Entwine
765 Washington Street, near W 12th; 212.727.8765
The motto "keep it simple, stupid" can be successfully applied to almost any endeavor -- even KISS, whose elaborate stage performances were belied by the organizing principle "let's only play three chords, and hide Gene's face". For a streamlined approach to upscale drinking, hit Entwine.
From two first-time bar owners, Entwine's a bi-floored, tin-ceilinged sleeve boasting a wood plank bar up front that's equal parts colonial and sea-shackish, a leaf-canopied patio out back, and below, another low-lit bar flanked by wall-hanging, black-plastic chandelier cut-outs (because there's simple, and then there's simply not buying a real chandelier). While the two bars are gloriously stocked, E helpfully targets your boozing with a menu of five quality beers (including Duvel, Anchor Steam, and Grolsch) and an equally manageable number of cocktails, from a Gosling's Black Seal Dark & Stormy, to a bourbon/cognac/Cointreau concoction called Rustic Elegance, to an absinthe-spiked number called The Monkey Gland, sure to give you an amusing predilection for tiny hats. E's also culled its wine list down to select, global vinos (eight reds, six whites, two roses and sparklings, one dessert, all sold by bottle or glass); for the occasional rare vintage, E rocks a four-bottle cuvinee cabinet, which keeps opened bottles fresh by surrounding them with the noble gas, argon (so, the nectar of the gods, preserved by the flatulence of royalty).
Entwine's also serving Mediterranean-ish small plates (stuffed mussels, beef manti casserole, etc), and every week will offer a new tasting menu pairing two savory dishes with 2-3 wines, one beer, and one rotating rare spirit, e.g., Glenlossie 18yr scotch, or raki, the Turkish national drink also known as lion's milk -- because as attempts at nursing on the real thing taught the Turks, "don't suckle on a lion's teet, stupid".
