Many members of the bar-hopping crowd outside BIN 8945 have passed the age when nachos or a slice of pizza qualify as dinner. The gravitational force of this just-right wine bar and bistro pulls those professionals in alongside food-world regulars who've traveled from all over the city.

Chef Matt Carpenter departed in early 2007, and with him went the Caribbean- and North African-influenced menu he cultivated. In his place comes Michael Bryant, late of the dearly departed Norman's, with a menu more European in nature. Instead of divisions like "small plates" and "slightly larger plates," we now see "From the Sea" and "From the Mainland" sections with items like lobster ravioli with venison consomme, Tazmanian sea trout with pan-roasted mussels and chorizo, and steak frites with duck-fat fries. Chef Bryant has fun with the tastings, which can be sampled in five courses, seven courses, or until your waistband bursts. (He's not afraid to send out perfectly tender pieces of red meat topped with crumbled pieces of a Butterfinger bar.) That cabinet at the entrance showcases a list more than 600 bottles deep, and about 70 are available by the glass for eight to 240 bucks. Friendly (and buff!) managing director David Haskell can talk joyously about the collection all night—BIN 8945 is (usually) open until 2am. —Lonny Pugh