The Ten Bells

You know the feeling: You get older, but the neighborhood stays the same age. So it is on the Lower East Side, where beer-soaked dens with an American-Apparel-clad clientele don’t have the same appeal after you’ve been there, done that umpteen million times.

Fortunately, there’s the Ten Bells, where you can actually get decent – make that very good – wine by the glass. We didn’t go as obscure as Eric Asimov did in his recent visit, but we also got some sparkling fresh, briny Malpeaque oysters ($2 each) and deceptively spicy papas bravas ($5) with a nuanced 2006 Rioja Arbanta Llorens for $9 a glass.

Best of all, it’s all enjoyed amid the company of grown-ups.

The Ten Bells
247 Broome Street, between Orchard and Ludlow Streets
New York, NY
212-228-4450
thetenbells.com