Ballaro- A Cozy Neighborhood Place

A cozy neighborhood find. Ballaro (www.ballaronyc.com/) is great for a bite out with your friends, with its warm, comfortable atmosphere you will be happy you chose this place. Though the wine list was reasonably priced, and the bar tender (who was also our server and very helpful) let us try a number to wines until we found one we could all agree on. There was a complementary cheese, meats and bruchetta spread set up across the far end of the bar which was not only presented beautifully but tasted delicious! It included a nice variety of cheeses and we especially enjoyed the selection since we were starving. The salads were light yet very flavorful which quenched our need for greens after the cheese spread. We enjoyed the spinach and artichoke salad and the mesclun. The Tuna crostini was good, but the pasta stole the show. a beef ragu with veggies tucked inside was incredible and i would highly recommend trying it. All of the dishes were prepared perfectly and we will definitely go back! Great for a quick bite out, date, night with your friends

Grape and Grain-

Grape and Grain (http://www.grapeandgrain.net/) is cozy laid back wine and tapas bar tucked into the east village on 6th street between Avenue B and C. This dark dimly lit restaurant gives off very relaxing vibe, with brick walls and dim lighting provided by old fashion chandeliers, you can’t help but pop in, at least for a drink. Inside of our table was a drawer filled with secret notes and poems from past diners. Have a great time reading this hilarious hidden messages, especially the one about the Jewish transvestite going to McDonalds (really funny and includes a picture). Don’t forget to add your own message to the drawer before you leave.

Grape and Grain offers a nice and reasonably priced wine selection, so pop open a bottle or have a glass before deciding which delicious item on the menu to try. The presentation of the dishes was beautiful. We started with the tuna Carpaccio which was sliced into very thick pieces of tuna, and accompanied by a jalapeño infused citrus vinaigrette and pickled avocados, a very bold dish. The meatballs did not disappoint, they were cooked perfectly and the roasted chicken salad was filled with flavor. Known for the pizza’s, we tried the margarita and Portobello. They were both wonderful , and made on a delicious foccacia bread. We capped off our meal with the apple dessert. It consisted of a warm apple tart with apple sauce covering the top (that was a little weird, could have left off the apple sauce- was never a fan of adding it to things), but the cinnamon ice cream truly made up for the extra sauce. A wonderful way to kick off the week, would recommend this place for a group of friends or for a cute date night.

Cozy up at Perbacco

Perbacco(www.perbacconyc.com ) Is an adorable, cozy romantic Italian restaurant tucked away in the East Village. The brick walls are lit by soft candles and there is light music playing in the background making this restaurant great for any occasion. There are a few long tables in the middle of the restaurant, so it would be great for groups too. Our waiter was very helpful with selecting a wine from the impressive wine list. We went with a Gavi (always works for us).

We toasted to the New Year and then our cheese plate arrived. It was beautiful (see picture below), an 18 month aged parmigiano reggiano, sweet gorgonzola, d.o.p, birro valtellina and castelmagno. Each cheese was paired to perfection with a honey, mustard, pepper spread and celery spread. The salad was very refreshing, the touch of honey really completed it. Then the meatballs arrived… they were delectable, absolutely cooked to perfection they melted in your mouth. Definitely one of the best meatballs we have had yet.



For our main course we had the Risotto al Tartufo and the seared tuna. There were so many truffles on top of and mixed in to the risotto it was a wonderful delicious surprise. The tuna was sliced into thin curls resting on top of a bed of chopped endive. It was cooked to perfection and paired beautifully with the endive.

Since it was early we fired we would have another bottle of wine with our dessert (good move!), the Hamburger Di Cioccolata (homemade chocolate slider) was not only the most adorable delicious dessert, and it was perfectly disguised! It literally looked like a burger and fries! The “bun” was angel food cake; the “lettuce/onions/tomato” was made up of caramelized apples with a light caramel sauce and the “meat” was a thick chocolate mousse. Next to this mini sweet slider were “fries and ketchup”. The “fries” were thinly sliced pears and the “ketchup” was a warm raspberry sauce, truly a beautiful presentation.



Whether you are looking for a quite cozy date night, dinner with your friends or just authentic excellent Italian food, head to Perbacco, you won’t be disappointed.

Jadis, just relax

Jadis- (www.jadisnyc.com ) What a fantastic hidden gem on the LES. When you walk into this dim lit, cozy wine bar, you know you have found the perfect spot for a relaxing night out. The dark wood, exposed brick and wine bottles (scattered everywhere) it’s surprising how large the space really it. The back area is full of couches and is the perfect spot for a large group; smoking patio in the back completes the scene.

There is a wonderful and reasonably priced selection of wines French wines to choose from. Our waitress was very helpful in selecting a nice wine for us to try. The cheese plate was delicious, a great variety to choose from (and I must admit, all my favorites were on the list!) Brie Goat, Pierre Robert, Manchego, Camembert and Gruyere. The pininis were toasted to perfection and the light salad on the side completed the dish. But what really stood out were the mouth watering quiches. The Quiche Au Poulet , the Popeye and the Lorrain were by far the best quiches I have ever had in my life, by far the best in the city. End the night at this perfect date spot by cuddling up and sharing the Chocolat Fondant . Jadis is great place for a night out with your friends or sharing a romantic evening. Definitely worth going back!

Tapeo 29

Tapeo 29 (www.tapeo29.com) When you round the corner of Stanton onto Clinton you are faced with a giant wooden door. When you step inside wooden room, white candles scatter a soft glow across the restaurant, and the two side windows are open to let in a gentle breeze. The space is small, and intimate with fun music blaring in the background. There is a nice selection of Spanish wines, which our waitress was happy to help us with and let us sample a few before we selected a bottle (sometimes we can be picky). We started with our usual cheese plate, not a huge selection but the cheeses they had we loved! The tapas dishes are simple, light but very flavorful- classic pairings of the shrimp with garlic and olive oil (phenomenal), Pan con Tomate (was delicious with the cheese!), and albondigas con salsa de tomate (yes that’s right, we love meatballs). We polished off our meal with the Tarta de chocolate… a very rich chocolate cake with warm chocolate sauce topping… absolutely heavenly. Overall Tapeo 29 was great, a perfect date place or fun night out with the girls, from the cool dark atmosphere to the wines, cheeses, tapas and the dessert. Also--- Monday nights are themed- each Monday there is a drink special—this Monday margaritas!!!

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Vintage Irving

Vintage Irving (http://www.vintageirvingny.com/) is definitely one of my favorite wine spots in the city. It’s the perfect place for a fun relaxing night out, a tasting or even a private party! There is a private room in the back that can be reserved for private events or you can attend one of the many weekly “tastings”. We went to the “Fall Seasonal Pumpkin Tasting” and it was incredible- there were six different dishes made with pumpkin (hence the theme of the tasting event) and paired accordingly with the appropriate beer, wine, cider and martini! The tastings are different each month, definitely worth going to one! They are having 20 wines for $20 going on this month.
Besides the private events and tasting, Vintage Irving has a very comfortable fun atmosphere, dimly lit (good date spot) and not too pricey! The food and service are both fantastic! Our waiter was very attentive, offered helpful suggestions and even got us a few items and drinks to taste! There is a small collection of cheeses, a nice salad variety and delicious selection of small plates. The truffle chicken mini meatballs and the eclectic bruschettas are "must try" small plates! And who could forget about dessert?! The individual chocolate soufflé is to die for- death by chocolate in a great way! This place is perfect for girls night out!

Wined-Up

After you climb the stairs to the second floor you arrive at Wined Up(http://www.punchrestaurant.com/) A spacious, modern styled wine bar almost hidden in Flatiron. With floor to ceiling windows it feels very airy; it was cold when we went so there was a bit of a draft. One of the walls is lined with wine bottles that customers are allowed to select and bring to their tables (Very large selection of wines to choose from!).Our waiter was very knowledgeable about all of the different wines and cheeses. So we went with the cheese plate- it was fantastic! The cheeses he had recommended were delicious and it came with different breads/fruits/snacks. I love when places don’t “skimp out” on the goodies to accompany the cheese- Wined-Up did a great job! We also enjoyed the chicken paillard and the chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich. Definitely a good place for girl’s night out, it has a nice atmosphere and wonderful selection of food and wine. There were a number of couples there as well, so I will state the obvious- it’s a great “date spot”