PX This.

PX This presents THE F&F REVIEW

Hey, sorry we couldn’t make it to "Friends&Family," we were out of town/ had to work/ not invited. We’re really glad we finally managed to come by, though— it’s so nice to see you!
What’s that? You would still like us to take the time to fill out the F&F survey, because you’d love to take advantage of all our vast experience, knowledge, insight, and expertise as long as we’re already here? Because you invited 75 people to F&F, and afterward all you got was 41 "Congrats[es]!" 22 "Awesome[s]!" 3 "Ciao[s]!" and 9 "Best of lucks[s]!" ?
Of course, we’d be honored. Oh ha, yesss, we’ll be honest— brutally honest even, ha ha! After all, that’s what friends & family are for!
No no please, don’t send anything more, we’re stuffed, we can’t breathe, you’ll have to roll us out of here, ha ha ha… !

Mari Vanna (the Bar)

What was your first impression?
This is different… cute.

Please rate the Bar:
Nice, clean, welcoming, comfortable. And pretty. Yup, there definitely aren’t very many bars in NYC that are this pretty… feminine, almost. It’s sweet.
The bartender is a real peach. A decidedly Russian peach— but amiable, friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. In Soviet Russia, peach taste you. (Sorry, just couldn’t resist.)

Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
Good. Ample offerings here, especially in the "fresh juice" and, of course, vodka. Apparently, their specialty is infused vodkas— numerous (and some unusual) flavors like pomegranate, beet, cherry and seaberry. Tasty! Well-priced at $9 each ("fresh juice" is $12).
Good wine list, eclectic— but definitely skewed more toward the higher end. Fine beer selections and some house recipe cocktails as well.

Please rate the Dining Room:
Odd, but endearing. Like a doll’s house. Somewhat bright, due to the glare through the kitchen doors, but again, pretty. Probably not the most efficient use of space, but in Soviet Russia, space use… Oh, never mind.

Please rate the BOH:
The menu looks good, but not enough to entice me into a full dinner… yet. But, there’s a distinct possibility I’ll be back. The homestyle selections are appealing, plenty of Russian classics here, plus some good ole basics to satisfy even the most anti-Soviet appetite. Intriguing enough to add to my list…

How was the staff?
Fine. Authentic, but friendly.

What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Osetra, baby— with blinis. Hey, when in Moscow…
And yeah, it was good.

What did you like?
That seaberry vodka’s not bad. And the bathrooms are adorable.

What did you dislike?
Nothing really.

What was your last impression?
There sure are a lot of Russians in here.

Would you come back?
Yes, I think so.

Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thank you, it was a pleasure.

4 Responses to “F&F: Mari Vanna (the Bar)”

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