Kalina, 9/21/07.
Bobo, slated to open today in the West Village, is Carlos Suarez's long-time-coming dream of opening a European-style neighborhood place with a bit of polish, not roughness, around the edges. The kitchen work, thus far, is by chef Nicolas Cantrel, but for the early moving eaters the real attraction is a design by Caroline Grant and Dolores Suarez (relation; cousins), who design residences, mostly, but have really come to play here. Details are smart (check out the coasters) and all of the rooms -- there is a bar with tables and a rear cafe downstairs; upstairs is the proper dining room, another bar and a large rear patio -- feel authentically and uniquely clubby, not derivative of, say, the Waverly Inn. Time will tell how much lasting power Bobo has, but it certainly looks the part at the outset. What we have here, above, is downstairs barroom; below, the main dining room.
