DRINK: The Immigrant [NYC]

[caption id="attachment_89910" align="alignnone" width="506"] photo from http://sideways.nyc/category/nightlife/wine-bars/page/5/[/caption]
The other week I met some friends at The Immigrant for a birthday party.  It's a tiny, kind of odd bar, but one that was very nice and so quintessentially depictive of the East Village.
We went during the day, early evening rather, and discovered the bar is basically split into two bars, but they're the same.  There are two entrances with a wall separating them.  One is devoted more to wine and the other to beer, although I'm pretty sure both are offered on each side.  The left side (beer side) had two TVs that were good for watching college basketball but because of the wall, each bar is pretty small.  Maybe not ideal for a birthday party, but it was fun to hop back and forth between.
The beer selection on the left side was not very extensive, but they do have something for everyone.  I stuck to cider, as per usual.  The bartender was nice and attentive and we scored the front section by the window, which was perfect for watching everyone walking by.
The right side (wine) was a little darker and more romantic.  I can imagine at night it would be perfect for a date or to catch up with a friend and chat.  They did have a happy hour type deal going on where bottles were no more than $35.  I'm not sure how many options there were in total, but that's not a bad deal.
The Immigrant does have a food menu, but it's more for snacks.  We spent hours here and while it wasn't that great for a huge group, it was good for about seven of us.  They were able to make a reservation, which was nice insurance that there would be a spot for us on the wine side, where the table was big enough for about 10 people.
I would recommend coming early for a good spot and having a few drinks before going to another 9th Street favorite, Whitman's.
The Immigrant
341 East 9th Street
New York, NY 10003