Within Walking Distance #2: Vinoteca Farfalla

Last night J and I warmly welcomed Vinoteca Farfalla to the neighborhood. Or perhaps it warmly welcomed us considering the slight headaches we had this morning, but regardless, it's a welcome addition to Los Feliz. Most bars within pleasant walking distance are either hipster dives (The Drawing Room, Ye Rustic Inn) or restaurant bars (Electric Lotus, Vermont)--all of which we enjoy frequently, but it's nice to have a more grown-up, dedicated wine spot within a few blocks.

The Vinoteca's owners also own two restaurants on the same stretch of Hillhurst, Farfalla and the new Tropicalia Grill, a Brazilian joint right next door. From the looks of the Vinoteca's limited menu, it shares a kitchen with the Tropicalia, but also has cheese and charcuterie, your typical wine bar accompaniments. We had wine only, ordered by the glass from the chalked list above the long, skinny bar. The list leans Italian, with a few French, Californian and Spanish wines thrown in the mix (though I assume the chalkboard means the selections change relatively often). The generous pours meant that after finishing our first round (me a Malbec and J a Primitivo), we were just tipsy enough to want another. For seconds I sampled a Super Tuscan who's name I can't remember and Jon tried a curious white from Italy. Also, half-way through our first glass a waiter plunked down a plate of bite-sized pieces of an eggy cheese bread--the texture was kinda weird, might have tasted better warm, yet we polished off the entire plate.

Vinoteca Farfalla
1968 Hillhurst Ave.
Los Angeles, 90026
(323) 661-8070