Epistrophy – Tribute to Monk (Thelonious)

New to Mott Street, Epistrophy is a rebellious wine bar and hangout that attempts to breathe some new life into the staid café culture of Nolita/SoHo. It is a curious choice of name in a town where Spartan and monosyllabic brevity have been all the rage (Fresh, Sea, Mix, Town, Cru, Vong, Spice to name a few).

Notes on Epistrophy & Thelonious Monk: For jazz-heads, Monk stands out as a truly unique individual who always managed to do his own thing, no matter what. Placed among the stars post mortem, in his own day Monk was a conundrum, always a thorn in the side of the establishment – even if that establishment was the bebop crowd. Now, one of his finest compositions, Epistrophy, is considered a jazz standard.

We wandered into Epistrophy on a Monday night, hoping to check out this little slice of Sardinian café culture that intends to make headway in a neighborhood both saturated with and in desperate need of originality. (A paradox? No. Mott Street and the immediate environs do have much to offer – but there is also a lot of high-priced spam that leaves one feeling bitter after a pointless wallet-emptying.) What we found was an inviting room with an oversized bar, cozy with banquettes and remnants of an earlier architectural glory. We also found that we had wandered into a private party, a book launch for Peter Manseau’s collection of memoirs.

Notes on Peter Manseau: Peter and his family have been the subject of controversy for decades. His new book, Vows, is a collection of memoirs about how his family came into being. Again, a conundrum, a thorn, an improvisational life. Peter is young man, thoughtful and talented, and this venue was the perfect place for his party.

We could only gaze at the menu – the kitchen wasn’t serving that night. But the offerings listed, from cheese & fruits plate, cheese & cured meat plate, cheese & cheese plate to salads to crostini seemed decidedly countryside, as though there were a small family farm just outside the kitchen door. I do want to go back and try a few of the dishes that I could only read about. Rumor has it that a full dinner menu inspired by the owners’ Sardinian roots is on the way. Maybe we will see some savory “sabadas”. The wine list was a star-studded Italian affair, but we did not see any Sardinian vintages listed. Maybe we overlooked them – I will have to go back and find out. But the chianti we tried was lovely.

Notes on Sardinia: an island north of Sicily, mysterious since the Bronze Age. The ancient Sards, for whom the island is named, refuse to be fully defined by modern archaeologists. This culture flies in the face of modern archaeological modeling. There are more theories about this island than there are archaeological layers. Sardinia has always maintained a particular character, despite Phoenician, Carthaginian, Roman, French and Spanish attempts to change it.

One thing we noticed was that the aggregate amount of natural pulchritude at Epistrophy was enough to shock and awe. There are some seriously beautiful people who work, hang out or stop in here. It was impossible not to notice this detail. These were not glam gods stuffed into sausage-wrapper-like “fashion”, nor were they made up to be filmed in ultra-bright light. They were just regular folks who happen to have been blessed by Venus.

Notes on beauty: It is a fact that looking at beautiful things increases the flow of happy endorphins in the human brain. I am not talking about modifications (hair, make-up, plastic surgery and expensive clothes). I am talking about that certain kind of beauty that exists no matter what the day or time, no matter what piece of bling is attached to it, no matter how young or old or large or small. We all know what is when we see it, even if we lie to ourselves.

We are looking forward Epistrophy.

Tags:   beauty, cheese, italian wine, pulchritude

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Posted on 10/19/2005 ( Permanent Link )
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