The Second Glass

The staff at The Second Glass had an incredible time putting together the reviews for our most recent “Going out in Boston” issue, which hit the streets a few weeks ago. How do the hot-spots in the Hub stack up against those in other cities?

New York City sprang to mind, as a first stop for a little compare and contrast tour. One of our favorite fellow bloggers, Dr. Vino, even devoted a recent post to all of wine-related imperatives that the city has to offer. The only area in which we disagree, is in the subject of sleeping arrangements: instead of a hotel opt for the floors or couches of friends who reside in the city. This cheapest of all possible options, also leaves the most spending cash for outings.

‘inoteca
98 Rivington Street, NYC
The only spot that I didn’t see on Dr. Vino’s wine Blog that I believe deserves a shout-out is ‘inoteca on the Lower East Side. Located directly across the street from Paul’s Boutique (Yes, the one the cover of The Beastie Boys album), this warm Italian bar is a treat like none other: they offer over twenty wines by the glass, over 500 by the bottle, tasty nibbles until 3 am and an ultra-friendly, knowledgeable staff. If you won’t take my word for it, check out what diners at Yelp had to say.

On the night that we were there, four of us bounced between red, white and back again; we imbibed with food and without, and wine director Francesco Grosso and company, never even batted an eye-lash, each time selecting us the perfect glass. Among our favorites were the lusciously honeyed 2005 Dourgio Ribolla Giallo and a muscular, robust 2003 Aglianico del Taburno. What more could a girl ask for with her Prosciutto di Parma and Talleggio? How about an operatically trained waiter, who busts into a silky baritone for his guests’ birthdays? Yes they have that too. *sigh* Frank Sinatra is now stuck in my head, and I am checking out the Fung Wah Bus schedule as we speak.