For starters: Enjoy social plates, wine at Sbrocco

Spicy ratatouille and Israeli couscous, left, eggplant fritters, right, and Wine Flight 5 from Sbrocco.

Try 4: Mac 'n' cheese

Return of the mac

The scene: We arrived early on a Saturday night, just as Sbrocco was filling up for the evening. We found a booth for two and were greeted warmly by our friendly and attentive waitress. The modern/indie music, plus the eclectic salvaged tabletops juxtaposed against high-back velvet booths, give the place a cool, downtown vibe.

The menu: Sbrocco recently hired Andrew Newberg as its executive chef. The 26-year-old previously worked at Taste! To Go Catering, La Mie and Baru 66. He took the reins at Sbrocco after former chef, James Beard Award-nominee Andrew Meek, agreed to run the kitchen at the soon-to-open Gramercy Tap in the former home of the Kirkwood Lounge.

Newberg says his menu reflects what he likes to eat: vegetable-focused, Mediterranean-based American cuisine.

Half of the menu is titled “social dining,” implying a shared food experience. These small-plate options include bite-sized portions of food like Moroccan chicken skewers served with harissa, a Tunisian chili sauce, ($12), and New Bedford scallops ($13). The second half of the menu is called “starters” and features larger servings. Mini crab cakes ($11) and a La Quercia plate, featuring artisan meats from the Iowa company ($14), caught our eye.

What we ate: Our waitress recommended the eggplant fritters ($8), and it was a terrific choice. Eggplant was roasted and chopped, combined with feta, fresh herbs and garlic, then fried and plated with muhamm­ara sauce. The fritters were crunchy on the outside and smooth on the inside, and the sauce (made from roasted peppers and walnuts) provided a nice contrast.

We also tried the spicy ratatouille and Israeli couscous with red pepper coulis ($10). The vegetables — squash and zucchini — were fresh and well-season­ed. The red sauce (coulis), however, was the star. It provided smoky heat and contrast to the vegetables. The dish was served with toasted baguette slices, which gave each bite a nice crunch.

What we drank: Our waitress knew the wine menu well. She suggested Flight 5 ($10) — three samplings of red wines: an Argentinian malbec, an Italian barbera and a shiraz-cabernet from Australia. All of the wines tasted terrific with the dishes, but I was especially impressed with the Briccotondo barbera. Its woody, smoky flavor complemented the ratatouille impeccably.