Vintage 338 (CLOSED)

At 10pm on a Saturday, it’s standing-room only at Vintage 338, and though the clientele is slightly older than downtown’s young and restless, it’s loud as hell in here. There are two-tops lingering, but it’s the rowdy table of friends in the center room making all the noise. And what’s not to be excited about? Father-and-son team Tom and Chris Barkulis have developed a menu of casual European plates much heartier than your average finicky wine-bar small plates: There are big, chewy, meaty sandwiches; an attractive salad of blood oranges, olive relish and Marcona almonds; and a skillet of warm tetilla cheese beneath a layer of quince paste that’s altogether like a Spanish queso fundido—and very difficult to stop eating. Of course, this calls for more wine, an easy task thanks to a small, inviting and affordable wine list, where a mix of familiar and unusual wines—all from Spain, France and Italy—average $8–$10 a glass. If you want to have as good a time as most of this crowd, though, best to spring for some bottles.