Critics’ choice

Best reason to abandon the tapas bar
Gottino
The Spanish used to have a monopoly on the deliciously lazy activity of sitting at the bar, ordering glass after glass of sparkling wine, glancing at what the neighboring diner is eating, deciding, Hey, that looks good, and ordering the dish for themselves. Finally, the Italians have gotten into the game. At Gottino, a beautifully appointed enoteca in the West Village, seats at the marble bar are popular with New Yorkers who indulge the Iberian way. Only here, prosecco takes the place of cava, and those lucky few are feasting on small plates of salumi, grass-fed beef carpaccio, and anchovy and butter crostini—no croquetas here. Buen provecho—er, we mean buon appetito!

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