This was the quote of the day. I heard it from Keith, one of the owners of In Vino, a wine bar in Alphabet City, and Alphabet City Wines. Or Liquors. Or something.
We were talking about the current economic, social and political climate in these parts. His places are aimed at a young crowd who have some disposable income but not all that much. And the quote was his explanation of why business had been pretty good. (NB: Despite all the NYC happy talk, there are many many more vacant storefronts than there were 6 months ago. I was surprised to see that the long-lived Zen Palate at 16th Street and Park Avenue South was out of business. I never went there, of course, but it was a sign that Something Is Afoot.)
After checking in with Keith, I headed north to Barbone. Yes, Marco, Barbone! Alberto and I chatted about one thing or another, while Ken and Julie ate and drank with gusto. Good simple food and 2 bottles of wine, neither bottle all that expensive by local standards. A mere $210 with tip. For 3. Such is life in NYC right now. The prices are reminiscent of euro prices. The Fed is right to be concerned about inflation. It's killing us.
For the record I had the delicious, refreshing watermelon and feta salad with lots of mint on it. And the chicken sausage Cavatelli. The wines were an anise-y Tocai Friulano (from Traverso, imported by PGM Wines), plus one Alberto selected, a cost-effective Negroamaro blend from the province of Brindisi way down south in Puglia. Julie and Ken liked the Puglian red. Me, not so much.
By the way, Alberto was sporting quite the diamond earring in his...was it the left ear? Yes, it was. Bought by his wife. He looked good with the ice and the unshaven look. He has to get cooler because his crowd now is very much younger, hipper and more beautiful than before. There seemed to be a lot of Sex and the City type girl parties. Lots of bared skin and floaty summer dresses. Julie and I are old enough to recall the oft-anthologized Irwin Shaw story, "Girls in Their Summer Dresses." Many beautiful peeps; we didn't fit in but we liked the view.
Alberto in his square, non-earringed period. Too hip for us now?
We had a nice evening. I'm glad to be alive. Even if I am hopelessly out of it and unable to afford NYC real estate or pasta.
sadly, that one story is the best thing irwin shaw ever wrote.
Posted by: fredric koeppel | June 26, 2008 at 07:10 AM
Guess where Alberto got the mean green to buy that lefty diamond earring?
Posted by: Marco | June 26, 2008 at 08:43 AM
Yes, from the sweat of the brow of humble working folk. I got it.
Posted by: Strappo | June 26, 2008 at 08:45 AM
It was good seeing you my man. Look forward to sampling the list. Actually Alberto has always been aesthetically cool and hip the look has just been on slow release. It's part of phase II of his business plan:)
EvWg
Posted by: East Village Wine Geek | June 26, 2008 at 09:57 AM
Verrrrry slow release.
But, fueled by riches, he is finally blossoming. Long may he bloom.
As to you, to paraphrase Chm Mao, "Let a half-dozen restaurants grow".
Posted by: Strappo | June 26, 2008 at 01:53 PM
I never understood it in TV when people could down a martini in two minutes.
Posted by: Lisa Qiu | June 26, 2008 at 07:52 PM
I know -- 10 seconds will do.
Posted by: Strappo | June 26, 2008 at 08:57 PM