Cave Vin, meaning "wine cellar" in French (actually, cave à vin means wine cellar, but we won't be picky), is a lovely little spot to sip wine and nosh on comfy bistro food. How do I know? Well, I did both last night, with John (after seeing Atonement, which IMHO isn't as good as everyone is raving, and doesn't hold a candle to the gut-wrenching book), both of us freezing and in need of sustenance. We used to frequent Cave Vin on a pretty regular basis, but it kinda sorta fell out of our repertoire. Not sure why. But our on-a-whim reprieve made it quite perfect to return to last night. We stumbled into the dimly candlelit (just the way I like it), crowded, nicely noisy room and felt like we'd come home. If you go, absolutely order the garlic pommes frites. Smokin' hot & crisp & skinny, showered with salt and crushed fresh garlic, they're crazy-delicious. (And if you plan to smooch afterward, don't worry - just both eat lots, in effect canceling out your aromatic breath. Breaths. Voila.)

In fact, if you're ever in the post-movie position of wanting wine + hot, crispy frites, which happens to me, well, every time I go to a movie, put Cave Vin on your list. (Along with the bars of La Belle Vie, The Capital Grille, Cafe Lurcat, Mission American, Cafe Barbette, Bacio...yep, I've downed a few frites in my day...not one bit moderate, but OMG taaaasty!)