I discovered ino (aka cafe ino) recently (yes, the i is supposed to be a small one) in New York’s lower east side as I was on a mission to find the best chocolate in the area in the height of a craving. Later in the day, it was time to confirm a dinner venue with a friend who was coming in from the burbs. A local shop owner in the East Village about my age, and who swears he is a “foodie,” sent me to ino, a small (and I mean small) cafe/restaurant that I wouldn’t likely discover on my own.
Located on Bedford Street across from another cute Italian place we couldn’t get into, the cafe was conceived by owners Jason and Jennifer Denton while at a friends wedding in Italy.
Wandering into a small wine bar, paninoteca they discovered a wealth of savory panini, tramezzinni, bruschetta and robust Italian wines. They fell in love with the simplicity and style of Italian wine bar culture and soon the idea for ‘ino was born.
Now, it’s over ten years old and while you can’t get a full blown meal (in other words, don’t expect chicken, steak or seafood to be on the menu), it’s a great place if you want to sample fabulous wine by the glass over salads, sandwiches, soups and tapa-sized snacks.
Panini, bruschetta, cheese platters and antipasti are regulars, but unusually prepared. In other words, alongside your fennel salad with rucola, goat cheese and aceto, you can get healthy paninis, bruschettas and tramezzinis loaded up with all sorts of yummy things, including caponata and goat cheese, basil pesto, asparagus truffle oil and parmesan, sweet onion and cacio, roasted garlic, tapenade walnut and sun-dried tomato, summer squash, chili and mint, white bean and basil, sweet pea and pecorino and so on. You get the idea.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
