|
|
>
Al Di Là Vino
|
Al Di Là Vino joins the recent fleet of wine bars opening next door to already booming restaurants, in this case Al Di Là Trattoria. But rather than a mini-version of the velvet-draped Venetian trattoria, owner Emiliano Coppa, who compiled the all-Italian wine menu next door, offers a global mix of 28 wines. Eyebrow-raisers like a Barboursville Chardonnay from Virginia take their places alongside bistro regulars like Brouilly, with nothing over $36 unless you choose from the tiny reserve list. To accompany the wines, co-owner (and Coppa's wife) Anna Klinger offers olives and cheeses from across Europe as well as more complex cichetti like salt cod with polenta, bagna cauda with radishes and tender baby octopi with lemon confit. With snacks like these (and a nightly pasta), Al Di Là Vino may become a dinner destination itself.
- Colleen McKinney
Al Di Là Vino, 607 Carroll St., Brooklyn, NY; 718-783-4565
|
|
|
>
Café Steinhof
|
Café Steinhof is named for an abandoned Austrian insane asylum in owner Paul Goebert's homeland, a wink to how crazy the notion of this eatery was at first. Seven months later it's packed with hipsters sipping crisp grüner veltliners from Weingut Bründlmayer and Wieninger, and reds that include an estate wine from Glatzer Dornenbogel and a wunderbar assemblage from Heinrich.
- Anthony Giglio
Café Steinhof, 422 7th Ave. at 14th St., Brooklyn, NY; 718-369-7776.
|
|
|
>
Half
|
|
Half full or half empty - whichever way you look at it, this new wine bar on the up-and-coming Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights specializes in wines by the glass and half-bottle. Owners Max Jerome and Patty James-Jerome have assembled 30-plus small bottles, from a cool, nutty Bisci Verdicchio di Matelica to a warm, violet-scented Nicolas Potel Chambolle-Musigny. Another ten interesting and affordable wines are available by the glass, each under ten dollars. With an appealing menu of grilled sandwiches, cheese plates and an assortment of olives to accompany the wines (average price: $7), Half isn't half bad.
- Stephanie Miller
Half, 626 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn, NY; 718-783-4100
|
|
|
|