Tini might not be the smallest bar and eatery in Providence, but it’s a contender.

The newest endeavor from the owners of Al Forno seats just 20 at a stylish three-sided bar, appointed with glass and lined with sleek black stools. Tini is a big idea even if the menu is one of small plates. It’s fun, affordable and couldn’t be more dissimilar to Johanne Killeen and George Germon’s signature restaurant.

“The influences are completely different,” Killeen said

The space was formerly occupied by The New Yorker, at 200 Washington St., across from Trinity Rep. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it. Look for the blue neon light spelling out Tini in the door handle. It’s easily mistaken for an addition to Gracie’s, the restaurant next door.

The menu is posted on a flat-screen monitor on a beautifully exposed brick wall. The small plates feature steak tartare, scallops, veggie burgers and even Tini wieners, most priced at $6, the highest price being $10. The cocktails include a small frozen martini. Desserts are small bites including a chocolate ice box cake and a shot-glass trio of panna cotta, both $5.

When The New Yorker didn’t renew its lease, Killeen, Germon and their partner, and Al Forno chef David Reynoso, jumped in. In an homage to the former tenant, there’s that “tini wini,” a three-bite homemade, all-pork hotdog with chow chow (homemade relish). Killeen said they always had a good feeling when they dined in The New Yorker and they loved their egg sandwiches.

The menu will change with mini stuffies and chourizo tacos making an appearance as well as a Dirty Burger, a vegetarian dish made with black beans and rice and served with homemade coleslaw. There’s not a grilled pizza or baked pasta in sight and who would miss them with a pork-belly bowl with salsa, or endive Caesar salad or grilled oysters with black pepper butter. A basket of skinny fries comes with a dipping sauce and makes a perfect bar treat.

Tini has been in the planning stage for more than a year, said Killeen, but the concept has been on their minds for much longer. “We’ve wanted to open a series of small bars for years,” she said.

It’s energizing to do something so completely different, and that refreshing atmosphere is in the air within the close walls of the restaurant. A scooter injury has put Reynoso on the shelf for the next six months. Darius Salko is in the kitchen at Tini. Killeen is there, too.

The set-up is interesting at Tini. On the first Saturday night, two men tended bar in the close space of the bar. All dishes were delivered from the small kitchen by a single server. A unisex water closet with a frosted glass door has a sink that is turned on by a trigger under the foot tiles. Glasses are small, from martinis to water goblets. But the prices are commensurate with margaritas $7.

Currently Tini opens at 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. There is a plan to open for lunch.

The wine list was put together with one caveat, that there are no high-alcohol wines over 13.5 percent. It’s Killeen’s personal crusade against the current batch of high-octane wines. Wine by the glass or by the bottle, both still and sparkling, are on the menu.

Details: Tini, 200 Washington St., Providence, (401) 383-2400.