For Tinto, the Basque wine bar that opens Friday on 20th street between Sansom and Chestnut, Jose Garces has teamed up again with designer Jun (pronounced “June”) Aizaki of Brooklyn-based firm, Creme. Inspiration for this 60-seater came out of the same research trip that birthed Amada. The aesthetic reflects what they saw in and around San Sebastian–a mix of authentic dives and modern interpretations of authentic dives.
Aizaki found these antique corkscrews at the 25th Street flea market in NYC and framed them to make an immediate impact in the small entryway. From farther away they look like dragonflies.
A mirror-backed wine-grid that wraps around the entire ground floor will be filled with hundreds of wine bottles. A metalsmith in Brooklyn made the light-surrounds above the bar that echo the grid theme. (Not pictured: the base of the 22-foot bar is covered with black-and-white Moorish tiles.)
The bar and the tables are made from reclaimed wood, largely repurposed floor joists, as are the boxes that sit in ironwork niches attached to each table. These boxes hold menus–and I predict that people will find it too tempting not to leave behind small surprises for the next group of diners.
Upstairs feels like a wine cellar. Downstairs feels like a wine cave. Still to come when this picture was taken: throw pillows covered with Basque-inspired fabric and wall fixtures.
What a great sneak peek. I don’t keep up with new restaurants all that well, but I’ll definitely be putting this one on the ‘to try’ list, at least for the interior!
[...] has designed all of Jose Garces’s Philadelphia restaurants (see past tours of Distrito and Tinto). That’s saying a lot since Garces, at last count, is up to seven restaurants plus one in the [...]