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As neighborhood regulars know, there’s a wine bar tucked behind the motley heaps of dried goods at this ostensible cheese shop. The dark backroom, with its cast-iron sconces jutting out from the brick walls and heavy wooden benches pulled up close to candle-lit tables, is one of those hidden gems that impress first dates with your in-the-know perspicacity and assuage your ordering fears with its lively menu descriptions. The short wine list favors inexpensive vintages—primarily from California and South America—all served at an Old World pace. Those with time constraints should sit at the short tile bar and pipe up when ordering items like borek, fondue, meat/cheese platters, or kebabs. — Julia Langbein