‘Inoteca e Liquori Bar (3rd Avenue)

Like its sister locations, ‘Inoteca 3rd Avenue is a warm space with high ceilings and blonde wooden tables, churning out big Italian flavors on small plates. Even on a Monday night it was a boisterous scene, proving the decision to convert idle Bar Milano, was a good one. The wine list offers fewer by-the-glass selections than expected for a wine bar (12-14 red and white), though it is made up for in a vast cocktail menu. The wines offered are thoughtful, with unique selections like Aglianico, an Italian Syrah and the often under-appreciated, Dolcetto.

‘Inoteca is a fun place to go with a few people because you can order many small plates and sample a lot, which is exactly what we did! One of my favorites was an insalata di verdure di radice, a heaping pile of roasted root vegetables (brussel sprouts, squash, carrots) cooked in a grainy mustard with crisp carrot chips on top. Our waiter had dissuaded me from ordering it, but I typically go with my own instinct and it sounded great to me. I could have eaten two bowls of these awesome vegetables.

We also had an assortment of Italian cheese including Robiola, Taleggio, and a goat cheese that the waiter recommended (I took his advice on that one). A panini with layers of spinach, gooey fontina and truffle oil was another favorite. The whole restaurant smelled like truffle oil actually, which I warmly welcome. If you like bruschette, ‘Inoteca offers a variety of spreads in assortments of one, three, or five pieces and we had ricotta, tapenade, pesto and broccoli rabe, though their flavor was eclipsed by other dishes. Aside from salads and antipasto, ‘Inoteca also offers spiedini which are skewers of various meat or seafood. My cousin had huge, fresh scallop spiedini and my sister had some juicy quail spiedini served on a bed of barley.

Though the food was great I did have some issues with the service which felt rushed at times. At one point I had a bite of bread in my hand and my plate was removed from beneath my hand. The waiter disappeared and reemerged a few times throughout the meal and he forgot to bring (or write down?) a tagliatelle we had ordered, though we were amply satisfied without it.

In any case, ‘Inoteca is a great addition to a neighborhood which has been starving for a noteworthy opening.

‘Inoteca e Liquori Bar: 323 3rd Avenue
Cuisine: Italian, Small Plates, Wine Bar
Average Appetizer/Entree Price: $8/$15
Food: Very Good
Service: Poor
Value: Very Good
You Gonna Finish That? Every last bite.

Lelabar (My New Fave Wine Bar)

There are plenty of wine bars in New York, but when I think of a place that excites me, I always come up short. Some are cool but too crowded and small (Terroir), others are narrowly focused like Italian wine bars Bocca di Bacco and Gottino or Spanish wine bar, Bar Carrera. There is a phenomena in New York in which every new wine bar has a theme. It’s good to have focus, it must be difficult to be everything to everyone, but for me it’s limiting. I never start an evening craving exclusively Spanish wine. I’d much prefer a place where I can start the evening with a 2001 Rioja Reserva and end with a Gruner Veltliner. That’s what we found at Lelabar, a romantic West Village nook that I’ll now declare to be my favorite wine bar in New York.

Lelabar is perfectly intimate but large enough to seat about thirty people around its dark-wood oval bar. The wine list spans the globe between the usual suspects like France, Italy, Spain and the U.S. but also includes Israel, Argentina and Austria, for example. There is a handful of wines offered by the glass in each category and if you elect to buy at least 2 glasses of any wine served in bottles, they will sell you by-the-glass. We were told by Andrew, one of the bartenders, that the list changes every few weeks. No wine bar is complete without tempting small plates like Lelabar’s smoky, house-marinated olives in star anise, lemon and bay leaves or crisp fennel salad with black sesame and sea salt. The typical cheese, charcuterie, and pressed sandwiches are offered too. If beer is your thing, they have a nice craft beer menu as well.

Lelabar is not to be missed, but perhaps we’ll keep it our little secret? Prompt seating at such a precious place is something I’m not ready to give up!

Lelabar: 422 Hudson Street (between Leroy and Morton)
Cuisine: Wine Bar, Small Plates
Word to the Wise: Wednesday and Saturday nights they have $1 oyster specials. They close at midnight during the week but are open later on weekends. Recommended for small groups of 2-4 people.

Peasant Wine Bar

I stopped in at Peasant Wine Bar, the subterranean space underneath the restaurant of the same name, on Friday night. I really dig the vibe at Peasant- dark and sexy, with stone floors, ceilings, and walls. The low wooden tables are communal and adorned with tall candlesticks, heaping bowls of olives, and breadsticks. Service was friendly though our waitress had her moments of being missing-in-action. This meal had no agenda, so weren’tt bothered. The small and simple menu offers up appetizer plates such as bocconcini wrapped in speck, prosciutto with melon as well as full portions of pizza, pasta and steak/seafood entrees. We ordered a richer rose which I’m unfortunately forgetting the name of. It was a great complement to the variety of food we were about to have. My friend and I shared the meat and cheese platter which arrived with a generous portion of proscuitto, bologna, salami, and speck as well as aged parmesan, aged goat, and a rich blue cheese. Following the platter she had the spicy baby octopus with chillis and I had the tripe marinara with Parmesan. Both were good, not great. Her octopus was overpowered by the chilli, seemed like an odd combination. All in all, come to Peasant for a unique space but don’t expect to be wowed by the food.

Peasant Wine Bar: 194 Elizabeth Street
Cuisine: Italian
Food: Good
Service: Good
Value: Good
You Gonna Finish That? Meh, you can taste the side.