At the Times yesterday, Florence Fabricant gushes about the wine bar-cafe:
Here’s a stunning bar and trattoria with Old World bronze-trimmed elegance that outclasses its East Village location.
As the Times notes, Baci e Vendetta is the work of the group that "creates themed bars," including Kingston Hall and Shoolbred’s on Second Avenue.
This space was the 10 Degrees Bistro until the fall of 2015 ... and the Flea Market Cafe before that.
Previously on EV Grieve:
New-look Flea Market Cafe shows itself on Avenue A; reopens March 11
Team behind Shoolbred's and Ninth Ward vying for 10 Degrees Bistro space on Avenue A
This sucks. On one hand developers can't get enough of the "east village" vibe in pitching upscale development, and now here's a luxury space that the Times shouts "outclasses" the neighborhood. Great. None of this adds anything to the neighborhood but ways to spend spend spend.
ReplyDeleteI dunno, looks like they added a few licks of paint to the Flea Market interior, not sure about "stunning".
ReplyDeleteBut what is the crowd like? Super-loud millennial narcissists?
ReplyDeleteMe and mine went on opening night. There are two seats way to the left of the bar: don't sit in those seats. You can't even see the bartender and you'll be igonored. They shouldn't even have those seats.
ReplyDeleteWe sat over toward the middle and the bartop (marble? granite? is gorgeous.
The sole bartender was handling the entire room: bar and tables, and service was ungodly slow. And it was his first shift!
But as things settled down and emptied out, we got to know the guy and the concept and it's pretty good. $10 glasses of wine are much more preferred to the typical $16 and $20 stuff you find in the East Village today.
It was a tad bright in there as well, but its really a well-done space and I think it will take off, provided they lower the lights down and make it more cozy.
Good luck to them!
Oh one more thing: check the photograph in the NYT piece and look at the dude's jacket on the far right. Hilarious!
ReplyDeleteChittle's word means a lot more than the Times'. Side note: ignore almost every review New York magazine prints about almost everything. I think they've become a pub written by and for millennials who moved here from the suburbs and midwest.
ReplyDeleteWow thanks John, you made my 2016 man! :-)
ReplyDeleteShawn: that guy's jacket used to belong to Jimi Hendrix!
ReplyDeleteIt's been so empty. Hopefully this will help them attract customers. I usually don't go to wine places because I can see that I'm paying $16 for 1/8 of a bottle of wine I can buy for $35. $10 I can stomach for a glass of wine, though. Good to know.
ReplyDelete"Here’s a stunning bar and trattoria with Old World bronze-trimmed elegance that outclasses its East Village location."
ReplyDelete"Outclasses its East Village location"? Really. This place is too classy for EVer? FF, what a condescending snob. She should go F herself - Miss F F.
Here's my review of the Times review: heavy-handed and douchey.
ReplyDeleteYup for super loud or millenial or narcissists.
ReplyDelete