Sweet Jesus, a restaurant dedicated to and called "Raclette" just opened in the East Village.
Raclette is a type of cow's milk cheese made in Switzerland. It is also a cousin to Fondue, but instead of dipping things into bubbling melted cheese, the bubbling melted cheese is POURED over things (like cornichon, bread, dried meats & potatoes). The best method is when a large wheel of raclette is cut in half and the cut end is exposed to fire or a special melting machine until it blisters. The melted cheese is then scraped off the wheel and onto all of the goodies waiting on the plate.
The best wine for this? Grüner Veltliner - a crisp, bright white wine from Austria that nicely cuts through the richness of the cheese.
Check out a recent article about the restaurant in The New York Times: http://nyti.ms/1JtPeXY
