Wine & Spirits - Spring 2022 - 29

THE SIMONE
There's nothing quite
like The Simone, the first22
floor
townhouse restaurant on
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17
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the Upper East Side. The dining
room is only that-no view of
the kitchen nor the bar. Dishes,
cocktails and wine glasses simply
appear, whisked to the table by
Tina Vaughn, who manages the
wines and handwrites the menus
(brush up on your cursive if you
haven't had to read penmanship
in a while). The emphasis here
is on wine service, rather than
the list. The team prefers to get
a sense of your meal and budget
first, and then recommend
bottles. Chip Smith's classical
French menu is far from hip,
but it's hard to argue with rabbit
three ways in a Bordelaise sauce,
or a twice-baked Roquefort soufflé;
and Smith's terrine is a must
for any visit. The experience
hearkens back to a bygone New
York, one of plush, tiny restaurants
run by small teams offering
warm hospitality. -C.W.
151 East 82nd St.;
(212) 772-8861,
thesimonenyc.com
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TOMIÑO
It's a good time to be
drinking Spain in NYC,
especially with lists like the one
the brothers González offer at
Tomiño, their paean to their
home town on the Spanish
side of the Minho River. Their
father chose to go Italian when
he opened Trecolori; ironically,
Tomiño landed in Little Italy,
but, once through the door,
the granite walls and the woodbeamed
ceiling greet you from
Galicia. Don't wait to order the
pulpo á feira, presented with the
kind of tenderness and subtle
pimento spice that's rare to find
outside of Spain's western coast.
Chef Fran Novás arrived in NYC
from Lucía Freitas' kitchen at
A Tafona in Santiago de Compostela;
Freitas helped the
González brothers design the
menu for Tomiño where Novás
settled in full time. His tortilla
de Betanzos looks like a flattened
globe, its golden crust puffed
up with potatoes and eggs still
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runny inside. As for that good
drinking, there are the stars of
Galicia-José Luis Mateo of
Muradella in Monterrei, Luís
Anxo Rodríguez Vázquez of
Ribeiro, Raúl Pérez at work in
Ribeira Sacra and Rías Baixas,
Do Ferreiro, Zarate... -J.G.
192 Grand St.; tominonyc.com
VINATERÍA
Vinatería is great for a
date night. The space
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vibrates with subtle elegance
and candles cast a flattering
light on diners. The wait staff
are in on the mood, helping to
navigate beverage director Sam
Miller's Old World-focused wine
list with patience and even offering
samples for selections by
the glass. The most scrupulous
drinker won't have a problem
finding an appealing choice in
a list that includes many bottles
under $60 such as La Caña
Rías Baixas Albariño or Vallana
Colline Novaresi Spanna from
Piedmont. Of the house-made
pastas, a sure bet is the black
spaghetti with octopus, bay scallops
and mussels, the chewiness
of the seafood and pasta
complemented by crunchy,
garlicky bread crumbs. -D.P.
2211 Frederick Douglass Blvd.;
(212) 662-8842, vinaterianyc.com
THE WAVERLY INN
There's no prettier place
to dine outdoors than
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The Waverly Inn's tree-lined
corner. Grab a table under the
twinkling lights and order the
herb-dusted fries and a glass
of Ott Rosé to watch the West
Village characters go by; stay
for a burger or skirt steak and
endear yourself to beverage
director Jeff Harding by asking
for a gravelly red from Southwest
France, his favorite wine
region. It's a small but integral
part of his 300-bottle wine list,
encompassing rarities such as
30-year-old Rivesaltes-a highly
recommended accompaniment
to the bananas foster. -T.Q.T.
16 Bank St.; (917) 828-1154,
waverlynyc.com l
WINE & SPIR IT S
29
http://www.tominonyc.com http://www.thesimonenyc.com http://www.vinaterianyc.com http://www.waverlynyc.com
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