Trends in restaurant decor come and go.
The latest in horizontal dining is the brainchild of Freddy and
Angelika Saint-Aignan, who co-own Columbia Street’s Sugar Lounge.
Come spring, they’re hanging hammocks in their garden, so you
can swing while you dine and sip a "Margarita Sugarlips"
(vodka, apple and lime juice). Talk about multi-tasking!
Until the weather warms up, hang out in Sugar Lounge’s earth-toned
bar and make a meal of their finger foods.
"We’re serving mostly French, Asian and North African tapas,
but not together. Nothing fusion," says Freddy, who was
the manager at Smith Street’s Bar Tabac before he opened Sugar
Lounge in June. Angelika, a photographer, operates a catering
service for photoshoots out of the same location.
One dish that you’ll have to enjoy upright is the Swiss answer
to comfort food, "raclette" (pictured), in which you
melt Emmental cheese and pour it over bread, oven-steamed potatoes
and prosciutto. More familiar plates feature hummus or baba ghanoush
(the Middle Eastern chickpea and eggplant spreads) served with
warm pita bread; shrimp cocktail and burgers.
In addition to those small plates, there are hearty entrees,
like the filet mignon, that can be enjoyed in the lounge where
silk-covered day beds, strewn with Thai pillows, make intimate
dining.
Sugar Lounge (147A Columbia St., between Kane and DeGraw streets,
in the Columbia Street Waterfront District) accepts MasterCard
and Visa. Small plates: $5-$9; entrees: $7-$19.95. The restaurant
serves dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Starting April 1, brunch
will be available on weekends, from noon to 4 pm. For information,
call (718) 643-2880.
