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| People eating at the bar at Gottino. Doesn't it look lively? |
I do, I like to go out to eat. A lot. It is the main way that I catch up with friends. I go out to eat for dinner probably 5 times a week on average. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Always before or after whatever else I'm doing with a friend. Sometimes just a snack and a glass of wine, but I'm out and about at some sort of restaurant more often than I'm at home.
I'm not the only person who lives like this in this city, and that is one of the (many) things I absolutely love about NYC. People are always out and about, catching up with friends over food and beverages.
Often it is me and another friend catching up just the two of us, and when that's the case, I like to score a seat at the bar of a restaurant rather than sit at a table. It's more fun, more casual, livelier.
Not all my friends share this feeling. Some think the bar stools are uncomfortable, or that it's claustrophobic at a crowded place with people standing around trying to get drinks.
But, I like that (well not the bar stools being uncomfortable thing, but that never really bothers me). I like the chaos, the crowd, the people around. Some eating, some just drinking, coming, going. I like it.
I also like to order lots of different things to eat and share everything. I like the variety. And wine. There is always wine. A glass, quartino, or a split bottle is always on the bar in front of us.
For location, I have lots of favorites. While I love trying new places, on a normal night, I tend not to venture too far from home. So you'll see a West Village slant here. A couple favorites on my current rotation --
Weeknight go-to: Gottino
I have been to Gottino soooo many times. It seems like I've been going there for years - but I can't even recall how long it's been open. I definitely started going there soon after it opened and haven't stopped since. It never disappoints. A pretty perfect weeknight place to catch up with a friend.
The place is practically just bar seating (I now refuse to sit at a table here although I have done it). It can be crowded, and there is often a wait, but be patient, get a quartino and find a place to stand against the wall. I've never had to wait very long.
And unlike many of my favorite places in the city it is a good place to go in all seasons. It is cozy and warm in the winter but isn't too dark and subterranean to enjoy when the weather is warm. Best of all is when they open the door in the summer and you get a breeze going through the whole place. Ahh. Just think, that kind of weather is right around the corner!
The place is practically just bar seating (I now refuse to sit at a table here although I have done it). It can be crowded, and there is often a wait, but be patient, get a quartino and find a place to stand against the wall. I've never had to wait very long.
And unlike many of my favorite places in the city it is a good place to go in all seasons. It is cozy and warm in the winter but isn't too dark and subterranean to enjoy when the weather is warm. Best of all is when they open the door in the summer and you get a breeze going through the whole place. Ahh. Just think, that kind of weather is right around the corner!
They have a good selection of wines available by the glass/quartino that are well kept and not sitting around opened for too long. I have never had a wine here I didn't like and I always agree with their selection.
As for the food -- I have dreams sometimes about the walnut pesto crostini. I am addicted to it. The anchovy and butter crostini is also to die for (don't be afraid of anchovies - they are salty deliciousness!) and I always order the shaved brussel sprouts salad. The bacala whipped w/ olive oil is also a good choice.
The ambiance is my idea of perfection for a wine bar. Small but not too crowded once you're seated. Comfortable. Good lighting, good level of liveliness, not too loud.
The only thing I'm not a fan of is the water glasses. Super cute but they are barely larger than a shot glass and, as I am a camel and I often sit down at Gottino after having gone on a sweaty run, (well I shower first) I tend to arrive thirsty and spend most of my dinner refilling my water glass, which can be distracting from conversation. Bigger water glasses, please.
However, the wine glasses are very nice. I like good wine glass. Not fancy, just good. With a stem. I'm not a fan of stemless wine glasses or the trying-to-be-bistro-chic wine in a juice glass. In my mind drinking wine from a juice tumbler is only cool if you are at a bar in remote town in Sicily. And Michael Corleone is sharing a glass with you. Or on a picnic. Gottino's wine glasses are good, graceful, sturdy glasses with stems.
Aside from their teensy water glasses (which is a small price to pay) after hundreds of times at Gottino, it is still in my opinion a pretty close to perfect place to sit at the bar and catch up with a friend.
As for the food -- I have dreams sometimes about the walnut pesto crostini. I am addicted to it. The anchovy and butter crostini is also to die for (don't be afraid of anchovies - they are salty deliciousness!) and I always order the shaved brussel sprouts salad. The bacala whipped w/ olive oil is also a good choice.
The ambiance is my idea of perfection for a wine bar. Small but not too crowded once you're seated. Comfortable. Good lighting, good level of liveliness, not too loud.
The only thing I'm not a fan of is the water glasses. Super cute but they are barely larger than a shot glass and, as I am a camel and I often sit down at Gottino after having gone on a sweaty run, (well I shower first) I tend to arrive thirsty and spend most of my dinner refilling my water glass, which can be distracting from conversation. Bigger water glasses, please.
However, the wine glasses are very nice. I like good wine glass. Not fancy, just good. With a stem. I'm not a fan of stemless wine glasses or the trying-to-be-bistro-chic wine in a juice glass. In my mind drinking wine from a juice tumbler is only cool if you are at a bar in remote town in Sicily. And Michael Corleone is sharing a glass with you. Or on a picnic. Gottino's wine glasses are good, graceful, sturdy glasses with stems.
Aside from their teensy water glasses (which is a small price to pay) after hundreds of times at Gottino, it is still in my opinion a pretty close to perfect place to sit at the bar and catch up with a friend.
Weekend go-to: Joseph Leonard
I am also loving Joseph Leonard at the moment It is my favorite place for a late weekend dinner. I also like going there early and during the week, but on the weekend, it is crowded, a good crowd and fun.
This is not where you go if you want a serious intimate conversation. This is where you go for a fun, good dinner and drinks.
The guys that work there are great. It stays open late (I have been there until wayy later than necessary on more than one occasion for post dinner drinks, ughhh still recovering from that one night months ago...). People are there eating and drinking late. It is fun, lively, bustling. They play Jay-Z and other unexpected & awesome music at a perfect volume. The crowd is good. People mingle a little; in a good way.
This is not where you go if you want a serious intimate conversation. This is where you go for a fun, good dinner and drinks.
The guys that work there are great. It stays open late (I have been there until wayy later than necessary on more than one occasion for post dinner drinks, ughhh still recovering from that one night months ago...). People are there eating and drinking late. It is fun, lively, bustling. They play Jay-Z and other unexpected & awesome music at a perfect volume. The crowd is good. People mingle a little; in a good way.
I usually go for wine when I'm out to eat, but the drinks here are delicious. And the Magdelana cocktail is a perfect mix of spicy /sweet / salty tequila deliciousness. It may be my favorite cocktail in the city.
All the food I've ever had on the menu (probably almost everything on the menu) is very good, I am never disappointed in my meal. Although, at the same time, nothing really stands out as memorable -- but maybe that is due to the number of cocktails usually consumed while waiting to sit. My only real complaint is that there isn't really a lot on the menu.... The menu is kinda small, and not a lot of small plate options. This makes it harder to order lots and share.
That said, a couple Magdelanas in, with Jay-Z playing in the background, a good livley atmosphere and delicious food on your plate -- 'more variety on the menu' seems an insiginficant request.
Oh, and unlike most restuarants, even if you don't score a seat at the bar (which I suggest of course you try to do) the place is so small and revolves around the bar so much that even seated at almost any table, you feel like you're at the bar. Especially the tables in the front.
Althought the wait can be looooong on a weekend night (over an hour for sure) and if you are waiting during peak dinner hours (which can be as late as 10:30/11 on the weekend) there is little room to stand and you will be jostled around by the crowd and waiters.
If it's really busy, I put my name down and go around the corner to Bobo (Bobo also has a yummy tequila cocktail - although not as good as the Magdelana).
Or, like everyone else waiting for a seat at Joseph Leonard, try the bar at Jeffery's Grocery just across the seat (same owners). It's worth waiting.
And, if you've had dinner elsewhere, stop by Joseph Leondard after the dinner rush, late night for a Magedelena or two. You won't regret it.
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