Photo by Daniel S. Burnstein
The scene of this cocktail nirvana was the brand-new Summit Bar, a classy, cozy spot on a stretch of Avenue C not known for refined taste.The “Summit” is a fitting name for the first collaboration between longtime friends Hamid Rashidzada and Greg Seider, who had both reached the pinnacle of their careers (as GM at The Mercer Kitchen and the much-hyped drink-master at Minetta Tavern, respectively) before striking out on their own.
And on the Tuesday night that I visited, the duo’s expertise and enthusiasm were on full display.
“We both love an insanely well-crafted spirit,” Seider said, after convincing me to try a “Charmane’s Star” off the exotic “Alchemist” menu. A vodka-based concoction featuring cucumber, shiso leaf, cinnamon and lime, the drink was a thrilling blend of flavors I had never tasted before. For the less adventurous but equally discerning—like my pal Lisa, who raved about her revamped Tom Collins— the bar also offers five “Classic” drinks and a slew of unique beers. Lisa deemed one brew, Estrella Damm Inedit, by world-famous chef Ferran Adrià, “the best beer I have ever tasted.”
It’s no surprise that Summit Bar’s drinks elicited such superlatives. After all, Rashidzada and Seider hand-selected each of the small labels on offer, fresh-press all of their bases, grow their herbs on Seider’s Brooklyn rooftop and even make special 2- by-2-inch ice cubes, designed to melt slowly. In short, the duo “treat the bar like a chef treats his kitchen,” said Rashidzada.
What is surprising, considering the owners’ pedigrees and soft spot for exceptional ingredients, is the fact that The Summit Bar is not just another shrine to haute-cocktail pretension. In fact, its prices are recession-friendly (cocktails start at $9), and the unfussy décor (think exposed brick walls and velvet sofas) has the comfortable, easy charm of a friend’s East Village pad. Even the crowd—that night a mix of suits and tattooed locals— was particularly easygoing. And with plans to limit capacity to 60, Summit Bar seems committed to remaining a relaxed, intimate spot.
“We’ll never turn into a mini-club on the weekends,” promised Rashidzada, who spent 16 years in the neighborhood and hopes his new spot will continue to attract locals. “We’ll always be about great cocktails and great conversation.”
By the end of our evening at Summit, Lisa and I at least had one of the two. Nursing an irresistible second round of the martinis that had started off our night, neither of us cared that conversation was starting to sputter out.
“This is the best thing I have ever tasted” was all I could say, vaguely aware it was the third time I’d uttered those words that night.
> Summit Bar
133 Ave. C (betw. E. 8th & E. 9th Sts.), no phone
