La Compagnie, Centre Street

La Compagnie, originally founded by the team behind Experimental Cocktail Club, current partners are two Eleven Madison Park alums who have pulled back all the pretense of wine snobbery with parties like Jurassic Park Pop-up (Jura wine & Jurassic Park movie-themed soirées) and Wine Boot Camps. Caleb Ganzer, the wine director, offers an approachable wine list complemented by chef Eric Bolyard's "Fringe France" cooking. The bar boasts a head-spinning list of around 1000 bottles, an infectious lightness pervades the elegant setting, where the staff can also be found sporting aloha shirts on Fridays, to honor the Hawaiian heritage of the general manager.