Italian cuisine was born when, after building the city of Rome, Romulus and Remus discovered Greece didn’t deliver to their new address. Taste the origins of an empire with today’s Groupon to The Hidden Vine Wine Bar and Lounge in Newington. Choose between the following options:
- For $15, you get $30 worth of Italian cuisine and drinks on Friday or Saturday.
- For $20, you get $40 worth of Italian cuisine and drinks Tuesday–Thursday.
Chefs at The Hidden Vine Wine Bar and Lounge craft a toothsome menu of Italian cuisine lauded by NECN’s TV Diner Guide for its subtle mix of traditional and modern flavors. For starters, a selection of bruschetta dons toppings such as hanger steak, wild mushrooms, or prosciutto sliced as thin as paper dolls on a diet ($3 each). Chefs fuse the flavors of homemade gnocchi à la cognac with sautéed shrimp and fresh basil ($21), and utensils dive into a hanger steak surrounded by caramelized shallots, grilled polenta, and broccoli rabe ($18). Cast aside utensils to grasp one of four paninis stuffed with savories such as grilled chicken, gorgonzola, and cranberry-apricot chutney ($10 each), leaving neglected forks to tap dance across tables in hopes of grabbing diners’ attention.
Between bites, diners can sip a choice of flights, 17 wines by the glass, or commandeer 1 of 85 bottled vintages, a dozen of which dangle nimbly from chains behind the well-stocked bar. Fresh breezes tickle sensitive forks on an outdoor patio, and couples dangle spoons from each other’s noses in an indoor dining area surrounded by textured earth-toned walls.
The Hidden Vine Wine Bar and Lounge
Glasses lift into a treble-laden symphony of toasts and from a distance, many of the elixirs they contain seem nearly the same. Up close, 28 wines by the glass and more than 75 unique varietals by the bottle span a rainbow of hues, from reds deep and earthy enough to appear almost black to white wines barely kissed with a delicate straw color. In The Hidden Vine Wine Bar and Lounge's dedicated room for tastings and classes, guests further hone noses and taste buds to make nearly imperceptible distinctions in flavor and bouquet.
Drawing upon family recipes held close to their hearts, culinarians fill two dining areas with inventive dishes including bruschetta draped in paper-thin soppressata, peach honey, and hanger steak. Beneath diamond-shaped burgundy paintings, forks chatter against plates of fresh pasta and patrons sidle up to the marble bar for a chilly cocktail. A patio begs diners to let the warm sun aid in digestion or in calming outraged bulls delivering pamphlets to the eatery's crimson ceilings.