Passing the Bar: The Drunken Horse

YOU DON’T EXACTLY expect a bar called The Drunken Horse to be a classy or charming establishment. If, like me, you spent your early twenties at Black Bear Lodge, Red Lion, Brass Monkey and zoo’s worth of other recent-grad hangouts, you might be permanently wary of any bar with an animal in its name—especially when preceded by the word “drunken.” But an evening at this new Chelsea wine bar, recently opened by Turks & Frogs alum Azman Dayakli, taught me not to judge a bar by its name.

Smack in the middle of gallery land (the space is a former gallery itself), the snug little spot offers a brief but well-balanced wine selection of mid-priced bottles from around the world. Upon sidling up to its small bar and surveying the quaint, rustic room, my first order of business was deciding between the 20-plus wines served by the glass—and not one of them more than $13.Tempted by the Graff Riesling Kabinett ($11) and the Raimat Albarino ($10), a Spanish white, I ended up settling for a hearty pour of the Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc ($10). It was light and crisp, and a perfect accompaniment to the sunshine streaming down onto 10th Avenue and through The Drunken Horse’s retractable glass storefront.

Should I have been in the mood for a red, the heavy-handed bartender had a bevy to recommend, including the organic Mark West Pinot Noir ($11) and the Argentinean Jean Mousquet Malbec ($12).

But the most interesting selections on the wine list, like the full-bodied Bogazkere ($56 for a bottle), came from owner Dayakli’s homeland of Turkey, which happens to be one of the oldest wine-making regions on the planet. It also happens to be a place where people feed horses alcohol in order to keep them warm during the harsh winters, at least according to the tale Dayakli told me when I inquired about his new establishment’s name. (No word on whether the Turkish EFES Pilsner, $5, one of four beers on offer, is an equine fave.)

When it comes to The Drunken Horse’s menu of small plates, there is more Mediterranean influence at every turn: lentil balls ($6), falafel ($8) and hummus ($7) that Dakayli claims he learned to make the “right” way while living in Israel. Passing up these appetizers and the charcuterie (choice of three for $16) in favor of some cheese, I found a solid, if brief, assortment.The best were the smooth Istara, Le Marechal and a pleasingly rich Manchego, served with grapes and pita bread (choice of three for $13).

Yet despite these perfectly fine food offerings—and the quaint back dining room, in which cozy two-tops flickered with tea lights—you get the sense that vino is what The Drunken Horse does best. Even the décor seems to suggest this: with exposed brick and wine-rack lined walls, the space feels like a wine cellar, especially when the sun goes down. Add some lounge-y jazz music and the din of conversation from a few fellow revelers, and The Drunken Horse becomes a pleasant little refuge for neighborhood residents and gallery-hoppers alike.

>The Drunken Horse

225 10th Ave. (betw. W. 23rd & W. 24th Sts.), 212-604-0505.