Tolani Wine Restaurant

I will start out by saying, Tolani wins as my new favorite restaurant. As I am sure you can tell by now, I love a specific type of atmosphere in addition to good food and wine. Tolani gets big stars in all three categories. The food was not only delicious but also creatively different and often simple in its ingredients. The wine list is clearly hand picked and well planned out by a wine expert who clearly knows what he is doing. And the atmosphere is to die for. Dimly lit with candles, rough wood wine racks behind the bar, exposed stone and brick, and tasteful funky accents such as a crystal chandelier over the stairs to the lower level, and curious prints of butterflies and leaves in the cellar room. T0 top it all off, the service, wait staff and bartenders included were friendly, talkative and interesting. The owner himself was even wondering around, expertly balancing his hosting requirements, chatting here and there. He honestly and genuinely cared about what you thought and how your overall experience at Tolani was.

Our favorite dish by far was the Vegetarian Spaghetti and Meatballs. My meat loving boyfriend even loved the dish. Crispy eggplant "meatballs" sat on top of perfectly prepared spaghetti squash in a Parmesan sauce. Both light and hardy at the same time, this "pasta" dish will be one that I know I am going to crave in days to come. We also tried the tuna, the endive and pear salad, and fried stuffed olives.

The one thing I will say, which is not a criticism, but more of a "heads up" the plates are not quite tapas, but have a similar feel. They are larger than a typical tapas plate and would work perfectly for a few people to share each one. Our order of 4 small plates was almost a bit too much food for two people. The hard part is, there is so much on the menu that you want to eat, it is hard to only pick a few plates. Just keep in mind, you will get more food than you think! That did not stop us, however, from ordering dessert on top of our food. We just couldn't help it. The fried stuffed olives were a bit too salty for me to have eaten as a main plate, they work better as a table order for a group of people so you only eat a few. I can't wait to go back and try all the other plates on the menu, there were so many that intrigued me!

There is a large garden/patio area out back that will be delightful during the spring/summer months. The owner told us he is in the middle of winterizing the patio area which will be a fun addition to the current space available for seating during the winter months. It is an excellent date night restaurant due to its "big three" (great food, great wine, and great atmosphere). It may be a little on the loud side for anyone who's looking for a secluded romantic meal, but not nearly as cramped as most NYC restaurants. This was our first time here and it definitely won't be our last. I ended up reading more about the restaurant and the owner online and found out this is his second restaurant in Manhattan. His first one is on the Upper East side and we have added it to our list of places to try.

Tolani is located in the Upper West Side. On Amsterdam between 79th and 80th. http://tolaninyc.com/about.php