
This 100-year-old Bed-Stuy building is now home to a chic oyster bar
A combination of the French words sel (salt) and lune (moon), Selune opened its doors on June 17, taking space in a 100-year-old brownstone. The wine and oyster bar is a labor of love from couple Marc Lioussanne and Bilen Gaga, who lean on their shared passions to bring it to life. Owner of Bistro Général & Mabel in Paris and previous beverage director of Eden Rock in St. Barths, Lioussane brings the hospitality angle, while Gaga's hand touches the interior, with an eye that is shaped by her fashion background and her Ethiopian roots.
Salvaged from the previous tenant, a long, hand-stained walnut bar runs the length of the 50-seat wine bar, illuminated with globe lights. Across it, you can find two-seater tables and chairs plus a singular booth that's pushed up against the exposed brick walls painted white. Among a palette of tan leather, brushed gold and deep green accents, including live greenery, a single portrait hangs on the wall. Found near the rear of the restaurant, the painting depicts a scene of African women preparing a shared meal, nodding to Gaga's Ethiopian heritage.
Naturally, wine is on order and there is plenty of it thanks to Lioussanne. Curating a selection over 120 bottles deep, the natural wine list is heavy on the regions of France with stops in Italy, New Zealand and Spain. They seem to be making good on their claim for accessibility as glasses can be had for $8-14 and bottles start as low as $27.
There's also a list of cocktails for the partaking, including the miso-based Sunset Martini with rice vinegar syrup and the Ti Carib, an island-y number with coconut, allspice, juice and rum. Even the zero-proof varieties hold interest such as the Daisy with chia seeds, apple juice and a smoked lime as does the cherry tomato water-based Ruby Red, complimented with vanilla syrup and black peppercorn. Rounding it all out, the list includes a range of sakes plus beers sourced from Catskill Brewery.
No matter what you drink, it can all easily be paired with Selune's French bistro fare and selections of the sea. Oysters are one of the main draws here, plucked from the eastern coasts of Cape Cod and Nova Scotia to Washington's Hood Canal. All can be dressed your way with a fleet of mignonettes for the choosing: ponzu scallion, shallot wine vinegar and lemongrass. If you'd rather your food come from land, you can build your own charcuterie board, starting with cured Jambon De Paris and Duck Foie Gras before selecting a few artisanal cheeses for the nibbling. Each board comes with a baguette and a swipe of butter to eat it all up.
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South Wales Guardian
6 hours ago
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James Norton ‘told President Macron 1066 drama would be fair to both sides'
Norton, 40, who plays Harold Godwinson in the drama, said he met President Macron at an event at the British Museum, where the Bayeux Tapestry is being moved to next year. The tapestry depicts the 1066 Norman invasion and Battle Of Hastings, which saw William The Conqueror take the English throne from King Harold and become the first Norman king of England. In July, it was announced that the 70-metre-long tapestry will return to the UK for the first time in more than 900 years, while President Macron joined Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the British Museum to celebrate the artwork's return and British-French relations. In the drama, titled King & Conqueror, Norton is joined by Games Of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who plays William, Duke of Normandy. Norton said: 'I met President Emmanuel Macron recently at the event at the British Museum where the Bayeux Tapestry is being moved to, and I was very quick to reassure him that we had told the French story, the Norman story, with as little bias as possible. 'There are a lot of stories about William post the Battle of Hastings itself, and how he acted pretty monstrously, but there's no doubt that he had his own domestic space, his relationship with Matilda and his son. 'Nikolaj brought so much complexity to that role, and as a result, I think that the show feels balanced. 'We didn't want one hero or one villain, we wanted the audience to be split and we wanted people to sit on the sofa and have someone on Team Harold and someone on Team William. 'I said to Macron: 'I promise you that we have been fair in depicting both sides of the story', and a lot of that was to do with Nikolaj's brilliant, sensitive performance.' Norton said he had undertaken 'so much work and research' in preparation for the role. Of conversations with the drama's writer, Norton said: 'I remember being constantly surprised reading scripts and saying 'is this real? This seems completely mad,' and invariably, he'd be like, 'no, that is exactly what happened.' 'It was extraordinary.' All episodes of King And Conqueror will be available on BBC iPlayer on August 24 from 6am, while the first episode will air on BBC One that evening.