TABLES FOR TWO.(Centovini)(Restaurant review)

CENTOVINI -- 25 W. Houston St. (212-219-2113)--The unceasing traffic of Houston Street and the construction pylons and plastic netting along the sidewalk might distract an unwary passerby from this whimsically elegant wine bar and restaurant. But on the other side of the heavy gray drapes that protect the room from winter drafts, all the chaos of the outside world disappears. The white terrazzo marble bar, with comfortable, Art Deco-ish stools, is the centerpiece of the room; gorgeous blown-glass cones hang overhead. Laid out by the design shop Moss--whose owners are partners in the restaurant with Nicola Marzovilla, of I Trulli--the place is an eccentric, vaguely European fantasy: the black-and-white Davies and Starr drawings of oval faces along one wall, the fanciful, elaborate chandeliers, the handsome, slightly aloof waiters.

As one would expect, great care has been given to the wine list (there's also an attached wine store, with an almost preposterous chandelier composed of clusters of vividly colored glass grapes). If guidance is required, the bartender might lean in with a few poetic words. ...