The trouble with a three-martini lunch is that it generally comes in the middle of the day and it is only until you have experienced the prejudice that attends climbing onto the table during a conference and taking a snooze that you understand why Munch no longer indulges.
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Susan Sternberger and T.J. Whalen, both of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, enjoy drinks at Bossa Nova Wednesday evening. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette) |
So we waited until a happier hour one day this week and headed to Bossa Nova, the ultra-trendy new spot on Seventh Street. It is across the street from the Seventh Street Grille, where several of Munch's hangovers are still floating in space years afterward.
But on a drizzly evening when the weather bordered somewhere between Balkan and English, alternating cold drizzle with colder, an oversize living room full of waiters and waitresses dressed like backup singers for Robert Palmer seemed as good a place as any to run up a tab.
The first thing to remember about eating at Bossa Nova is that this is not exactly a restaurant. It serves tapas, which is something of an outsize appetizer. We tried its signature item -- the El Toro ($9.95) -- which turned out to be three split and barbecued jumbo shrimp on a bed of chopped vegetables.
The house drink is a Mojito, which is mint-flavored white rum over ice with soda water -- kind of a mint julep without the Kentucky Derby to go with it. It's served in a pint glass. No complaints here.
On this night, Bossa Nova was filled with folks attending a party for the artistic set and it's fair to say the people nicely matched the decor. Bossa Nova is the kind of place where the drinks change color with the lights, the artwork is plentiful, the scraped-down interior brick looks lovely and the bar is straight out of "Guernica."
The bar, a long oval, is a continuing tapestry in black-and-white, topped with glass, and depicting a tableau that goes well with a second drink. Munch, after ordering a Manhattan -- a drink that always measures a bartender's skills and he passed nicely -- noticed the bit of artwork beneath the long-stemmed glass. It turned out to be none other than the devil with nipple rings. Do not pick these seats on a first date.
Rather, there is lobby-and-living-room furniture near the front windows, with small tables for chilling out. In the back there are more tables. On the sides there are tables. The place has room to go with the atmosphere.
After a second drink, Munch decided to try the Bossa Nova roll ($6.95), wondering what it could be. The answer came early, because the waitress plunked down a set of chopsticks and, sure enough, an angularly cut confection of rice, vegetables and wasabi turned up. The place serves salads and has an extensive wine and beer selection and is likely to become a regular spot for after-work drinks and -- we'll have to get used to using this word -- tapas.
The one hitch here is that Bossa Nova opens at 4 p.m., so we regret to inform the workaday public that they will have to stay upright during office meetings. With all things, there must be some sacrifice.
Bossa Nova is at 123 Seventh St., Downtown. Hours are 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday and 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday. Call 412-232-3030.
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