An Astoria Wine Bar Crawl

The wine bar/small plate trend has spread to Astoria. Many options now await the oenophile who takes the N/W to the last stop (Ditmars Boulevard):

• (4/29/09 NOTE: I've just received word that the following wine bar has just discontinued its live music, and intends to close at some point to become a catering facility. Sad news.) At one of my personal favorites, Vino di Vino (29-21 Ditmars Blvd., 718-721-3010), you can try 18 varieties of Italian cheese, five cured meats, or a delicious brick oven pizza while you quaff from a truly encyclopedic wine menu that includes everything from South African sauvignon blanc to Portuguese cabernet port. For jazz lovers, the terrific Jed Levy Group entertains a couple nights a week. (Note: Vino di Vino serves no dessert or coffee, and it's closed on Sundays!)

• Alas, today was Sunday. My friend and I attempted to go to the above wine bar, but it wasn't open. So we ended up at an unnamed (yes, it truly has no name - 2009 NOTE: And now it is closed!) wine bar at 31-13 Ditmars Blvd. (212-777-0012). Unnamed used to just be a coffee shop, but underwent a drastic change a month ago. Now, you can order the most delicious white anchovies with garlic, or cannellini beans flecked with dill and parsley, or a plate of three cured meats and cheeses with onion jam and fruit, or some house-cured olives with preserved lemons. You can order the olives by themselves, or they also come with the excellent sandwiches on toasted Pain D'Avignon bread. We had the leek/Swiss chard with herbs and crumbled manouri cheese. There are lots of Mediterranean wines, and coffee is from Porto Rico Importing Co. And there's baklava, too!

• About a year ago, the cozy little Crescent & Vine set up shop at 25-03 Ditmars Blvd. (718-204-4774). It serves up a nice selection of charcuterie and cheese like Serrano ham, Stilton and Gruyere, as well a couple salads and a Nutella sandwich for dessert.

• If you like sangria, and you fancy some live singer-songwriter or classical music, you will definitely want to visit Waltz-Astoria (23-14 Ditmars Blvd. 718-95-music). There are live performances several nights a week, as well as cheesecakes from Junior's, both red and white wine sangrias, and wines from Chile, Spain, France, Argentina and Australia. What more could you want!