Zampa

Zampa is a glorified wine bar. Don't get me wrong, wine bars are pretty glorious to begin with - what with their romantic ambiances and airs of refinement even as you get completely schnockered - but Zampa takes the idea a step further by offering a somewhat substantial, Italian-based menu. Here, you can still order enough vino (by the glass, half bottle, or full bottle) to make your date question whether or not you have a drinking problem, but you may save enough face to wrangle a second date by soaking up the booze with a full meal. It will probably be touch and go though until you do.

In addition to mere olives, cheese, and charcuterie plates, Zampa offers several varieties of crostini, panini, antipasti, and...(sadly, not rhyming)...entrees. On a given night, the smaller plates may include fennel and baby arugula salad with orange and parmigiano, roasted shrimp with cannellini, or broccoli rabe. Larger dishes might include oven poached salmon, roasted pork loin, or lasagna bolognese. The crostini are pleasantly heavy on the toppings (such as chicken liver and vin santo, white bean and duck proscuitto, or fresh ricotta with roasted peppers), and the panini are satisfying for their $10 price tag. Desserts are available too, and if the chocolate hazelnut cake is there the night you are, you should just go ahead and order that. Unless you have a nut allergy - in which case, buddy, you should know better.

The wines at Zampa are predominantly Italian, though something unexpected might sneak onto the menu every now and then. You may also order beer or seasonal cocktails - both, if you've had a rough day.

Everything may be enjoyed at the bar, which zig-zags on the left of the room toward the kitchen at the back, or at one of the side-by-side tables, which run the length of the room on the right. The bar is equipped with tall chairs, and table-seating is comprised of one long banquette and many Eames bucket seats - appropriately named on account of their shape and their ability to contain water. I learned this the night a dining companion knocked an entire ice-cold glassful into my lap, and the water effectively pooled beneath me. Yes, inquisitive reader, my jeans were indeed equally effective at sopping it up like a sponge.

Perks of Zampa include takeout, catering, special events (groups of 10 or more require a price-fixed menu, though cocktail event and tasting menus are available for larger parties as well), and (if the website is to be believed, since I haven't personally tried this...YET) Zampa will create a picnic basket for you. Say whuuuuh? I know! It includes six antipasti of your choosing, two beverages, assorted biscotti, the basket, and a blanket. The basket and a blanket? The basket and a blanket. Additionally, you may enjoy prosecco and a crostini while the staff pack it all up.

So head in to Zampa (located about a block from dell'anima) when you and your girls need to gripe about your day over a bottle or three of Verdicchio, when you and your boys want to get the night started before invading the Meatpacking District, or when you're walking by and become intrigued by the segmented pig displayed on the window. My Italian is rusty (read, I've never studied Italian), so "zampa" may or may not mean "animal's foot," and this artwork therefore may or may not make sense. Like your date at the beginning of this post, however, I shall remain noncommittal.

Zampa - 306 West 13th Street, between West 4th Street & 8th Avenue

Grape and Grain/Against the Grain

There is a restaurant in the East Village, which is really a wine bar and a separate annex offering craft beer. What? Well you see, first there is Grape and Grain, a wine bar that serves dinner seven nights a week and brunch on the weekends. Then there is Against the Grain, which is a sliver of a bar next door serving nibbles and brewskies. Yes, you may order wine and beer at both venues, but the more extensive list of vino is available from the former, while the full list of light, white, pale, amber, dark, and darker beers is found at the latter.

Grape and Grain is a small establishment equipped with an L-shaped bar and several sturdy wood tables. Seating is a mix of mismatched stools, wood chairs, benches along the walls, and pillows in the front windowsill. Ornate little chandeliers hang from the pressed tin ceiling, which help to illuminate the votive lit room. The close quarters, dim lighting, and exposed brick walls add up to all shades of snug and cozy. The pan European food, flowing wine, and increasingly loud conversations mean all sorts of satisfaction and happy. The menu here includes appetizers (such as white bean dip with spiced pita chips), cheese, sandwiches (including brie and ham with whole grain mustard and tomato), pizzas (eight different varieties), and dessert.

Against the Grain is situated just on the other side of the building's residential entrance in an even smaller space than that of Grape and Grain. One raised table runs down the center of the narrow room toward the minuscule bar at the rear. Wooden stools abound, as do hooks on which patrons may hang their belongings. Exposed bulbs and votive candles provide the room's light, while a ledge runs along the left exposed brick wall that is adorned with rotating collections of art. According to the restaurant's website, Against the Grain is ideal for groups of twelve to thirty people, though smaller parties should have just as much fun. The menu here includes charcuterie plates, beer steamed cockles, and beer sausages as well as limited options from next door (why yes, I would like a meatball pizza with caramelized onions, thank you very much). The waitstaff hustles between the two venues delivering food and clearing plates, so at times, the wait is long, and the service is harried. That's ok, though - you have your drink and your date to amuse you in the meantime.

So head over to Grape and Grain with that small group who is conspiring to set that one friend up with that other friend. Down the line, you can all celebrate their engagement by reserving the main table at Against the Grain.

Grape and Grain - 620 East 6th Street, between Avenues B & C
Against the Grain - next door

Peasant

The name says humble, the prices say, ok, not THAT humble. Thankfully, the food says - I can't talk right now, my mouth is full of Italian deliciousness, and oh, I just dribbled, how embarrassing!

Peasant is located in Nolita, and it has that rough-edged swanky neighborhood feel - all dark wood and exposed brick with industrial touches here and there. You are met by the host/hostess at the door, and across the way to your right is the bar, accommodating approximately ten backless stools. Tucked in that far right corner by the front windows are low benches, accompanied by low tables, suitable for a drink or three before your whole party arrives. Your heels sound loud on the concrete floor as you are led to the dining area at the back, but once you're seated on either the sturdy wooden banquette or a brushed aluminum chair, you take a moment to look around and see it's a welcoming place.

For starters, the somewhat open kitchen at the back of the room looks so inviting, it's all I can do not to pop in for a handful of olives before we get the meal underway. Baskets heaped with produce line the counter in front of the kitchen, and the wood burning brick oven is the star attraction within. The light gives the impression there's a skylight overhead (whether or not there actually is), and the bustling activity of the knowledgeable chefs indicates something special is about to head your way.

What comes out first is a basket of hearty bread and a bowl of fresh ricotta cheese. Maybe they give you butter too, but I can't be bothered with common butter or olive oil when something else this good is available. You now have a moment to look over your menu, and, oh dear, we're gonna need some help. You see, it's written entirely in Italian. That may be fine for basics like "mozzarella," "pizza," and "risotto," but translations are typically needed for the rest. Thankfully, the waiter doesn't make you feel like a mouth-breathing moron as he explains every last dish. You get the impression he's done this before - and he'll do it again for the next party in about six minutes.

Now, I've been to Peasant several times with my family (thanks for picking up the check, Dad!), and I can't think of a dish that has ever disappointed us. Sure, maybe I liked the bocconcini (mozzarella wrapped in proscuitto and breadcrumbs, cooked in a terra cotta dish) more than my non-cheese-loving-on-account-of-high-cholesterol father, and maybe my father enjoyed the orecchiette con cime di rape (ear-shaped pasta with broccoli rabe) more than my non-bitter-greens-loving mother, but none of us have ever thought, "Ew, gross. Why would they do that to us?"

Quick shout out to the polpi in purgatorio (baby octopus with hot green peppers). I can't talk about this restaurant and not mention this ridiculously flavorful appetizer. I'll take two. And another glass of vino while you're at it.

Alright kids, are you ready for the bonus? There's more restaurant downstairs! To the right of Peasant's main entrance is a flight of stairs leading from the sidewalk to Peasant's wine bar. This space is more casual, with diners rather crowded in the small room at wooden tables and along the bar at the rear. This portion of the restaurant has a more rustic feel than upstairs, given the low lighting, stone walls, and close quarters. The vibe is accordingly more laid back. Whereas reservations are typically necessary upstairs, downstairs functions on a first-come-first-served basis. Luckily, much of what is served upstairs is available downstairs as well. Some dishes are missing, but you can still get that polpi. Phew.

I would say Peasant is a great spot for a night out with clients, for picky Uncle Henry's birthday, or a date with that leggy brunette. The wine bar downstairs is better suited to your sister visiting town for the weekend, analyzing your new boy with your old besties, or a date with that chatty blonde. It ultimately won't be the cheapest of meals, but it should be a satisfying one when all is said and done.

Peasant - 194 Elizabeth Street, between Prince & Spring Streets