On the corner of East 4th Street, the newest of the New American restaurants, Calliope has soft launched. It’s in a beautiful space in a great part of the East Village. The dining room is open and airy, thanks to being on the corner, and there being windows 2 of 4 sides of the room. At one of the space is a georgous curved blonde wood bar. There is more comfortable than usual outdoor seating.
Even before launch. they have already aquired a liquor license, but do not have a cocktail list. The bar is suprisingly well stocked with a number of classic European tipples; Pimms and campari were featured. The old-fashioned left a bit to be desired, but the bartender made a decent manhattan.
The food was mostly well-executed. I had a slow cooked rabbit Pappardelle with Fava beans. It seems like they’re still tweaking the menu, as the dish was listed as having peas in place of the Fava beans. The roast chicken with carrots and cabbage was also stellar. The skin was crispy, well seasoned, the carrots were the perfect texture, and the chicken stuffed cabbage lent some color.
Once the staff settles in, and the menu is finalized, Calliope is going to be a great addition to and already incredible neighborhood.