Accademia di Vino (UWS)

Day 62 (4/21) of the T-90 Project:

FoxyLady has been on her A-game. She rattled off a list of dinners and drink nights we needed to set up before I left, including one last apartment rager (stay tuned for details) and one last wine pow-wow with Winette. FoxyLady and Winette were worried I wouldn't want to meet up so late (Winette finishes work at 8 p.m.) a few nights before the marathon, but I assured them I wanted to celebrate the end of an arduous week and a half of work. Why is it that the last few days of work leading up to a vacation always end up being so intolerable? Mona's law or is this universal?

We initially mentioned Penelope as a venue for our pow-wow -- a spot I'd never been to and both girls are really fond of -- but when Wednesday came around, I was completely unprepared for the trip and figured being close to home would be best. I'd walked by Accademia di Vino (they need to update their Web site to reflect the upper west side location) several times on my way home from work and had been tempted to check it out. I mentioned it to Winette and somehow she was thinking the same thing. Great winos think alike. She said the east side one was great and that was all I needed to hear.

If you're looking for a solid wine bar on the upper west side, look no further. Like Buceo 95, Accademia's tables are all high so no matter where you sit you feel like you're sitting at the bar. We opted for the actual bar and thank goodness we did. Its rich leather stools are so comfy I could have slept across three of them that night. Judy, the cute, vivacious blonde bartender, took excellent care of us. We tasted every wine before we committed to it and when we said we liked a certain type of wine she knew exactly which ones to serve. It was quite remarkable.

Before we even got to order our appetizers Judy brought us two plates, compliments of the chef. One was a small cheese pizza slice and one was a plate of three crackers covered in a bean dip. They were scrumptious. I love compliments!

To accompany our wine we ordered a selection of small plates. We went with a fava bean hummus, Tuscan herb fries, a whole wheat penne with spring veggies and parmesan, asparagus and fried Brussels sprouts.

The asparagus was a little too bitter for me -- they served it raw with lemon zest -- but everything else hit the spot. The fries were probably the most popular. I brought them to work with me the next day and they were still delicious.

Winette mentioned the original east side locale offers you note cards so you can keep track of the wines you like. I was hoping we'd enjoy this same luxury on the west side, but there were no note cards to be found. The menu, however, was designed to look like the black and white composition books we used to have in school for tests and assignments. It was a cute touch.

I wrote down a couple of glasses of wine I enjoyed: a Muller Thurgau and a Travignoli Chianti Rufina. I'd go back in a second and order the exact same glasses and request Judy, of course.

Thanks, ladies, for a wonderful night!

2427 Broadway, between 89th & 90th St.
(212) 787-3070