The NY Times had an article today on great bottles of wine under $10.  Hey, how’d they know my price point?  And after buying, not one, but two really crappy bottles of wine from Best Cellar, I clearly can use all the help I can get.  The reviewed one wine in particular that sounded quite intriguing to me: 

[O]ur No. 2 wine, the 2005 Domaine de l’Ameillaud, doesn’t fit into established categories. It is labeled a Vin de Pays de Vaucluse because the grapes come from vineyards just outside the Côtes-du-Rhône zone. Nonetheless it is fresh and attractive with typical Rhone flavors buttressed by just enough tannin to keep the wine lively. For great values in French wines, it pays to look outside the more popular appellations.

Yes, I am going through a Cotes du Rhone phase.  Back off.

Anywhos, they recommended, when choosing a “cheap” bottle of wine, that you look for lesser known wine regions (like the above) and countries.  Like Portugal and . . . Uruguay?  M’okay.  Uruguayan wine cannot be worse that that Italian swill I bought, so there you go.  Once again proving that wine experts at the NY Times are smarter than I am. 

After much much much ballyhoo, our favorite neighborhood restaurant (Vespa) finally opened our favorite neighborhood bar (called, no surprise, Bar Vespa). That’s right, it was our favorite even before it opened. First, it helps that the bars on the UES are pretty crappy. As evidenced by our, um, interesting time at every 22-year-old’s favorite, Tin Lizzie — love that John Denver. Second, we do love our Eggplant Pennette and any place that serves that must serve up a mean cocktail.

So we visited and reviews are mixed. The seating area looked nice, but we got chased out of there pretty quick by the almost frantic manager. First night jitters and all. So we stood in the too small wine bar/ coffee bar. But the bartender poured me a nice Shiraz, just what I was looking for even though I was noncomittal and just asked for “something like the Cotes du Rhone I was just drinking at home.” And the other girls seemed quite happy with there Prosecco cocktails. They had raspberries in them and who doesn’t love that.

So drinks were yum. Staff nice and helpful if strained. Overall a supportive thumbs up experience for a UES neighborhood hangout.

The NY Times had an article about restaurants that are opening soon (though sometimes by soon they mean Spring 2008).  So now I not only have a new roster of TV shows to watch, I also have a whole new swath of restaurants that I won’t be able to get reservations at.  Awesome. 

Reading this article is like seeing previews before a movie.  Everything sounds delicious in theory.  Some of them sound particularly intriguing, like Merkato 55 (pictured), which will serve African food, and Ilili, an upscale Flatiron Lebanese restaurant.  Though I guess we must wait until the reviews start coming in, or until Liz goes there, to know if it’s worthy of our excitement. 

At any rate, check out this strange reopening notice in the article.  I mean, I like a latka as much as the next girl, or goy (or g[o]irl, haha), so I am glad the place is reopening.  But Lex?  Really? 

SECOND AVENUE DELI The younger generation of the Lebewohl family is reopening this East Village kosher deli in Murray Hill. So what if it’s still called the Second Avenue Deli? What about Sullivan Street Bakery, on West 46th Street, or, for that matter, Madison Square Garden? The Adam Tihany redesign from 1996 is being repeated here with somewhat fewer seats, more smoked fish on the menu, a full liquor bar and nuggets of grivenes (chicken cracklings) and ptcha (garlicky jellied calf’s foot) to nibble with a drink and to make mavens weep with joy: 162 East 33rd Street, (212) 677-0606 or (212) 689-9000. October.