Burgundy and black truffle dumplings, together at last
Midtown · New York · Asian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 8, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at 53 lands like a first-class upgrade you weren't expecting — 400 to 600 bottles anchored in France and California, sitting inside a rotating art installation next to MoMA. It's the kind of list that makes you want to linger over it with a glass of Champagne before you've even looked at the food menu. Named sommelier team, serious cellaring, and a Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator since 2023: this program is not messing around.
France and California are the twin pillars here, and both are treated with genuine respect. The Burgundy section alone is worth the price of admission — Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Leroy sit at the top end, while the Rhône delivers with Guigal and the always-elusive Château Rayas. Bordeaux First Growths (Lafite, Margaux) make their expected appearance, but the California side earns equal footing: Ridge Monte Bello and Kongsgaard Chardonnay alongside the big-ticket Screaming Eagle and Opus One. The Alsace section — Trimbach and Zind-Humbrecht — is a genuinely smart call given the kitchen's spice-forward, umami-rich Asian cuisine.
With 20 to 35 options ranging from $15 to $40 a glass, the BTG program is one of the better reasons to pull up a stool and let the sommelier team guide you. The range is broad enough to cover both the table splitting appetizers and the person who ordered the kung pao quail. We'd push the somms toward the Champagne and Alsace pours — both fit the menu better than a heavy red and tend to show up at the more approachable end of the price scale.
Billecart-Salmon Champagne — $15-$40 by the glass
Billecart-Salmon is a serious house — precise, food-friendly, and consistently underrated next to the Krug on the same list. By the glass, it's the smartest way into the Champagne section without committing to a bottle.
Trimbach Alsace
Most tables at an Asian restaurant reach for something big and red out of habit. The Trimbach — Riesling or Gewurztraminer — is exactly what the kitchen is begging you to order with it. Aromatic, precise, built for spice and umami, and flying under the radar while everyone else fights over the Bordeaux list.
Screaming Eagle California Cabernet Sauvignon
It's here because it has to be here — this is that kind of restaurant in that kind of neighborhood. But paying cult-Cab prices at a restaurant markup for a wine that competes with black truffle soup dumplings is a losing proposition. Save Screaming Eagle for a steakhouse.
Zind-Humbrecht Alsace + Soup dumplings imbued with black truffle
Zind-Humbrecht's richly textured Alsatian whites — think Pinot Gris or Riesling Grand Cru — have enough body to hold up to the truffle and enough acidity to cut through the fat in the dumpling skin. It's the kind of pairing that makes you feel genuinely clever.
🔥 The Bottom Line
53 is one of the more ambitious wine programs attached to a modern Asian kitchen in New York, and the sommelier team earns their keep. Markups reflect the Midtown zip code, but the depth, the staff knowledge, and the sheer thrill of matching Alsace to truffle dumplings make it worth every dollar.
Midtown West · New York · Russian-American
The Russian Tea Room treats wine as an afterthought dressed up in Champagne flutes — five famous labels at punishing prices with no range, no by-the-glass program, and no apparent curiosity about wine beyond what looks impressive on a table. Go for the spectacle, order the caviar, but don't come here expecting a wine list.
Grocery Store
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Restaurant
David Burke Tavern's list is a Chardonnay lover's comfort zone with a solid sparkling section propping up the top — but the narrow focus and steep pricing mean you're paying for familiarity, not discovery. Send a friend here if they want California whites and a glass of Champagne; send them somewhere else if they want to explore.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· New York · Restaurant
Corima's wine list is proof that ten well-chosen bottles beat a hundred thoughtless ones every time. If you care about what's in your glass, this place is worth your attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Village · New York · American
Cecchi's is first and foremost a bar, but the wine list is more serious than the neon and noise suggest. Steep markups are the main ding — but if you know what to order, there's real pleasure here.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
SoHo · New York · Steak House, Small Plates
The Corner Store is a reliable, well-credentialed wine list doing exactly what a good SoHo steakhouse should — France and California, done with intention, in a room that makes you want to order another bottle. Just watch the markup on the big Bordeaux names and let the Rhône or Burgundy side show you a better time.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Tribeca · New York · American
Farra is punching above its weight class for a neighborhood wine bar, and the Wine Spectator nod is earned — just know that the serious bottles come with serious prices, and the no-sommelier setup means you're doing some of the navigating yourself. Worth it for anyone who knows what they want; potentially overwhelming for those who don't.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
North Spokane · Spokane · Asian
P.F. Chang's wine list exists to check a box, not to enhance your dinner. Order the Ste. Michelle Riesling, enjoy your lettuce wraps, and keep your expectations firmly at chain-restaurant level.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Media · Media · Asian
A French-focused wine list inside an upscale Pan-Asian restaurant in Media, Pennsylvania shouldn't work this well — and yet here we are. If you're within driving distance and you appreciate the idea of Alsatian Riesling with Peking duck, make the trip.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Meatpacking District · New York · Asian
Genesis House is a genuinely surprising wine destination hiding inside a beautiful restaurant that most people visit for the food — the French-focused list is serious enough to reward curious drinkers, even if the markups and narrow regional range keep it from being a true destination pour. Come for the Alsace whites, stay for the view.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.