“We were looking to bring a hip, urban restaurant into a space where customers wouldn’t normally expect to find one,” says Stephanie Small, who, with Brian Moss, recently opened UnWined Wine Bar & Kitchen in Somers. Located in a strip mall, next to their wine shop Uncorked Wines & Spirits, UnWined offers diners small plates, over 30 wines by the glass, and a variety of seating (and standing) options. It was conversations with UnCorked customers that led them to think of getting into the restaurant business, hoping to bring what Small calls a “level of food that was lacking in this area.”
“I think this is the way people look at dining in this day and age,” explains Small. “They want to try and share different items.” She emphasizes that small plates are different than tapas. “We’re serving a composed dish with a main and a side.” (We liked the delicious buttermilk-brined fried chicken with corn succotash and sweet-onion gravy.) And while tapas reflect Portuguese and Spanish influences, at UnWined you’ll find Wagyu beef pigs in a blanket and grass-fed cheeseburgers on the menu alongside sweet-and-sour meatballs, a colorful beet salad, and patatas bravas with chorizo. Chef Joe Romano will change the menu seasonally.
To create the wine list, Small and Moss drew on their knowledge from running UnCorked. “It’s unusual for a restaurant to offer such a wide breadth of choices,” Small says. Patrons are encouraged to try what may be unfamiliar selections. There’s also a full bar and interesting beers on tap. The pair are hoping to use their connections in the wine industry to offer pairing dinners in the future, as well as other special events.
The feel at UnWined is industrial chic. There are Edison-type lighting fixtures mixed with funky chandeliers. The tables are set with black, faux-wrought-iron stemware holders. Banquette seating, high tops, and a standing ledge are ideal for either a lingering meal or a quick glass of wine. Small says that the configuration provides them with great flexibility. “There’s been an influx of new families moving to the area and we wanted to offer them, and longtime residents, a community restaurant where they feel comfortable and can enjoy great food.”
Unwined Wine Bar & Kitchen
80 Rte 6
Baldwin Place
914.519.6190
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