I had the pleasure of attending the Media and VIP night for the grand opening of the Bodega Bar and Kitchen. I was impressed with their offerings as well as their drinks so let’s break this down on what you can expect from this new venture by brothers, Alex and Stavros Vasiliadis and business partner, George Karagiannis.
This Latin inspired will feature live music, upbeat atmosphere, Latin cuisine and the most amazing hand-crafted drinks. The inside is glorious and full of color and personality. Where can you find all of this and more? Of course, Bodega Bar and Kitchen located at 1223 Walnut Street and it opens this Friday.
I highly recommend that you at the Bodega on to your night scene. It serves as a great way to grab drinks after a long day of work. If you and a loved one love Latin infused food this would make a great date night as well especially with the lighting. Its going to be a crowd pleasure for sure. I am not sure how many Media and Influencers were there, but it was jammed pack. The Bodega Bar and Kitchen is 950 square feet of space that is extremely Instagrammable due to the 20 feet high ceilings. The bar is 19 feet long and is made from a reclaimed Pennsylvania Sycamore tree. I found some gems that were beautifully obvious and some hidden ones as well. It’s stunning inside. That alone is super inviting.
Look for more seats and patio to be placed to hold more seating as well in the Spring. Inside now it can hold up to 60 seats.
Little fact, the space used to be a nail salon. When you look at the insides you wouldn’t even be able to tell and that make me love it more. Some of the materials inside also include articles from the owner’s travel. I love that touch of inspiration. Traveling and being able to see the items from your travel inside of your business is like a vision board dream.
Food
Everyone loves to eat and when you are out and about like myself and want to grab a few drinks, food needs to be close in proximity. I will tell you the offerings from the Media event were unique and extremely good.
The Crispy Brussels
Served with Mimolette fondue, apple, and focaccia these are not your average Brussel sprouts. Bursting with flavor these would many any non-veggie eater into a full-on believer.
Beet Soup and Salad
Served with Trout Roe, Quinoa, and Hazelnut it was surprising my favorite of the night.
Tasso Corn Beignets
I loved the Red Eye ice-cream, and powered bacon fat was different for me, but it was delicious as well.
In my opinion the highlight of most of everyone’s delight had to be the Pretzel Fried Pastrami Chicken. It’s the one thing that I kept noticing everyone going for. The smiles from ear to ear let me know that although for me it didn’t beat out the Brussel Sprouts it was everyone else’s delight. It was crispy, good, and hot. I can’t lie and say it wasn’t a runner up to the sprouts but it’s a contender.
Going forward the menu will break down from garden, snacks, entrees, sandwiches, desserts, and a luxury treat selection.
I want to shout out the Chef, Shain Wancio. Some of the parings of food I had never had together but the way it was prepared made me a believer. Presentation to me is everything when you present food to people and the way the care was taken even with so many of us in the room made me super happy to see. I definitely cant wait to try the extensive food offerings.
Drinks
Everyone that I know likes a good drink. You already know how I feel. It’s the one reason why I have started a gallon of water a day challenge with my friends so I can reward my evenings with amazing drinks in the city. Bodega Bar and Kitchen has 4 signature drinks Especial Margarita, Ginger Rodriquez, The Diplomat, and The Gypsy Ramblas.
I had the Ginger Rodriquez, and the Especial Margarita.
Let me tell you about the Especial Margarita. I had one made for me at the bar and it was good. Nice and strong but it was something even better about it when I had another later shared with Kory Aversa of Aversa PR and that one was probably the best traditional margarita I have EVER had. I feel as if when it comes to margaritas if you have had one you have had them all but this one tops everyone I have ever had since I began drinking at 21. That within itself speaks whole volumes.
The Ginger Rodriquez is good as well. It’s made of Orendain Reposado Tequila (which I swore off since college), 10 Ginger Syrup, Lemon-lime juice, and Bar spoon mezcal.
I always end my night if I can with some form of wine and I had the Segura Vidas Sparking Rose and it was amazing like add it to my list of bottles to purchase.
If you don’t like cocktails or wine and want beer keep in mind that Bodega Bar and Kitchen will also have a beer program that will include beer, ciders, and seltzers too.
So, I need you to come in and look around for yourself starting this Friday. You might come in for a drink and find that you want to try the food. When you do try it, you will absolutely love the experience.
Hours will be Monday-Friday from 11am until 2am. Also, on Saturday-Sunday it will open from 9am-2am. Happy hour will run Monday-Friday from 5-7pm. Live music along with recorded music will go from Wednesday-Saturday from 10pm until 2am. So now you can eat, drink, and dance if you would like.
Congratulations Bodega Kitchen and Bar. Thank you and Aversa PR for the invite. You will be seeing me, just be sure to have my Margarita ready and I’ll be in to dance!
