Bodega touched by bohemia

It may come as a surprise, but the once trendy C-bar is gone, and a new wine bar named Cobra Lily has moved into that choice corner space on Wilshire Boulevard just east of La Cienega. The place is subtitled “La Bodega de los Vinos Espanoles,” the house of red wines, and beneath a patchwork of Spanish wine crates, a bartender is pouring vinos tintos and sangria for the waiting crowd.

This dark, atmospheric spinoff of Stephen Arroyo’s popular Cobras & Matadors has a decidedly bohemian edge -- the cozy feeling of a Greenwich Village hangout. With diminutive chandeliers hanging over the tables and paintings that seem to fit right in with the Spanish tradition of trading art for drinks, Cobra Lily is low-key fun.

The food is similar to Cobras & Matadors’, but here the menu consists of tapas only, with about a dozen and a half to choose from. Tapas are supposed to be small, but these seem a bit pricey for what you get. The biggest hit at our table was actually the least expensive: a golden heap of hot, crisp fried cubed potatoes (patatas fritas), with a little crock of romesco sauce to dip them in.

The Catalan classic pa amb tomaquet, toasted bread rubbed with a ripe tomato, comes with thin slices of rustic Spanish ham (jamon serrano) and Manchego cheese to put on top. You can order little plates of sauteed prawns in cilantro or seared octopus in green sauce or a lovely dish of asparagus and Manchego cheese in a walnut dressing.

Tiny green lentils sauteed “crispy” with jamon serrano are good too. And the fluffy chicken and ham croquettes, slightly smaller than a golf ball, are much, much better than they sound. The sauteed wild mushrooms, though, seem to be mostly the domesticated kind.

A dozen Spanish wines are available by the glass, and a couple dozen more by the bottle, including some high-end reds from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. One bottle goes for $650.

The only dessert is churros, those fat squiggles of deep-fried batter scented with cinnamon, served with a puddle of chocolate to dip them in. Unfortunately, the kitchen doesn’t quite have the frying down. Ours were a bit raw in the middle.

Though you’d never mistake Cobra Lily for someplace in Madrid, it’s a good place for a drink or a quick late-night bite.

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Cobra Lily

Where: 8442 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills.

When: 6 p.m.-midnight, Mondays-Saturdays; the bar stays open until 1:30 a.m. most nights. Wine. Street parking.

Cost: Tapas, $5 to $13, most less than $10.

Info: (323) 651-5051.