Little Italy's new wood-burning wine bar

Proving Euro trips can inspire something that rocks for longer than the two-minute duration of a Matt Damon cameo, Urban Union's ex-Epic/N9NE chef drew on his Franco-Italian travels for a rotating small-plate menu to be served in this exposed brick 65-seater, which sports worn Douglas fir benches, and a communal, 10-seat, chef's-side view from a 80yr-old welding table, where diners can coalesce.The menu heavily features the kitchen's wood-burning oven (sea salt-kissed porchetta, roasted squab w/ braised cabbage & brandied cherries...), while other carnivorousness includes crispy pork schnitzel with turnips, beetroot greens, and a salsa verde of Sicilian capers, which usually revolve around a different kind of green. Seafood's also literally fired, from garlic-buttered head-on shrimp, to Bar Harbor mussels w/ chorizo and San Marzanos, but those who prefer their ocean fare untouched can opt for Pacific snapper crudo w/ Meyer lemon & sea beans, or epic lobster- and oyster-loaded platters from the "Luxurious Raw Bar", which Eddie Murphy is no longer able to command on his rider.Naturally Euro-focused as well, the wine list includes 50 glasses (a trio of which're on tap), and desserts count pistachio financiers and sticky date pudding, an ending that will show her you can't hold your rocks for longer than two minutes.