Posts tagged ‘Italian’

June 3rd, 2010

Drink Wine on Tap in Astoria

by jenny

This story originally appeared on Grub Street.

Order your wine on tap at Vesta Trattoria, an Astoria wine bar that pours glasses from a keg. Four handles draw wine from 28-bottle kegs that are pressurized and stay good for months — not that Vesta can keep it around that long. “I would say 80 percent of the people drinking wine are drinking [from the tap],” owner Giuseppe Falco told Grub Street. The attraction is that you’ll never get a past-its-prime pour, and the absence of bottles and labels reduces waste as well as cost. “Our cheapest wine by the glass went down by a dollar,” Falco said, noting that all the tap wines sell for $6 to $8 per glass.

On tap now are two whites and two reds: a 2008 Cabernet Franc, a 2008 Estate Merlot, a 2009 Chardonnay, and a 2009 Grand Cru Sauvignon Blanc, all from Raphael Vineyard in Peconic. Falco plans to expand his offerings, assuming that he can get other vintners interested in the keg system. “This is what we’ll all be doing soon,” he says.

Read the original story on Grub Street.

Photo: Courtesy Vesta Vino

March 31st, 2010

Sant Ambroeus Gets a New Look, Menu

by jenny

This story originally appeared on Grub Street.SantAmbroeus_Interior_4144_WSant Ambroeus Italian restaurant in the West Village relaunched last night with a new design by Robert McKinley. The GoldBar decorator used striped fabric from Italian fashion house Etro for the dining area’s booths, which feature chairs upholstered in peacock-blue mohair, while banquettes are done in burnt-orange Italian leather. A large photograph of La Scala theater in Milan alludes to the restaurant’s roots — the original Sant Ambroeus opened there in 1936 — and a new Murano glass chandelier also references Italy.

Sant Ambroeus has an expanded wine list, and the restaurant’s new look calls attention to it with bottles displayed prominently by the entrance. Customers can order snacks from the bar menu as an aperitivo, while pastries are still available for sale during the day. The new menus, and more photos, are below.

Read the original story on Grub Street.