New York Times Gives 'Excellent' Rating to West Hartford Wine Bar

Vinted Wine Bar & Kitchen just opened its doors in Blue Back Square in December 2012, but the innovative restaurant/wine bar has already garnered an "Excellent" rating from New York Times reviewer Rand Richards Cooper, who had mostly high praise for Vinted.

"I’m going to be harshly critical of Vinted: in my expert opinion, no restaurant should have a past participle for a name. Everything else about the place is pretty much superb," wrote Cooper in a March 1, 2013 review.

Cooper praised Vinted's wine selection (68 varieties available by the glass) and the stainless-steel WineStation which uses argon-oxygen replacement to keep the wines fresh for up to two months, but what he raved about is Vinted's food – the "unexpected touches to almost every preparation" that chef and co-owner Michael Presnal provides.

When Presnal and co-owner Ralph Santaniello opened Vinted they billed it as an "owner-operated, chef-driven restaurant with 68 wines available," and the New York Times review appears to echo that. Presnal and Santaniello have an extensive restaurant background developed at The Federal Restaurant & Bar in Agawam, MA, which they have owned and operated for the past 10 years.

Vinted's food offerings include an array of tapas (snack size and half-entree size) available for those who want an early evening or post dinner snack, a small meal, or an enticing combination of foods to create a full meal.

"If you expect wine-bar food to be dainty, you are in for a surprise," wrote Cooper. "[Presnal's] training in classical French cuisine draws on a cornucopia of regal culinary luxuries — veal and beef, truffles, foie gras, wine, butter, confit — that evoke Versailles. Vinted courts the carnivore."

Selections include cold dishes such as steak tartare, sea scallops crudo, oysters, several salads and an array of cheeses. Hot foods include Federal risotto balls (a signature offering borrowed from The Federal Restaurant & Bar), pork dumplings, and "stained" confit chicken wings.

"WHAT WE LIKED: Almost everything," the review said.