What a find! 'inoteca is a smallish corner shop in the LES offering Italian wines and small plates. This is a perfect spot to while away a weekend afternoon over a carafe of wine and a plate of meat and cheese. It is fairly crowded almost all the time, so be prepared to wait for a table, or do what I did and have a seat at the small but efficient bar. The menu generally offers small tapas-style plates that are perfect for sharing as well as a selection of slightly-more-robust panini, which would allow you to have a full dinner here if you start in the afternoon and by happy coincidence are still working your way down the wine list that evening. The staff is extremely knowledgable about the reasonably extensive meat and cheese menu, and will gladly translate the rest of the mostly-Italian menu as required.
The wine list is small, all Italian, and all below $50 a bottle. The waitstaff will point you in the right direction and the half-carafes, about 2+ glasses each, definitely encourage sampling. And then more sampling. And potentially a newfound belief that you can speak Italian.
Perfect for spending a lazy afternoon or a light meal - if you find yourself down in the LES pop in for a spell. You'll wish for more such spells.
The Sage Questions
Date Spot? Yes
Good for Groups? Yes
When Parents Visit? No
Cost? $8-15 apps and small plates
Wines under $100? All of them
Rating: 3
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totally agree that it's such a sweet spot to just hang out...but you'll need to "speak" a little italian to be able to read the menu.
ReplyDeleteGreat place when the weather is warm and they open all the windows out onto the street...feel like you are sitting out in a little Italian piazza. ah....
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