The current trend in wine bars features a blend of distinct flavors, integrating creative food offerings into traditional settings. Innovative places, referred to as snackstaurants, provide smaller, artfully composed dishes that align perfectly with summer outings. Lei, a wine bar in Chinatown, exemplifies this transformation by delivering a menu inspired by Chinese and Chinese American cuisine. Partner Annie Shi collaborates with Patty Lee to create an intriguing variety of snacks that go beyond typical wine bar fare, aiming for a unique culinary perspective that excites patrons seeking refreshment in the heat.
The reigning alpha of these dog days is Lei, from King partner Annie Shi, on the curving, pedestrian-only slip of Doyers Street in Chinatown.
Shi's stated aim is to bring the Chinese and Chinese American flavors of her upbringing into the old wine-bar idiom; she developed the menu with Patty Lee, formerly of Mission Chinese Food.
Most do better than traditional wine bar snacks, offering interesting food with a distinct point of view.
On days like these, I still trek out to the steakhouses and the pasta-factory carbfests; but really, what I want most are the places that make magic in miniature.
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