Flûte Bar & Lounge by Herve Rousseau.
Since 1997, if you want to taste an excellent Champagne in New York, the Flûte Bar & Lounge by Herve Rousseau is the ideal meeting point in Midtown – Manhattan. In fact, near the Carnegie Hall and Central Park, Herve decided to open its first Flute Bar, in an already famous place since the days of Prohibition.
The philosophy of Flûte Bar is based on the offer of more than one hundred Champagne labels and Cocktails, to be enjoyed in a friendly and informal place with friends, to relax at the end of a stressful working day in the Metropolis that … “never sleeps”. Maybe listening to good Jazz on some nights of the week or accompanying Champagne with some refined “Small Plates”.
The offer of the Flûte Bar, however, is not limited to what has been said, but also includes the possibility of attending tasting courses about Champagne, or organizing dinners and private events.
Following the success of the local in Midtown, the Flûte have become three: we have in fact the Flûte Beekman (between First Avenue and the 50th East) and another local in Westchester, recently opened.
To find out more, we interviewed Herve Rousseau, the creator and owner of this “now” a chain of Flûte Bar.
Interview by Daniela Barone.
Thanks for this interview Mister Rousseau.
Q) How did you get the idea of opening a Champagne bar?
A) During the summer in the Hamptons: the night before I had get Vietnamese fresh Spring Rolls and Champagne and it was a match in heaven, so I decided to do something about it and I created Flûte Champagne bars that specializes in spring rolls.
Q) Do you personally select the champagne of your menus?
A) Yes I do each one of them.
Q) What do you organize and what services and experiences do you offer to your customers?
A) We offer many positive experiences at Flûte:
Champagne school once a month, where we pair one type of Champagne with food like Rosè and Smoked Salmon, or Parmesan and Blanc de Blancs Champagne. We also have live Jazz every Wednesday night.We are very good at organizing private parties for people. We do many many things.
Q) Can you tell u s about an evening at the Flute bars lounge in New York?
A) It will make your travel and forget about the daily stress, Flûte is a bit out of time for some reasons. We get a mix clientele and I have a lot of regulars which we have a lucky to have.
Q) It is better to choose a vintage or a non-vintage champagne, what are the differences?
A) It depends on what you like, wine is a very personal affair. I would say that usually Vintage Champagne is a more concentrated pleasure than non vintage but it again depends in what kind of mood you are and also if you’re eating anything.
Q) What is your opinion about sparkling wines?
A) I really do not care where the sparkling wine is coming from . It is all about the pleasure. I taste anything.
Q) What advice can you give to those who buy champagne?
A) Try to taste it if you can, don’t think too much and photo your heart.
Q) Is there a drink that you prefer among those on the Flûte menù? Can you tell it, and give us the ingredients?
A) I am very fond of a new sparking wine called « Intîme » , almost taste like the perfect Champagne cocktail. It is a local boutique new York Sparkling wine.
Q) How did you attract NewYorkers to your Champagne Bars?
A) Good Question! I think by trying to be a good Bar first
Q) Paris and New York, in a few words tell us what do you like most about the two cities?
A) These two cities always have had a in mutual attraction to each other, because they complete one another.
What I miss the most about Paris when I am in New York is the « nonchalance ».And what I needs the most when I am in Paris is NY crazy Energy and Pace.
Q) What do people learn at the Champagne school Flûte?
A) They learn to trust what they like because it’s all about pleasure and nothing else. They also learn good stories
Q) The champagne goes well with every food, what do you like to eat more while drinking Champagne?
A) Vietnamese ’s spring rolls, or a rare steak with an old Vintage.
Q) The last champagne you tasted and that surprised you?
A) H Blin 2006. Was excellent.
Q) It is true that women prefer champagne? it is said ” Women and Champagne..” 🙂
A) Women have a more open-minded and seems to be more ready to travel than man so yes, I believe they get more curious about things and Champagne falls in this category.
Q) What champagne are you going to drink today?
A) I have no idea! If you think too much it is going to spoil your pleasure. That being said if I what’s going to drink champagne right now I all be Rosè.
Thank you Hérve for our time.
Thank you for thinking of us Daniela!
Flûte Bar and Lounge – New York
Text & Interview © iBESTmag/Daniela Barone – Images courtesy of Flûte Bar & lounge N.Y. – Reproduction Forbidden.
