Aria

On Friday night, I went to Aria at 117 Perry St in the West Village and I was delightfully surprised. After turning the corner onto Perry St, I came across some scaffolding that was covered with willow branches and lights, creating a cute wintry archway on the sidewalk. I then realized that Aria was hidden right behind this lovely little display.

The interior of Aria looks like a barn than was converted into a trendy wine bar. It has a wooden ceiling, complete with beams, original brick walls, and wide plank wooden floors. Little alcoves of seating are in each of the large windows, which I thought was quaint, and the large table in the center of the room with family style seating only adds to the farmstead feel. It combined this coziness with some modern elements like a white tiled bar and techno lounge music. It was the perfect mix of rustic, charming, trendy, and lively.

Most of the wines were Italian, with a small selection being from Spain, Germany, Argentina, and South Africa. Given the atmosphere, I was expecting the wines to start at $11 a glass or more, but I was quite pleased to see that glasses were between $6 and $12, which is incredibly well priced for the city. Bottles of these same wines, plus several that were not available by the glass, started at $35 and the most expensive was $98. Each wine had a brief description (in a very small font) of the flavors you could expect. The font was actually so small that it took me a few minutes to even notice that the descriptions were there. Or maybe I just need new glasses.

I ordered the 2011 Familia Cassone Malbec for a whopping $7. It was from Argentina, but the menu noted that it was a Spanish vine. Curious why they might have used vines from Spain, I researched the wine later, but couldn’t find any information regarding the vines used. Perhaps it was a menu typo? The wine was served in a juice glass rather than stemware, which is a first for any wine bar I’ve been to. Unfortunately, the stout glass prevented me from being able to get a good whiff of the wine, so all I could gather from its aroma was a little bit of strawberry. I took a sip and found that the wine was quite tasty! It had flavors of anise, black currant, and pomegranate and was nicely balanced. This Malbec was as enjoyable as it was inexpensive, although I definitely would suggest that they serve the wine in something a little less unusual.

The staff were all very nice and stopped by my table just often enough. The waiter came by as I was one sip away from finishing my glass and he asked if I would like a refill. Given the spectacular prices, I happily obliged.

Aria seemed to be a very popular place, as it was nearly full by 6pm. The crowd included groups of girlfriends, couples, and even a few solo drinkers, such as myself. It’s a great pre-dinner spot and the music will make you want to go out and rage for the rest of the night, so it’s a good thing Aria is located so close to the Meatpacking District.

Aria is a really, really fantastic wine bar with a cozy, but fun atmosphere and has quickly become one of my favorite wine bars in the city. The great service and their selection of affordable, tasty wines make this place all the more better. I give Aria a rating of 4.8 out of 5 glasses.

The prettiest scaffolding in NYC

The window seating

My oversized shotglass of wine

Getting busy!

Cellar 58

Well, I was going to try to make this my last post of 2012, but alas, procrastination is making it my first of 2013. Happy New Year! Cheers to procrastinating less.

On Friday, I went to Cellar 58 at 58 2^nd Ave in the East Village. It was a frigid walk from the subway, but the bar was warm and inviting. After I was greeted and seated, the bartender even shouted a hello to me. Very friendly!

The name doesn’t suggest it, but Cellar 58 features Italian wines. The menu listed wines from Italy first, then offered a small selection of wines from around the world. There was no bottle list provided, so either you have to ask for it or bottles are not an option here. Glasses of wine were $9 to $15, with the majority being right around $11. Not bad. I ordered the 2010 Negroamaro from Puglia, Italy. I had never heard of this grape variety before, so I had to do a little research. It’s grown only in Southern Italy and is considered one of Puglia’s best red wines. It had a flash of bay leaf at first sip, but it developed into an earthy and herbal flavor with a bing cherry finish. It smelled peppery and a little bit sweet, almost like a teriyaki. It was pretty unique and delicious.

The atmosphere at Cellar 58 is hard to describe. It’s laid back, but still maintains an air of sophistication, probably because of the nude murals on one of the walls. The room in the back of the bar looked really cool. All four walls, floor to ceiling, were covered with fully stocked wine racks and there was a large table in the center of the room, meant for a private party. It would feel like you were dining and drinking in my future someone’s personal cellar. Aside from that, the rest of the bar almost felt a little bit midtown-y and out of place in the East Village. I was expecting something a little more edgy and unique in this area. It just felt like something was missing that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It doesn’t really seem like a destination, rather, it’s a place that you would probably wander by, look over the menu outside, then choose to go in. It seems a better fit for Hell's Kitchen than this neighborhood.

The service continued to be great – the waiter stopped by my table often, and when one of the other customers walked by my table nearly knocking over my glass of wine and successfully sending my napkin floating to the floor, another waiter quickly picked up the napkin and replaced it with a new one. They were on top of everything up until I finished my glass of wine. When I told them I was finished, it took a while for them to even consider asking me if I was ready for the check, so I sat there sipping on water for about 10 minutes. Perhaps the service comes to a screeching halt when they realize they won’t be getting a big tip from one glass of wine.

Cellar 58 has some good wines, but it still offered a pretty average wine bar experience. I give this place a rating of 3.4 out of 5 glasses.

Sorry, this was the best picture I could get of the cellar area in the back

If this doesn't shout "Italian wine bar", I don't know what does.

My glass of Negroamaro