Opening Shot is a column that peeks inside new hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops with dreamy interiors.
Bar Bianchi
Location: New York City
Designers: Jon Neidich, Andrea Johansson, Sam Buffa
On Offer:
Aperitivo hour is alive and well in the East Village, thanks to the arrival of Milan-inspired Bar Bianchi. Helmed by Golden Age Hospitality, also behind vibe-forward spots Le Dive and The Nines, along with Paradise Projects, the café fuses 1930s Italian design with space-age embellishments.
Kitten heels click against the diamond-patterned clay tiles, aglow from the vintage chrome fixtures above. Half-empty wine bottles chill in a stainless steel bucket atop the zinc and Formica bar, which awaits the next spritz order. The coveted sidewalk seats, prime position for people watching, sub Avenue A for the requisite piazza.
Standout Features:
Goblets of tangerine-hued spritzes, best ordered “grande” to avoid the scourge of sipping from a regulation-sized glass, grace every table, alongside complimentary fatty green olives and housemade chips. Wrest yourself from their siren song long enough for an apericena from chef Nicole Gajadhar.
Single-dish plates stamped with the bar’s name collect on two-tops. Roasted peppers, unfurled into slick rectangles to cradle burrata, and crisped veal cutlet dressed with a lemon wedge dot pistachio-hued bistro tables. Silky risotto Milanese the color of marigolds and tendril-like zucchini fries are dutifully rearranged for optimal content. Close out with sgroppino made from Café Panna sorbet
