t's Tuesday evening, and Caren Walters is working the room. Decked out in tight maroon trousers and a fitted black shirt, she hops from table to table, greeting people as the dutiful hostess. Her outfit, a major fashion statement, is stylish as the place itself; pants that that appear to be a blend of Lycra and linen cling to her legs as she appeases to the anxious crowd. Something she's accustomed to doing at her long stint as the host at Joso's.

Except we're not at Joso's. We're at Walters? New self-titled bar, Caren's Wine Bar in Yorkville. The room is in fine form tonight; a few tables are occupied on the upper level, suits are at the bar, while three suicide blondes have anchored the front window table on the main level. Not a packed house; it doesn’t take many people to make Caren's meager square-footage feel crowded.

I knew we’d need every square inch to make this project work, Walters says on taking over the slim space vacated by the Flatirons Christmas Store. And it was a lot of work. The concept was to provide an energetic place, with good ambiance and cocktails.

And cheese. Caren has discovered, like other bar owners have known for years; club crawling is as much about the food as the drinks. Food can be a powerful lure, just one more inducement to spend the evening here rather than there. The usual nibbles - little fried things, tacos, nachos - have been upped a notch at Caren’s with full-scale cheese platters.