Bar Veloce

NileGuide Expert tip:

For a Mediterranean bar hop, try Spanish-themed Bar Carrera (same owners) next door. Bar Veloce also has a bigger location at 176 Seventh Avenue near 20th Street, in Chelsea.

Description:

• In Short
  One of three Veloce outposts, this sophisticated Italian wine bar is surrounded by a sea of frat-friendly, cheap beer-serving locales. A late-20s crowd listens to instrumental jazz while sipping sake, grappa, sexo (a red wine with tannic cherry highlights), and classics like sherry, bourbon, cognac and port, all while nibbling a menu of delectable pressed sandwiches. Servers clad in suits and ties, an endless stream of muted black-and-white movies on a big-screen TV, and candles that flicker before an impressive display of wine racks add to the classy vibe.
  
  Hits: A romantic spot to take a date you want to get cozy with.
  
  Misses: Despite strategically placed mirrors along the walls designed to make the place seem bigger than it is, Bar Veloce is so small that claustrophobes would be advised to stay away.