Il Bastardo

Il Bastardo is a Tuscan Grill, Raw Bar and Wine Bar in Chelsea located on 7th Ave, near 21st Street. It's perfect for people watching with it's floor to ceiling windows, mirrored walls and 40-foot bar. You might even get a glance of a celebrity. You may remember in Season 4 of The Hills Il Bastardo is where Whitney Port and Lauren Conrad first met Jay, see the clip from that episode here:


Even though it's a wine bar they have a great cocktail menu as well. Besides the regular menu there are also daily specials. The evening I went we ordered the special appetizer that was a twist on the traditional caprese. Instead of fresh tomatoes they used sundried tomatoes, mozzarella and avocado. For my entree I ordered the Organic Mista salad but there are a lot of other vegetarian options like the Rigatoni Eggplant with tomatoes, ricotta salata and fresh basil.
Apparently there are additional rooms in the restaurant including a VIP room and a lounge but when it's nice out I definitely recommend you sit near the open windows.

Barocco

Nearly eight weeks ago the owners of Zampa (Anthony Briatico, Danny Emerman and chef AlessandroProsperi) opened another wine bar, this one in Chelsea. Barocco is nestled in on 9th Avenue between 17th & 18th Streets, down the street from the Maritime Hotel. Barocco is similar to Zampa- it's a small wine bar with a menu much like Zampa's in that they have amazing cheeses, homemade fresh pastas and an assortment of Italian sandwiches.
Much like my experience at Zampa, my friends and I shared three bottles of wine and an assortment of tapa-style plates to share. We started with a basket of bread (baked daily at Zampa), and a cheese plate consisting of dolce gorgonzola, truffle pecorino and tres creme. For our main course we shared the fava bean and snow pea puree crostini, roasted artichokes served with sea salt, and mushroom lasagna.
The girls (myself not included) passed around a plate of golden calimari, compliments of the chef which, I was told, was delicious!

What's your favorite NYC wine bar or favorite wine bar experience?

Elmo

Elmo is somewhat of a one-stop-shop, it's a place for New Yorkers to have brunch, lunch, dinner or even cocktails. A friend and I stumbled into Elmo on a rainy Sunday afternoon for brunch and were quite impressed with the extensive late morning menu. I found it difficult to choose between the Roasted Tomato Soup, the Toasted Granola and the Tropical Fruit Salad. I opted fro the Tropic Fruit Salad, served with a side of fresh yogurt. I've looked at Elmo's dinner menu as well and the dishes sound amazing from the Butternut Squash Soup, Roasted Beet Salad and the Spinach Ravioli. I haven't seen Elmo's cocktail menu but judging by the bar at the front of the restaurant I'd bet they can serve up some pretty tasty drinks.
Located in Chelsea at 156 7th Ave (btw 19th & 20th Ave)

Bar Baresco

After a work event a couple weeks ago some colleagues and I celebrated another colleague's birthday at Bar Baresco, located in Chelsea at 191 7th Ave (21st & 22nd St). Upon being seated our friendly waitress asked me if I could guess who was sitting in my seat the night before. After one or two guesses she finally told me that Jude Law had been sitting in the same exact seat as me!

The Malta brothers have turned Bar Baresco into a wine bar featuring Southern Italian wines, all preserved using an Oz Cruvinet, an expensive piece of machinery that keeps 40 bottles open and preserved simultaneously. The wine is paired perfectly with the Italian menu put together by Roberto Lopez, from BiCE and Cipriani Dolce.

Of course everyone loved the pastas but as usual, I ordered a salad and thought it was wonderful too. It was the Organic mix greens, toasted pine nuts, shaved parmigiano, grape tomatoes and balsamic dressing which was perfect for what I was craving.

Reservations can be made online via OpenTable.com.
[source: NYMag]