Ayza Wine & Chocolate Bar

Looking around us, my friend and I wondered why the clientele at Ayza was almost exclusively female. And why was everyone ordering chocolate-raspberry martinis? Finally the waitress provided an explanation; apparently, Tuesdays are "Girls' Nights Out," and if you make a reservation on OpenTable, you can celebrate your two X chromosomes with a chocolate-covered strawberry and a chocolate-raspberry martini. Who needs to see the second Sex & the City movie when one can live it in realtime? (Who, indeed. But that's a post for a movie blog!)

The menu at Ayza, which features much more than wine and Jacques Torres truffles, is tapas-focused - perfect for taking a bite in between people-watching. Small appetizers - like crispy baby shrimp wontons in a sweet chili sauce over a seaweed salad, a nicely presented Caprese salad with melt-in-your-mouth buffalo mozzarella, and a velvety asparagus soup spiced up with black peppercorns - share space with a selection of tartines, panini and a few main courses like radiatore pasta and chicken paillard. Not to mention a fine little cheese list, and of course, desserts like warm molten chocolate cake. All prices are quite reasonable except for the martinis, which are $15-$16 (other cocktails are $10-$16); another reason to go on a Tuesday to enjoy them for free.

I should mention that upon being seated, we were given complimentary cups of tropical sangria. Now, if only I'd mentioned "Girls' Night Out" on my OpenTable reservation...

Ayza Wine & Chocolate Bar: 11 West 31st St., (212) 714-2992.

Terroir

Attention Terroir fans: as of last weekend, the ultra-popular wine bar is serving brunch! So you'll have another chance to grab one of the bar's coveted seats. There are four new dishes: French toast with warm maple syrup and pork sausage, bacon egg and cheese on ciabatta, a rapini-bacon frittata, and smoked salmon sandwich with capers and hard-boiled eggs.

I took my seat at the bar this past Sunday morning, anxious to try one of the new brunch items. But I was distracted by the regular menu, specifically the fried mozzarella and the white anchovy panini. All sandwiches are served on Sullivan Street Bakery bread, and while it would be almost impossible to make a mediocre sandwich with that bread, mine was particularly delicious. The crusty toasted ciabatta was splashed with a bit of balsamic, and then topped with crunchy frisee, delicately sliced hard-boiled eggs (more yolk than white), sweet pickled red onions, and marvelous white anchovies. Everything was sprinkled with a bit of black pepper (it's the details that are important!). I also devoured a bowl of parsley-and-Parmesan-dusted fried bocconcini in a hearty tomato sauce. (Next time I intend to take advantage of the charcuterie and cheese; I'm curious about a cheese with the name "Constant Bliss.")

It was too early for me to have some wine, but I enjoyed reading the funky little book of a menu - it contained a history of Chateauneuf du Pape, a large list of Rieslings with residual sugar, and a tongue-in-cheek poem entitled "Wine In A Box."

The restaurant owners, Marco Canora and Paul Grieco, have such a fixation with sherry that they serve free glasses of it from 5-6. They've also employed a designer to create a line of temporary "Jerez" tattoos! "I think I'm going to cover my entire body with them for Halloween," the bartender told me. He also informed me that there was a special bacon crumb cake dessert (I think I saw something similar to this at the Dessert Truck), but I was too full.

I find it interesting that the coasters implore the customers not to waste their food. At Terroir, how could you?

Terroir: 413 East 12th St. No phone.

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!
  

Wine, And A Trip To Paris

I'm getting ready to go to Paris, so I have wine on the brain. Serendipitously, these two wine-related items just showed up in my inbox:

• Italian Wine Merchants (108 East 16th St., 212-473-2323) is hosting a tasting event Saturday, July 21, from 1-3 PM which will feature the wines of Italian female winemakers. Regional foods will be included! Call for reservations, or register online at www.italianwinemerchantstore.com/tastings.


• In other wine news, here's a free, online tool which offers 360,000 (gasp!) food and wine pairings. Check out sommelier Natalie MacLean's Website.

I'll be back soon! And if I can tear myself away from my pain au chocolat, there will be updates on my Paris trip at Salli Vates' Traveling Food Page.

Pour

Maybe your friends are having a barbecue, and you'd like to bring over the perfect wine for grilled meat. Or you might like to know which variety of wine would compliment the Indian take-out you're enjoying at home. Pour, the only wine shop which exclusively focuses on food-wine pairings, is just the place for you! Wines are helpfully categorized into Bubbly, Crisp, Mellow, Plush, Bright, Velvety, Bold, Sweet, and Spirits. Categories include tips on optimal food pairings (oysters need a bubbly like Laurent Perrier Brut) and even food preparations (pan-seared meat goes well with a velvety Charbono "Villa Andriana" Summers red).

Are you still wondering about how to accompany your spicy Indian curry? Try a bold red wine with flavors of fruit, coffee and licorice: the 2003 Condado de Haza.

Pour: Amsterdam at 75th St., (212) 501-POUR.