Deputy Editor Vivian Zhou and Staff Writer Caroline Mullooly review happy hour at Eli’s Wine Bar, a new spot in the place of the infamous Infamous Bistro at 1012 Amsterdam Avenue.

This past Thursday, we decided to check out Happy Hour at Eli’s Wine Bar. Residing in what used to be Infamous Bistro, Eli’s is a trendy stop for wine and small plates. Infamous Bistro was a project by the owner of Marlow Bistro, Chef Zivko Radojcic. Now, the owner of Marlow and Eli of Eli’s Wine Bar are collaborating on a new project in the Morningside Heights neighborhood.

Eli’s illuminates its guests with an assortment of soft bulbs, coupling with the darkness of their mood lighting. This mood lighting doesn’t consume the guests; it calms them, inviting them to stay for dinner. Balancing the dark and the light, Eli’s feels classy, without letting their guests get lost in the dark. Similar to the previous Infamous Bistro, there is a long U-shaped bar in the middle but the other seating areas have changed to give more of a bar feel.

Running from 4-7 pm every day, happy hour at Eli’s includes $1 oysters, $5 beer, and $7 wine. Although 1 dollar oysters are a common deal in Manhattan, it’s rare to find such a deal near campus. The oysters were fresh and came with chopped up pickles and cocktail sauce as condiments. The pickles were very refreshing and different because usually, oysters come with horseradish or hot sauce along with the cocktail sauce. The happy hour selection of beer is the bar’s full selection of beer, but wine is limited to house pours. We tried the white wine, which was a pretty standard Pinot Grigio– not too aromatic, pretty dry.

Peeking at the menu again, we stopped at the “Crispy Gruyere Cheese.” Gruyere cheese is usually very soft and gooey, so making it crispy was an interesting concept to us. Eli, the owner, stopped by and told us that this was one of their best appetizers. It was previously served at Infamous Bistro and since it was so popular, they decided to keep it. At $17, it was pretty pricey for the size and amount. The cheese came in a flat square, essentially a square-shaped mozzarella stick. It was topped with tartare sauce, pickled onions/shallots, and something that resembled dijon mustard seeds but did not taste like mustard at all. Please email tips@bwog.com if you know what this substance is.

All in all, Eli’s Wine Bar offers a really good deal for happy hour, which we hope will stay around. They also serve other appetizers, pastas, mains, bruschetta, cheese and meat boards, and dessert which can be found here. Their prices for the regular menu are a little high but comparable to Marlow Bistro– good for a special occasion. We don’t know about you, but you’ll find us at Eli’s happy hour every day from now on.

food and atmosphere via Bwog Staff