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PrintA taste of LXi
The swanky wine bar includes a variety of tastes and wine selections.
There may not be a velvet rope outside, but when passing through the steel door into the private courtyard, you definitely get a sense of VIP exclusivity. That’s where any sense of snootiness ends, for when you enter LXi, the fun begins.
LXi is part of the D’Novo group (which includes D’Novo Restaurant, which features low-calorie/low-fat dishes, and The Grocer and The Gourmet, a market that sells prepared foods, meats and cheeses and other gourmet items). Executive Chef Drew Flatt oversees the kitchen for them all, supported by Tyler Mirt, sommelier and general manager.
LXi, named for the Roman numeral 61, represents this swanky wine bar’s location on East 61st Street nestled in between Starbucks and D’Novo and the temperature at which red wines are kept. The space is filled with ultra-contemporary furnishings, arranged in a mismatched yet organized way. Sheer drapes hang between tables, giving diners a sense of privacy. The mismatched seating is great for lounging, but some chairs (for instance, the high and firm booth seat I was offered) seem a bit uncomfortable for full-on dining. A small bar with four stools and table seating for six to eight is sectioned off from the main dining area.
LXi offers small plates and nibbles, meant to be paired with an extensive wine and specialty drink list. On the recent Friday night that we visited, patrons consisted mostly of small groups, perhaps gathering after work to celebrate the weekend.
We started our evening with one of the many flatbreads, all of which are cooked in a wood oven. The super-thin crust comes topped with a variety of offerings, such as wild mushrooms and braised leek greens ($10) and chicken sausage, prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella ($12). We sampled the spring-like version piled high with tender-crisp asparagus and shavings of Manchego cheese, and drizzled with red pepper remoulade ($12).
Other nibbles include a trio of tenderloin sliders ($14); a charcuterie plate featuring selections from Salumi Artisan Cured Meats, Mario Batali’s father’s factory in Seattle ($12); and a Spanish snack plate with smoked almonds, Manchego and candied pecans ($10).
To begin or to end your meal, LXi offers a cheese plate with either three ($10) or five ($15) selections, gathered from the assortment offered at D’Novo’s market just down the sidewalk, The Grocer and The Gourmet.
The small-plate section of the menu features about a dozen dishes. We loved the seared scallops over corn cakes. The large scallops were cooked perfectly, and the orange-maple butter added both a sweet and savory note to the dish. Our only complaint was that the pancetta cracklins seemed to be a bit overdone. Other selections include steamed mussels with chorizo ($16), adobo-rubbed sea bass ($19), grilled rosemary lamb chops ($18) and a trio of tartares — dry-aged tenderloin, yellow fin tuna and salmon ($15).
If a full meal is more your speed, LXi offers three different tasting flights — a four-course menu from one of three regions. We chose the Italian flight, starting with perfectly grilled tiger prawns over whole-wheat spaghetti tossed with a spicy red pepper and pancetta cream sauce. Next up, tomato, basil and mozzarella salad drizzled with truffle oil, followed by flaky grilled red snapper (this man knows how to cook seafood perfectly!) with a creamy zucchini sauce and orange-fennel relish. Our flight ended with a generous square of classic tiramisu. Other flights, which will change seasonally, include menus from both Spain and California. Sommelier Tyler Mirt has paired a 3-ounce pour of wine with each dish of the flights for an additional $16.
Desserts (all $7) include chocolate crème brulée, chocolate cake with caramel ice cream, crème fraiche flan with pepita crust and one other we selected, peach melba with frangipane and sweet cream ice cream — more of a nutty frangipane tart with a little peach, but delicious none the same. Pairing dessert with one of a dozen sweeter wines ($4-$11/glass), such as Muscat, port or Madeira, or a glass of single-malt scotch ($7-$10/glass) puts a perfect night cap on the evening.
LXi bills itself as a wine bar, and it does have quite a list. Fifty wines are offered by the flight (3 ounces), glass or bottle and are organized by taste — light to medium, medium to full, rosé and sparkling. There are a dozen signature cocktails ($7-$15), ranging from the Lavender Lemon Drop ($8) to the 61st Ave. ($10), LXi’s take on the classic manhattan, with Maker’s Mark and smoked cardamom-infused sweet vermouth, as well as a chocolate martini flight ($15), featuring white, milk and dark chocolate concoctions.
A limited late-night menu is offered from 10 p.m. to close.
LXi 5982 S. Yale Ave., 340-5244
Cuisine — Upscale bar food, small plates
Capacity — Around 60 inside, 25 in the private room and another 24 on the front patio
Setting — KingsPointe Village shopping center, East 61st Street and South Yale Avenue
General manager/sommelier — Tyler Mirt
Chef — Drew Flatt
Prices — Small plates, $10-$25; flights, $34-$37; desserts, $7
Reservations — Recommended on the weekends
Credit cards — All major accepted
Hours - 4:30-10 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 4:30 p.m.-1 a.m., Friday-Saturday
Dress — Business casual
Noise Level — Moderate to high
Handicapped — Yes
Smoking — No
Parking — KingsPointe Village shopping center
