on a Sunday. The streets were relatively empty, minus the parade.
The location was great. The staff was really attentive.
I was able to sample the cheese spread and the two grilled cheese sandwiches. I was too tired to battle the swarm that appeared anytime a dish as brought out so missed out on other things.
I was able to sample two drinks but was unsure what they were. The house white was nice on the tongue. The cucumber tequila drink was very energizing. The other I believe had cognac? but we weren’t too sure.
In the future I would recommend the staff leave printed menus at the tables. That would have allowed me to review the choices, and better appreciate their flavor options. Having them approach each table with platters would also have been nicer since the location was too nice for the swarm.
Definitely a great location, awesome staff and great selection. I can’t wait to go back and grab the grilled cheese that was on the sweet side!

Artisanal Fromagerie Bistro was the perfect first Unilocal event experience. Not only did we get a generous sampling of their cheeses and wine, we also got to try some great food, desserts and cocktails. My friend and I came together, not knowing what to expect, and were pleasantly surprised by the assortment of food and drinks we were presented with.
There were all sorts of cheeses and I tried a good amount of them. Some which were a little too heavy for my taste but I really enjoyed the soft cheeses with the fresh bread. Along with the cheese were three types of meat, and I am always excited for prosciutto. I think the other two were coppa (similar to prosciutto) and soppressata (salami). These disappeared pretty quickly after they came out. I was lucky enough to snatch a tuna tartare, although I wasn’t exactly wowed by it. The gougere was so delicious, I regret not grabbing another one. It was cheesy but not overwhelming heavy. The inside was light and airy as well.
I didn’t get to try the mac and cheese or the escargot, but I was able to try two grilled cheeses they offered. The first one I had was the Mushroom, truffle and brie. The mushroom truffle combination just can’t go wrong. I also think the brie was a good compliment to the mushroom truffle. I saw other people getting the chorizo and piquillo peppers grilled cheese, which also looked great. I shared my second piece of grilled cheese with my friend, which I think is the cheddar blend with fig marmalade. The hint of sweetness from the marmalade hit me as soon as I bit into the grilled cheese, which was unexpected but very good flavor. I thought this would be the end of the event but lo and behold, they brought out some mussels! I would’ve grabbed some bread to dip into the garlic, tomato broth, but I was already pretty full from all the bread I had with the cheese. Another dish we got to try were the fusion spring rolls with duck confit and hoisin aioli. It was definitely an interesting combination of flavors that worked well together.
Last but not least, we were able to try a selection of wine and cocktails. My friend had the white and I had the red. Another Unilocaler next to us asked for the details of the wine. The staff is very knowledgeable and explained the food/​wine/​cocktails to us as they presented the food. Throughout the event, multiple cocktails were served and I had a few between my friend and I. Some of them were too strong for me, such as the jalapeño tequila drink, but it’s great if you enjoy the spiciness of it.
Overall, I was very satisfied with the food we got to try. As some people were leaving, we were told there would be dessert coming out. I tried the macarons, an espresso crème brûlée I believe, and the sorbets. The coconut and raspberry sorbet were the best of the dessert. This was a great experience and we were able to meet other Unilocal elites in New York. I would come back to have some more of the grilled cheese and maybe the mac and cheese I didn’t get to try.

Artisanal was a gracious host for this Unilocal event which turned out to be a much more elaborate spread than the simple wine and cheese we expected. I came here over 5 years ago and was happy to see this lovely place is still rocking a breezy, casual French bistro-​in-​the-​1920s vibe. We were impressed by the staff — they were knowledgeable, warm and engaging with this group, offering explanations for each of the cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.
We all spent some time working through the initial spread of probably 30+ very distinct cheeses spanning crumbly sharp Italian, funky fantastic blues from France and Italy, and a few crowd-​pleasing Swiss and soft rind varieties. All the bread they serve is baked in-​house daily and the baguette and country bread did these fine cheeses justice. It was especially fun trying the more pungent offerings between bites of fruit to reset the palate. Also the mouthwash in the bathroom is a thoughtful touch to freshen up.
Grilled cheese sandwiches disappeared fast. I saw an artisanal blend of 5 cheeses, cheddar blend with fruit compote, shiitake mushroom with something like a raclette (my favorite), and another with chorizo
Mussels in an addictive tomato/​garlic broth were tasty and well seasoned, the pommes frites served alongside were another crowd favorite
Escargot was wonderfully fresh and earthy with minimal butter — I strongly recommend this
Tuna tartare was OK but not a highlight
Macarons and petit fours were pretty good however the praline cheesecake here is outstanding. Definitely a winner!
The space is really gorgeous, the menu is indulgent in the best ways, and they totally rolled out the red carpet for us today. I look forward to coming back for a work event or special celebration as an excuse to order a slab of cheese, that crazy-​good escargot and the cheesecake. Many thanks to Artisanal and Ruggy for a great afternoon!

What a perfect event for a Sunday afternoon! If you like wine and cheese, this is the place for you! The array of cheese that we were able to try was wonderful. All of the cheese was unique and special. Many way too stinky and sharp for my liking, but very cool to try nonetheless. There were varieties of cheese I had seen before, but not the quality that we got to taste today. There must’ve been 25 different pieces of cheese for us to try.
In addition to the cheese, we were able to sample some meats which paired well with the cheeses, mac and cheese, grilled cheese, mussels and French fries. The chorizo grilled cheese was delicious. Oh and there was also a glorious display of dessert options to boot. For an event that I thought would just be cheese, there was no way to leave here hungry.
The service was great and the staff was very knowledgeable. I learned that high quality cheeses aren’t as fattening and are even considered «healthy» cheeses. The event was nice because it was kept fairly small and wasn’t overcrowded.
In addition to the food, they served some cocktails of different varieties. Unfortunately, they only served a few of each and they were swallowed up quickly by other guests. The wine was flowing freely in quite possibly some of the biggest red wine glasses I’ve ever seen.
As always, good to meet other Unilocal elites! Thanks to Ruggy and Artisanal Fromagerie for the lovely Sunday afternoon!