I paid a couple of press visits to Vinoteca, which has opened in Greenwich just down the street from Le Penguin Bistro and Penang Grill.
I found the hostess most welcoming,
even unloading my winter coat on her.
I encountered some of my friends sitting at the front bar,
where great drinks were being expertly prepared,
like this martini with fig in it
or these intriguing looking creations.
I headed farther back into the restaurant
noting the brick, wood-burning pizza oven
and liking the decoration of the unisex bathrooms,
especially this one.
Eventually, my companions and I moved to the deep part of the restaurant, which was quite attractive.
Everyone in the restaurant seemed to be enjoying socializing,
even yours truly.
On both visits, the drinks kept coming.
We sampled some nice wines.
But drinks notwithstanding, I’m all about the food. We begin with nice bread
and high-quality olives.
After that, followed an amazing parade of delicious foods, including fried calamari,
filet mignon skewers,
housemade meatballs,
PEI mussels,
tuna crudo
and hamachi crudo.
We taste different types of sliders,
shown here in close-up.
as well as grilled cheese sandwiches with fresh tomato soup.
and French fries.
From the pizza oven,
we try a great assortment of pies,
which some of us enhance with crushed red pepper
and which paired great with salads.
The pastas, entrées and sides look and taste just as delicious.
Coffee and desserts brought a great evening to a close.
We thanked the restaurant management for its incredible largesse, and bid adieu to these superb restaurant publicists from Maximum Exposure in Stamford.
Vinoteca Restaurant & Wine Bar, 33 Lewis Street, Greenwich, 203-661-2354, www.vinotecagreenwich.com