Felice Wine Bar

My friend and I stopped by this cozy wine bar after a work event. There was a slight wait, and no wonder--the pasta was absolutely delicious. The wine wasn't bad, either.

Pros: Outstanding homemade pasta dishes

Cons: Tables too close together

Posted 11/02/09

Even after you get past the obnoxious guy running the door, Felice continues to disappoint--and I have given this place more than one shot to impress, to be fair. The service is atrocious, and the food is below par. The wine list is this restaurant's only redeeming quality. I would be tempted to add ambiance as a plus as well, as the restaurant looks charming at first glance, but my idea of a quaint and cozy experience does not include being sat on top of two other couples, or (often) at the same table! You can barely hear your own company over the boisterous mayhem and the loud, ridiculous music selection. Our meal was entirely rushed--our entrees were pushed on us after only two bites of our appetizers, which were not as described on the menu. I ordered the linguine alle vongole for my entree, and it tasted like beach. The waitstaff is inconsistent, with little to no attention to detail. My husband and I frequent Manhattan restaurants often, and we will not be returning here.

Posted 01/03/09

As we were going to a film nearby, we got there early, and were shown to a cozy corner table (this seems incredible since it felt like the first day of winter and the windows are all glass!) and were treated like royalty even though there were only several couples seated at the time.

We started with an interesting selection of cheeses, including a fine gorgonzola, a Peccorino/Romano and a Spanish Manchego served with a flowery honey and dried fruits and nuts.

The special appetizer that day, a thinly sliced salmon carpaccio, served with avocado and topped with festive greens sprinkled with sesame seeds was a refreshing and light interlude.

The bronzino special of the day, grilled to perfection as well as red snapper, were wonderful and festively presented. The vegetables looked like confetti, were presented like pasta and were topped by lightly fried leeks: delicioso!

Wine from the region....we went with the well-informed suggestions of the maitre d' (Matt was fantastic!) and we were not disappointed. I am not Italian, so I cannot criticize the Italian-ness of the place, but if this were an introduction to a trip to Tuscany, it would be a great start!

Dessert was a chocolate mousse-like cake and was light and as good as can be found in any pasticceria...the music was not overwhelming and by the time we left, every seat in the house and at the bar was full....which tells you something!

We'd go back again in a heartbeat when we are in the neighborhood...it's even worth a trip!

Pros: Freshness of food, service

Cons: Wait for tables...go early

Posted 11/11/08

In a neighborhood with more good Mexican food than anything else it is so refreshing to have this cute and cozy little wine bar in the neighborhood. I love sitting at the bar with either of the great bartenders they have. While the pesto isn't my favorite dish, (I cant get enough of the spinach and ricotta ravioli with the insane sage butter) my friend can't get anything but it. And the education of italian wines has been great to learn. I love enjoying a glass of the tassinaia with my meal or on a relaxing afternoon on my way out. Those in the neighborhood looking for a sophisticated place to hangout, we finally have it.

Posted 08/24/08

Do not order the pesto. They claim it's traditional, however, I'm not sure that pesto without garlic or pingnoli beans can be traditional.

Posted 08/09/08

Atmosphere is cute. Although it is small you do not feel like you are going to bump into the person next to you if you dare to scratch your head. I agree with the other post that said the music was too loud, but that is easy to fix on their part--hopefully they have by now.

The positive part about the food was that they offer grilled baby octopus. You are going to see that in more and more italian places as time goes on, since it was gotten popular. As for the other food it was good, but nothing compared to other Upper East Side restaurants. We had a sampling of many dishes but I can't remember what they were (which should tell you something.)

All in all, this place, with a few improvements, could be really nice. Their wine selection is good, and they help you out sufficiently if you are not familiar with the italian wines they offer (I was, but others in the party were more familiar with California reds so they were totally lost.) Service was friendly, and there wasn't a terrible wait. Prices were reasonable.

Pros: wine, service, cool atmosphere

Cons: food was so-so, place is tiny

Posted 05/08/08

Let me break it down.
Wine: A
Food: B
Atmosphere: C (due to Music - would be a B+ otherwise)
Music : F
Service: B-
My wife and I decided to try the new wine bar in the neighborhood, as we love to seek out exceptional wine bars in the city. You sould know that I am from Italy, which means I know what is authentic italian food and wine. Felice does have an excellent wine selection and good (not exceptional) food however they have very poor taste in loud music (50's bee bop & beach boys). The very loud music alone created such a poor atmosphere and unpleasant experience that I would not return based on this alone, well this and the average food.

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Posted 02/28/08