Vinoco Wine Bar & Tapas Restaurant, Mineola

The chalkboard that wraps around the top of Vinoco's bar greets customers with the daily specials, wine flights, and empanadas of the day not listed on the regular menu, which itself boasts tapas dishes and entrees representing Spanish, Italian, Greek, Pan-Asian, and Latin American flavors. The New York Times awarded the intimate eatery its top rating, raving that the selections are "head and shoulders above the usual tapas-bar clichés." Chef Carlos Roman—originally from Peru, according to the New York Times —prepares complexly flavored dishes such as rock-shrimp quesadillas with paprika, mango salsa, and monterey cheese. Taking cues from its food-bearing counterpart, the wine list culls wines and sangrias imported from Europe, Australia, and South America that can be purchased by the bottle or poured into glasses.