Today: cloudy with a chance of further, more malicious clouds.
Tomorrow: Bergen Hill, the reborn Manhattan version of Ravi DeRossi’s Carroll Gardens charmer. It
soft-opens in Cooper Square the day after today.
You’ll want to know how this is different, of course. So here: the former model was a quaint neighborhood
spot. This one is where you’ll take dates before or after shows at the Public or Joe’s Pub, or pop in
when you’re experiencing one of those “I think I need a vegan week” times in life (slideshow here).
About that, there’s a more non-meat emphasis to this version. Which isn’t to say there’s not seafood,
because that’s a whole part of the menu, which includes, among other things, a raw black bass dish with tomatillo, smoked ramp
ponzu, radish and microgreens. It’s just to say they’re also quite proud of the fennel hummus toasts and
hen-of-the-woods plates they’re doing.
The cocktails are actual classics, not “takes” on classics. Sother Teague of Amor y Amargo took the time
to choose the seven on the menu. The appletini did not meet standards. Wine is big, too, though, and that
list was put together by the gents of Charlie Bird and Pasquale Jones, who are world-renowned for their
ability to put wines on lists and then serve them.
It’s much harder than it sounds.