Vini e Fritti

Danny Meyer is turning Roman. Or, at least, he did for a spell in 2017, when he opened not only the casual pizzeria Martina in the East Village but two Roman-themed establishments in the Redbury New York, home of his restaurant Marta. One of those is Vini e Fritti, which exists across the hall from the other (Caffe Marchio) in a setup Meyer compared to a Roman piazza. Vini is the nighttime operation, a wine bar with a focus on aperitivos, Champagne, and fried snacks that might open out onto an old street in the Eternal City, with its marble bar, a wooden communal table with seats on one side, and a few marble tables that are comfortably spread out. Service is low pressure, as if New York were slowed down, and you’ll want to start your meal with the bittersweet, effervescent Dolcevito, then implore the bartender for the recipe. The food is impressive. Take the dainty, triangular sandwich of anchovy and mozzarella, an ideal combination if there ever was one, or the sticky pork ribs with Calabrian chile-honey. The slightly sweet, slightly spicy ribs taste like what you’d backyard barbecue if you wanted to impress a relative in town from Italy. The non-fried food is just as good: Double down on anchovies with a serving of the delightfully chunky bagna cauda with snappy raw vegetables.