Simon's Take - My favorite neighborhood bar of the moment, Vinoteca is a beer and wine bar opened by the owners of the fantastic Italian restaurant Farfalla on the same block. Small and usually overcrowded, Vinoteca otherwise does just about everything else right, from a staggering list of wines stored and tapped from sealed glass humidor-things to a draft beer list featuring a couple of hard-to-find favorites. (Check it: Schneider Weisse, Chimay, Maudite, Stella Artois, Peroni, and Bitburger, all served in brand-specific glassware.) Prices are reasonable and the servers are friendly, informative and attentive. The limited food menu is okay, with free toasted stale bread from Farfalla to sober up on, which is surprisingly delicious after more than two drinks. This place gets my highest possible recommendation, but I'm into bars that are quiet, small and dark; if you're looking for a night out partying, other bars in the area would probably serve you better, such as the Drawing Room or Ye Rustic Inn, especially as Vinoteca closes at midnight on weeknights and one a.m. on weekends. Vinoteca is more a bar for a date or to start an evening before moving on to another bar; it's also one of the few places I've seen in Los Angeles where people will sit at the bar reading or doing work, which I think is cool.
As a footnote, I should point out that Vinoteca offers a house wine that the owner has had made exclusively for his establishments under the label name Farfalla. This wine is disgusting and tastes like Charles Shaw diluted with tap water; I wouldn't give it to a dog I was trying to murder. That said, I like everything else about this place.
Evan's Take - This place isn't as stuffy as you'd think it would be. The female bartender that served me seemed genuine and helpful, and there is a relaxed atmosphere to the place. There's a shitload of great beers on tap... Chimay being my favorite.
One of the bartenders has HUGE fake tits, but I'm not sure if she works there anymore. Actually, come to think of it, I believe that there's a second bartender there with HUGE fake tits.
If that isn't an incentive to venture to a classy wine bar in Los Feliz, then I don't know what is.
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