Antique Garage

Next time you're in Soho (she writes, oh-so casually) and in need of a late afternoon cuppa or early evening glass of wine, stop by Antique Garage. On an unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon in April, Little Sister and I found ourselves longing for a quiet place to sit and watch people float by on the afternoon breeze, resting our feet, mine blistered from the new shoes I'd bought. (Fabulous shoes, I might add, all silver sequins and sultry beads, très harem girl.) We went in search of a wine bar Little Sister had found a while back with M., wandering from street to street aimlessly, but didn't chance upon it. Just when that blissful glass of white seemed out of reach, Antique Garage appeared from the shimmering black pavement like a mirage in the urban desert.

Literally built into a garage, the storefront has a door and a garage door, both open to the city that pleasant day. Tables and sofas spilled out onto the sidewalk. We nabbed a two-top inside next to a long sprawling table that surely once was set with silver pitchers, crystal cut-glass goblets and creamy tablecloths to serve mustachioed dignitaries, robber barons and coquettish debutantes. The place is decked out entirely like your grandmother's living room, from the elaborate chandeliers that drop sparkles from the ceiling, to the velvet claw-footed sofas, to the mismatched china plates and faux silverware. Walls are crammed with old oil paintings, portraits of children and matriarchs and horses. A whiff of faded fortunes permeates the air. We settled down to a half carafe of Pinot Grigio, served in an old medicine bottle. After a few glasses, our lips loosened and hair tumbling down, we ordered a small snack. The menu, billed as Mediterranean tapas, has strong Middle Eastern and Turkish influences. We scooped up hummus, thick and intensely sesame-d, on unctuous fried pita sticks, then dipped soft foccacia into a light bright cucumber tatziki. Definitely not your grandmother's comfort food, but perfect for a pre-dinner, post-shopping nibble.

Antique Garage, New York, 41 Mercer Street, 212-219-1019

Comments

[Little Sister]

I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that a return trip is planned as a post-performance nibble this Friday with M. and The Boyfriend!

[Pope Benedict XVI]

Bless you, my child. I love your food reviews.