‘ino Blends a Small Space and a Good Idea With Savvy Service

Nancy Silverton, co-owner, pastry chef, bread baker and all-around muse at Campanile in Los Angeles, has a good thing going on Thursday nights with her “tartine bar,” aka grilled cheese night. That’s when she gets behind the bar and serves a dozen or so inventive grilled and open-face sandwiches. (Of course, guests can order off the regular menu as well.) But that’s just one night a week.

In New York, Angelenos can find the East Coast equivalent of Nancy’s tartine bar at the diminutive ‘ino in Greenwich Village. I found it one night when I arrived in town ravenous after a grueling flight from L.A., complete with depressingly inedible food. By the time I ventured out for something to eat, it was late and I had visions of finding only a slice of pizza at the stand-up takeout place on the corner. Instead, I remembered ‘ino, a tiny storefront with eight or so tables and a half a dozen seats at the bar. Walking in just before midnight, I worried they were about to close. Not to worry: The doors stay open until a wide-awake 2 a.m. Every day.

The menu consists of half a dozen versions of bruschetta, the Italian take of tartines, i.e., a slice of toasted country bread with some kind of topping, along with more substantial panini or sandwiches, and a few salads. It’s a smart concept for a small space. Candles flicker, the fan overhead churns the (air-conditioned) air, and Cuban rhythms set everyone swaying or tapping their fingers.

I’m happy. I’ve found a haven. I order a draft beer and two bruschetta variations. I take a bite of the one covered with peperonata--crimson squares of roasted, marinated peppers slick with good olive oil--and the world swims back into focus. It’s real food, earthy and authentic. The second bruschetta, topped with fresh ricotta and ripe tomatoes, is just as satisfying. I’m slowly restored to myself.

Looking around, it’s evident ‘ino has been cobbled together with a minimal budget. A baker’s rack holds loaves of bread, the plates, a packet of paper napkins and an antique milk pail filled with the bottles of wine they’re serving by the glass that night. Another little case holds all the sandwich makings--salami, cheeses, tomatoes, olives, roasted peppers. The cook is toasting the bruschetta in a toaster oven. Other than that, and a bright red meat slicer, the only other real equipment is a couple of grills for the panini. Talk about minimal!

For all that, the service is as attentive as any serious restaurant. When I dropped my (paper) napkin, the waiter was right there to hand me another. And the minute the couple at the next table had finished their carafe of wine, the waiter was there to whisk it away.

Big budgets don’t necessarily make great restaurants. ‘ino does a tremendous amount with a small space, an intelligent idea, and a savvy staff. All that and breakfast, too, every morning from 9 to 11: egg and cheese panino, egg and fontina bruschetta, mozzarella toast, and fresh orange juice.

BE THERE

‘ino, 21 Bedford St., New York, N.Y.; (212) 989-5769. Open daily till 2 a.m. Bruschetta $2; panini $8. Cash only.