There has been a design movement of late to emulate the Speak Easy’s of the Prohibition era. There was always Chumley’s, on Bedford street (now closed) which operated in a real speak easy location, hidden behind an apartment door. The interiors were dark and wooden with tons of great photos and memorabilia on the wall. Then in the last five years places like Employees Only and Death and Company have sprouted. Employees Only’s entrance on Hudson street is hidden by a palm reader window. The interiors harken back to the style and elegance of the 20’s and 30’s with rounded edge wood paneling, a wooden bar, and the original marble slab floor. Death and Company’s facade has no windows and a tiny sign which is easily missed as you walk by. The interiors are a wonderful modern take on the speak easy concept. Rich materials like marbles and woods are mixed with sleek dark upholstery, etched black marble tables and a beautiful metallic plaster application that looks like wood grain. Here the concept of the speak easy has morphed. One could say it was represented by a woman in a flapper dress sleeved in tattoos.
All this brings me to Elettaria, designed by Jason Volenec, where I went last weekend. The name is Latin for green cardamom. Here the speak easy motif has morphed yet again. Elettaria has elements which imply secrets. There is a wonderful fake staircase as you enter and all the art work and mirrors are cut off at the top to imply the ceiling was a last minute thought, or to imply a history and layering of the interiors. What is different here is the large plate glass windows. Here is the speak easy you can see into. The materials are lush with velvets, antique mirror and beautiful wooden tables. I loved the design and the food, service and atmosphere were lovely as well. The bathrooms seemed like an afterthought and were a little boring.
Its hard to get a reservation so book in advance or go and eat at the bar.
