Vero Panini & Wine Bar

Vero Panini & Wine Bar,(www.veronyc.com)is more of a fun bar atmosphere in the front of the restaurant,there is an outdoor area, but it was too cold when we were there (ok let's be serious it is def a fun bar, but you are reading this to hear about the food!).... Once you get seated in the back, you are in for a real treat! They have a very nice wine selection to choose from, and we were starving so while ordering our wine we asked to start off with our usual cheese plate. They had a good selection of cheeses to choose from and when it arrived, it came with an assortment of breads and fruits (they were generous with the fruit which was awesome). However, the Beef short rib taco…..Now that was incredible, completely melted in your mouth. Then to mix it up we shared the vegetable tower and the chicken. Even though the “tower” was labeled as a “main dish”, it worked as more of a side with the chicken for us,it was good, nothing really stood out about the chicken. Then for dessert we had the most incredible cookie creation I have ever had in my life (yes that’s right I still have dreams about this dessert), it is a warm gooey delicious chocolate cookie underneath ice cream, berries and cool whip, truly perfection. If anything, everyone should try this dessert! Next time you have to meet someone for drinks, go on a "casual date" suggest Vero, and hope the other person is up for some cheese and or dessert:)

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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Bar Artisanal.. the disapointment

Bar Artisanal (http://www.artisanalbistro.com/) When walking in, you are immediately impressed by the large, well lit space with extremely high ceilings. There is a bar, a cheese bar and then various tables throughout. Now I must warn you now... we didn't not have the most "pleasant" experience with the host staff... When we arrived there were a number of open tables, however since we didn't have a reservation we were told the only place for us to sit was at the cheese bar.. host was rude and not accommodating whatsoever. So off to the cheese bar we went for a glass of wine and to scope out the cheeses before getting seated at a real table. We were given a cheese menu to look at (it's great cause you can check off the cheeses you like/want), however be careful asking to borrow a pen- if you don't return it immediately the person behind the cheese counter will stalk you 3 hours later to get it back!

Off to our table... LOTS of menus- they provide a small menu for you to "check off" which small plates you would like to try, a cheese menu (with suggested pairings), a wine/beer menu and finally a main menu. We enjoyed the wine we had started with (Albariño), but when we asked for a bottle to accompany dinner we were told that they had run out which was slightly disappointing. The cheese selection is fabulous as it is a collection of some of the great cheeses by Artisanal (www.artisanalbistro.com), so we started with a cheese plate- the cheeses were delicious! All of our favorites- Epoisse, Camembert, Taleggio, Gruyere, Humbolt Fog. It was a little difficult getting our waitresses attention, so we were unable to "pair" all of the cheese with wine since we ran out of wine and didn't get a refill until it was too late:(

For our main course we ordered a pizza, chicken, green beans and mac & cheese..... The pizza was good, but nothing to write home about. Now, here is where the meal took a serious turn for the worse... the chicken was SO salty, one bite was the equivalent of pouring a jar of salt into your mouth, and part of the chicken was raw....the green beans were good (only thing we were truly able to eat and enjoy), and to our disappointment our waitress forgot our mac & cheese! So overall, this was very disappointing.... Dessert managed to "save the night". The cherry creme brule was fabulous and the hazelnut mouse melted in your mouth. So overall, we could only suggest popping into Bar Artisanal for a nice cheese selection or dessert, but I don't see us running back anytime soon...

Enjoy the video.....

Bocca

Bocca(http://www.boccanyc.com/) Cute restaurant, deceivingly large space, but empty...When you walk in you walk past the long bar and then the room opens up: There are pillow lined benches around the room and lots of tables scattered through the middle, very nicely decorated, sexy atmosphere. However, the restaurant was completely empty- yes that’s right we were the only 3 people in the entire restaurant besides the waiters! And surprisingly we still had a difficult time getting our waiters attention! We started with our usual bottle of wine and ordered the cheese plate, which was pretty good, nice selection of cheeses with a few different spreads. We also enjoyed a salad and one of the many pasta dishes. However, We did have a little incident with our waiter regarding our pasta… the waiter would not allow us to have parmesan cheese on our pasta. We asked for cheese and were immediately denied- the shock, the horror- how could people want cheese on their pasta?! The nerve of us to even ask!
Overall the food was pretty good, but it was a little uncomfortable being the only people there… would probably be a fun place for a group if you could ever get the waiters attention...but whatever you do- don't ask to have cheese on your pasta!

Solex

Solex... despite the fact that we did the "early bird" (got there around 6pm), service was NOT included..... yes that's right, we were the patrons, the servers and the bus boys (oh wait we were the only people in the restaurant)... dont worry we tipped ourselves well! We had to get up from our seats, walk to the bar to ask questions, to order, AND to pick up our own food! Despite the service (or lack thereof), the food overall was pretty good. We began with a cheese plate which was good, not fabulous(ie no accoutrements). The pizza was tasty, and the salad was decent, but after reviewing the desserts (again lack thereof) we ended up trucking to 16 handles (fyi YOU MUST TRY THIS PLACE!!!! -hey this counts it's still in the "dairy family").

As for Solex- it's a shame it's now closed... waitressing really could have been our second calling.

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!

Casuella

This small wine bar off the beaten path (well, off our beaten path, it’s in Hell’s Kitchen)Casuella (http://www.casellula.com/) was a wonderful surprise. They do not take reservations, so get there early. There are about 10-15 small tables, a long white marble bar and two large display cases holding their extensive collection of delicious cheeses and meats. The cheese plate was fantastic! Each cheese came paired with its own paste/fruit/snack accompaniments and the pairings were perfect. Like a party in your mouth, you can’t stop eating and you leave wanting to try more of Casuella’s pairing combinations. I think we stuffed ourselves with cheese so instead of trying one of the main dishes or salads we went straight to dessert- the warm pecan sticky bun…… this is where the place took a bit of a turn as the dessert was so sweet and so sticky it wasn’t good. Amazing cheese selection/pairing, but if you are craving something sweet after the meal, head somewhere else.