No ‘lazy cooking’ at this new CT wine bar and restaurant. Think house made ‘from scratch.’

The soon to open Crush Wine Bar & Restaurant is not your grandmother’s wine bar, but the food promises to be so tasty that grandma might as well be cooking.

While the wine bars of old were a place to learn about wine and munch on cheese and crackers, manager Vish Badami said, Crush will go beyond charcuterie and serve small, shareable plates made by a well-known area chef.

“I’m very, very excited,” said Badami, who got into wine when he was studying abroad in the Netherlands and France.

To be able to “create something from scratch” and watch it thrive excites him, he said.

“My parents are both doctors so I’m the black sheep of the family,” he said, not laughing.

But he’s no black sheep in the culinary business, that’s for sure.

Badami, who was in on the “vision” for Crush, is about to become a sommelier, or wine expert, and has many years in the hospitality industry here and abroad.

Crush Wine Bar & Restaurant will open in the coming days, per approvals, at 37 LaSalle Road, West Hartford, next to its sister business, the popular Union Kitchen . Badami also oversees Union Kitchen, where his wife is general manager.

Badami works for Bean Restaurant Group out of Massachusetts where most of their restaurants are located.

Crush Wine Bar & Restaurant, a first for the group, has a full bar with craft cocktails and craft beer in addition to wine.

They have more than 400 bottles of wine sold by the bottle and the glass.

They also serve a “table” wine or house wine in red and also white that’s $8 for a glass and $30 for a large carafe.

As in Europe, the table or house wines are made at family based wineries. They also have a reserve list.

Crush Wine Bar & Restaurant, named to evoke visions of crushing grapes, is going for a “chill” vibe and ambiance of France and Italy.

There’s an olive tree in the place and an image of the rolling hills of Tuscany.

“It’s very understated,” Badami said.

The seating for 65 is arranged in cozy nooks and there are two small event spaces, he said.

“It’s inviting without any air of pressure,” Badami said. “It’s small plates, casual but without any lazy cooking.”

No, there certainly won’t be any “lazy cooking.”

The food is “seasonal,” meaning the freshest foods are used in cooking and it’s a “scratch” kitchen, meaning none of the sauces are pre-made, following the principles of Union Kitchen next door.

The executive chef is Tim East, formerly of Union Kitchen, who has at least 20 years of experience.

East, who includes lots of vegetables in his dishes and is known for is creativity, has worked under Bobby Flay, at the former Besito in West Hartford and the former Cavvy’s in Manchester .

“The menu at Crush is driven from all his experiences, his Eurocentric cooking style,” Badami said, and even his personal experiences.

For instance, East has his put his wife’s grandmother’s whoopie pie on the menu, but with an upgrades of using Belgium chocolate with a little sea salt for that savory edge.

He will also offer a salad that his grandfather from Appalachia used to make: local greens with a warm bacon vinaigrette dressing.

East will also offer a house-made duck prosciutto that takes three weeks to make, Badami said.

The small plates range from $6 to $17.

While Badami isn’t a doctor, his favorite aspect of the hospitality business, he said, is, “It’s about taking care of people.”

“I think taking care of someone by showcasing my creativity. That’s what really makes me happy. ”

For now the wine bar will be closed Sunday and Monday and open Tuesday through Saturday.

They will open at 4 p.m. on the weekdays and noon on Saturdays and Sundays.