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Drink Wine on Tap at New Hunters Point Bar

By Jeanmarie Evelly | December 30, 2014 12:58pm
 BLVD offers four wines on tap and 40 different wines by the glass and bottle.
BLVD Wine Bar Opens in Hunters Point
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HUNTERS POINT — A new Long Island City wine bar is letting customers get in touch with their inner sommelier.

BLVD Wine Bar, which opened a little over a week ago at 4720 Center Blvd., serves up more than 40 different wines by the glass and bottle as well as four rotating wines on tap.

"You don't see a lot of wine on tap, and it's a great way to keep it inexpensive," said co-owner Rob Bralow, who said the draft wines will cost $6 a glass. "We spent a lot of time looking for something of really good quality to have on tap."

Bralow, a wine buyer at next door Blue Streak Wines and Spirits, opened BLVD with store owner Stephen Spiller and James Lee, who is also on the management team there. A fourth co-owner, Jim Pileski, owns The Burger Garage on Jackson Avenue.

Despite its ties to Blue Streak, BLVD won't carry any of the same wines but customers can speical order vintages they love at the bar in the store, Bralow said.

"I love finding new things, and there's so much wine available that there's no reason to double up on things," he said. "I love showing new stuff, and being able to find and introduce new things to everyone."

BLVD will start serving food in a few weeks, including "basics for any wine bar" like cheese, charcuterie and spreads, Bralow said. Other items will include pork shoulder sliders, flatbreads and chopped salads. The bar also serves a few beers by the bottle.

The space includes about 20 seats at the bar, another 15 around tables in the front and a backroom that seats about 25 people, which will be available for private events. They plan to apply for the use of a small outdoor patio in the back and sidewalk seating out front.

They also plan to eventually offer a "reserve list" of high end, pricier wines that will be available by the glass or in 2 or 3 ounce tasting sizes, Bralow said. Tasting flights of wine are also being planned.

Bralow said their goal is to to allow customers to explore different wines, whether they're an expert or amateur.

"The whole idea of this is so that people can come and learn about wine. The reason we have so many different wines by the glass is to make it accessible," he said.

"We want this to be a warm, comfortable atmosphere, that people feel comfortable coming and chatting with us and talking about wine and tasting something they might not have tasted, or may not have ever gone to a wine store to pick up and wouldn’t have even considered."

BLVD is currently open from 3 p.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday, and 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.