BITE-SIZED 288 Wine & Tap reopens

After being closed since the pandemic began, 288 Lark Wine & Tap reopens this week, with a new general manager and a new focus on small plates and light fare. It is at the eponymous street address in Albany.

The menu, not yet online, will include charcuterie, cheese, appetizers and desserts. All but one of the offerings will be distinct from 288 Lark Wine & Tap’s next-door sibling, Villa di Como Ristorante & Pizzeria; the restaurants are owned by Ali Celik, who will include his celebrated octopus carpaccio at both.

The wine list at 288 Lark will have five reds, five whites, one rosé and one sparkling by the glass, all about $12; the 36-bottle list runs $39 to $99. The wine bar’s cocktail list is being created by its new general manager, Emmanuel Treski, who is familiar as a mixologist at Speakeasy 518 and 677 Prime in Albany, Illusive Restaurant & Bar in Rensselaer and Plumb Oyster Bar in Troy.

Starting Aug. 18, regular hours are 4 to 10 p.m.

Tuesday to Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday. Make reservations via text at 518-4757777.

Villa di Como, at 286 Lark, has a larger menu with entrees, some adapted from the menu of its pre-pandemic sibling, and pizza. Celik opened Villa di Como in April 2020, essentially replacing the then-10-month-old 288 Lark Wine & Tap during the dormancy of the coronavirus year. Celik previously ran Mercato’s Restaurant in Delmar for 13 years, closing it to renovate the Lark Street buildings and launch their restaurants, formerly Legends Sports Lounge (286 Lark) and Dejohn’s Pub (288 Lark).

Villa di Como is open by reservation only from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday to Tuesday. Text 518-475-7777.