Bar Bianchi is bringing a taste of Milan to the East Village. Courtesy Liz Clayman

From the pocket-sized, sultry Elvis in Nolita to the effortlessly chic Tabac-inspired wine bar Le Dive in Dimes Square, Golden Age Hospitality founder Jon Neidich has proven he’s fluid in French cool-factor. It flows through his repertoire of downtown restaurants and bars, including The Nines and Monsieur. And with the opening of Bar Bianchi, a Milanese-style aperitivo in the East Village, Neidich proves he can speak Italian It-boy, too. 

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Aperitivo is the quintessential Italian pastime of gathering at local bars and cafés over drinks and complimentary snacks (“spuntini”) in the evening. It comes from the word “aperire,” meaning to open one’s senses and appetite before dinner, and is part of the fabric of Italian culture. Having lived in Milano, I am fastidious about American restaurants serving aperitivi authentically, and arrived at Bar Bianchi as one of its first official patrons to see whether it would. 

For an indoor-outdoor bar to really ooze Italian, the weather needs to cooperate. As the wet wind blew sideways down Avenue A on Bar Bianchi’s opening night, it was evident that the establishment would not have any balmy spring sun in its favor this evening.........

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