Ardesia

Thursday night I checked out Ardesia - this adorable little wine bar on 52nd Street between 10th and 11th.  Not only do they have a fairly extensive wine list, but delicious snacks to nosh on...they recently received Time Out New York's Critics' Choice Award for Most Ambitious Bar Food!

picture from wall street journal

We had Artichoke and Crab dip (complete w toasted slices of Amy's Bread, which is just down the street), Caramelized Brussel Sprouts (which I thought were yummy, but I am a brussel sprout fiend) and Homemade New York Style pretzels.  The pretzels are AMAZING, they are served with a spicy Dijon mustard and a cheese sauce, which as our waiter told us, you could just eat with a spoon (and I agree!).  We rounded out our meal with a homemade ice cream sandwich, which actually was more like 2 thin slices of cake with ice cream in between...yum!  AND, to top it all off, they have an awesome happy hour special - $6 glasses of wine.  

I will definitely be frequenting this neighborhood gem often!