- 3
- March
- 2009
Drinking is Fun!
Though Randy Goodman could accurately describe himself as a restaurateur, esteemed sommelier, or wine educator, he sees his current station a bit differently: “It’s taken me thirty years to create a dishwasher/barback/janitor position for myself.” He sparkles a little when he says it, clearly pleased to have a place of his own where he can be the bartender’s assistant if he wants to.
Bar Avignon, which opened last October, occupies the space at SE 22nd and Division that housed a Mother’s Cookies factory in the 1930s, the Flying Saucer Café and, most recently, the Red and Black Café. It’s a classy, casual, inclusive place where Goodman hopes his customers feel equally comfortable ordering a “killer” bottle of expensive champagne or a dollar-fifty glass of Miller High Life. Miller might be surprising coming from a guy so serious about wine, but Goodman insists that sometimes, like after a long bike ride, it’s the perfect thirst-quencher. Enjoyment is key and absent, completely, is the feared snobbery often associated with high-end wine bars. He chuckles, “I’m not going to yell at you for holding your wine glass wrong.”
...read the full piece in Indulge magazine. It begins on page twenty-six.
four responses
I have a hard time being supportive of business in this location because Red and Black and City Repair, and a architect and artist's studio, were kicked out to upscale the block so the landlord could charge more rent. =( City Repair is struggling at their new location. But Red and Black has a good new home, thankfully, since it's a co-op.
The last thing I want to see happen in that neighborhood is for it to turn into another Mississippi (sorry J9).
Good article. Selling alcohol I guess is a good place to be in this economic climate.
Though I respect your feelings for City Repair and the Red and Black, but why punish Bar Avignon? Randy didn't run anyone off the block, he just found a space to rent for his (new, small, local) business.
Very proud of you, kid :) I told you you could do what you loved and get paid for it! I'm excited for you... call me and we'll talk about my exciting five-year plan (which doesn't involve utilizing my degree at all).
Oh, how I love being right. If you mouse over your blog link in my sidebar, there's a little comment along the lines of "...read her now before she becomes a famous food writer, and then you can say you knew her when."