Felice 64 is a full-service restaurant and wine bar with one of the most creatively organized and user-friendly Italian wine lists east of Lexington Avenue. The self-described eco-friendly wine list is broken up into catchy categories such as “Volcanic Energy,” “Hidden Gems,” and “Champagne Icons,” among others, with thoughtful selections of organic and bio-dynamic wines, notated accordingly. Felice also bottles its own chardonnay, rosé, and sangiovese through Fattoria Sardi in Tuscany – wines so yummy there must have been a hole in my glass. Monday to Sunday, happy hour is offered featuring $11 house wines served alongside $12 nibbly bits. A $34 two-course prix-fixe lunch is available during the week, somewhat of a relic from New York’s restaurant past, but alive and well on the Upper East Side. It’s a cozy place, the staff is inviting and helpful, and all of the goings-on of the East 60s are unabashedly in full earshot. Don’t skip dessert, you’ll want to fortify yourself with tiramisu and a coppa of vin santo.
Felice also has other locations across the New York State area (and in Florida!), albeit the wine lists and atmospheres may differ slightly. Either way, you’re in for a treat.
Suggested wines to try:
Villa Raiano, Aglianco 2017, Taurasi, Campania
Deeply earthy and savory erupting with leather, smoke, and morello cherries with a lively, fresh finish.
Cantina Miali The Orange Fox 2023, Puglia
Created from verdeca, a grape with deep roots in Puglia. Short skin contact gives this wine some umph, led by aromas of sun-kissed lemon peel, crushed oregano, and salty Italian air.
