Here's a look at Entwine, a new wine bar and small plates lounge over on the far side of West 12th Street. Perhaps you're thinking, "Finally! Another wine bar in the Village." But Entwine has some attributes that make it worth a trip west (or east, if you want respite after roaming Hudson River park). There's the tranquil back yard garden, for one thing, as well as the creative cocktail menu, which includes bartender Duane Fernandez's delicious twist on the Rusty Nail; dubbed the Scotland Yard, it sports Dewars, Drambuie, fresh ginger, lemon juice and basil.

Then there's the vino; Entwine is one of just a handful of places in town that's got a state of the art cuvinee cabinet (pictured) from Napa Technology, which uses odorless and tasteless argon gas to preserve bottles of wine for up to two months after they're opened. The system enables Entwine's sommelier to open expensive, offbeat bottles of wine and sell them by the glass without worrying about them going bad in a couple days. Meanwhile, the Mediterranean-leaning small plates menu (see below) features a changing array of cheeses, cured meats, home made soup, desserts, and more filling items like the Casserole of Beef Manti with Garlic-Yogurt Sauce.

The ground floor level has a sort of sensually decaying feel, with comfortable mismatched furniture and lots of light. A second bar downstairs is dark and seductive, and seems like a great place to try Entwine's traditional Turkish coffee service, presented on a brass tray suspended from an upside down tripod. The owners say the downstairs lounge will be soon host live music, and once a month the sounds will be specifically paired with wines. The kitchen stays open until 11 nightly, and on weekends there will be brunch.

Entwine // 765 Washington Street, between Bethune and W 12th Street // (212) 727-8765

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Olive Oil Baked Potato with dip of sour cream and paprika, spiked with fiery Tabasco.

A soup of small pasta and garden vegetables, courtesy of Sudaz, Mail’s mother.

Pita flatbreads, i.e. mozzarella topped with tomato concasse, broccoli, roasted red peppers and fresh green ones.

Roasted Beet Salad topped with mixed greens, red onions, goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette and walnuts.

Chilled Cous Cous with tomato, red and green peppers, pomegranate and parsley.

Tarama

Tapanade of mixed olives with basil, dill and chilies.

Casserole of Beef Manti with Garlic-Yogurt Sauce

Smoked Salmon ‘twist’ with herbed cheese

Arugula-Melon Salad with orange-olive oil vinaigrette and parmesan sprinkles.

Salad of greens, red cabbage, arugula, beets, tomato, peppers, cucumbers and dill in a lemonette

Stuffed Mussels, rice, onion, pine nuts, herbs, lemon juice and olive oil, pan cooked.

Confit Of Apple in mint liquor, cinnamon, served ala mode.

Parfait of Crème Chantilly with fresh kiwi