La Compagnie, Flatiron

Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels Somm Who Set Fire to Manhattan Restaurants to Open New Wine Bar | Eater NY

"An acclaimed Nolita wine bar, Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels is expanding with a second Flatiron location scheduled to open at the end of 2023. The original Manhattan spot, taken over by partners Eric Bolyard and sommelier Caleb Ganzer shortly after it opened in 2014 (following the original Paris location in 2012), has a cavernous tasting room with gold-flecked walls, exposed brick, velvet, marble, and distressed wood and has been regarded as one of the best places to drink wine in the city. The new Flatiron site — a space that has housed a restaurant since 1909 (more recently Bo’s Kitchen and Bar, and before that part of a Madison Square theater and a carriage house) — will have a full kitchen, is on track for about 75 seats, and will focus on wines from the U.S. and France. The bar's sommelier partner, Caleb Ganzer, set fire to outdoor dining structures at Prince Street Pizza and Forsythia in 2021, was arrested and charged, stepped away from the bar while in recovery and treatment for addiction, and remains a U.S. partner involved with the new venture; Ganzer reached agreements to pay $3,050 to Forsythia and $2,250 to Prince Street Pizza, and a spokesperson said the charges against him "have been dismissed" while the partners await the district attorney to disburse the funds." - Melissa McCart