the wren

 S and I recently met up with our pal R for dinner and drinks.

We started the evening out with a fun dinner at Blue Smoke in Gramercy before walking our dinners off on a stroll down to the East Village where R turned us on to a new favorite watering hole, The Wren.

Situated on the same stretch as Peels and The Bowery Hotel, this trendy spot has an English/Irish pub vibe and a solid menu of gastropub fare (think Weck jars of pickled beet and smoked trout paté, fish and chips, roasted cauliflower soup, heritage pork sausage sandwiches, etc.)

The cocktail menu is tasty and full of concoctions featuring favorite flavors like Tito's vodka, St. Germaine liquer laced with classic mixologist standbys like pink peppercorns and orange bitters.

Here's a shot of my tasty drink, The 7th. Naturally, this cocktail and latter glasses of rosé came in vintage inspired glassware.

Most of the obvious offerings of The Wren bring to mind the bespoke-inspired haunts in Brooklyn, but this place had a different vibe. The crowd was fun, the candlelight cozy and the cost reasonable.

I personally appreciated that the joint was playing The Cure and smelled faintly like Murphy's Oil Soap-a personal favorite scent : )
(original images via societe perrier, citysearch and ye trusty iphone)