Vanguard Wine Bar (Midtown West)

Vanguard Wine Bar is a wine bar in Midtown West that serves wine and tapas, next to the Gershwin Theatre and a few minutes from Times Square. The wine list leans French, available by the glass or bottle, alongside small plates such as meat and cheese plates, a mushroom, shallot and onion tartine, and baked Camembert with apricot preserve. Reservations are not accepted, and Thursday nights are less crowded than Fridays. The interior is dimly lit, and it gets crowded during the big pre-show rush.