A Year In New York

Just after dark, with the heat still radiating from the pavement, I met my lady Joo at a Second Avenue wine bar called Vino. “One drink?” I asked.

“One drink,” she said firmly. Enjoying New York on a budget is something we’ve been doing with little success, and we are trying a new strategy. Linger over one glass, get something small to eat, and rely on our own pantries afterward if we need more.

The waitress brought the menu. Not being a wine connoisseur I didn’t recognize a single bottle, but what great prices. There was a Vanzini for $6, a Vigneti le Monde for $5 and a Cantine Sasso for $4. We could get out of here for twenty bucks! “That,” I said to the waitress, pointing to the Sasso.

Our glasses of wine arrived alongside the appetizers we’d ordered, a frittatini and a verdure mista. We chatted, sipped and took tiny bites. Inside, a black-and-white Italian film played silently on the high-def, and we eavesdropped on the trio of bickering, weary Lebanese sitting at the next table.

When the plates were cleared the bill came, and I opened it to find a total of $42.05.

That “04” on the wine list had been the year. Not the price.