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Outside Garage Bar, big crowds gather on the weekends to wait for a table inside, flirt, and patiently observe Jonathan Schipper’s sculpture, “The Slow Inevitable Death of American Muscle,” a full-size Chevy Camaro and a Pontiac Firebird crashing into each other in slow motion. (opposite – clockwise from top left) Garage Bar offers an assortment of oldstyle sodas including Peach and Grape Nehi and Ale 8-One; “check please!”; inside seating in the front room; a warm pancetta salad; an example of the funky/arty décor; bialys fresh from the oven.
In keeping with the theme, and Wilson and Brown’s reputation as two of the city’s most committed modern art collectors, out front is an unusual Jonathan Schipper sculpture, “The Slow Inevitable Death of American Muscle,” which features a full-size Chevy Camaro and a Pontiac Firebird crashing into each other in almost imperceptible slow motion. Inside, an eclectic décor embraces the building’s past. From the ceiling hangs a steel rack holding tires and a couple of large reel canisters where lube hoses used to retract. Underneath, a line of roomy booths separate the dining and bar area from the entry and busy kitchen area with its bordering ‘ham bar’ (more later). There’s an old battery storage rack, some “Atlas Fan Belts and Radiator Hoses” signs and shelving that surely once held cans of oil and air filters which are now stacked with cans of tomatoes and T-shir ts with the label “From Farm to Garage,” one of Garage Bar’s slogans. In the dining area, a long refectory table with unmatched, wooden café chairs is set with stacked plates, stout glass tumblers, and tin cans holding knives, forks and napkins. Along the outer wall, steel stools and expanded metal screening face a black bar top 34 Winter 201 1 www.foodanddine.com
behind which wood and glass shelves, back-lit by clear windows, rise displaying assorted liquors and beers. Plank floors, painted brick or corrugated steel walls and, above it all, bare bulbs and long, old-looking fluorescent fixtures with tubes giving off an orange glow like they’re on their last legs, keep the vibe going.
The Idea “I grew up in New York and New Jersey where by-the-slice pizza shops were common and I loved them,” Paley said. “I’ve always wanted to do a downtown pizzeria, something that would be the opposite of Proof, the kind of place where you want to go when you’re off. Of course, we hire and train people to the same level as there (Proof), but here it’s more casual.” Just the setting tempts you to roll up your sleeves and kick back. Combine that with a craft beer and Bourbon-focused bar, a Spanish-influenced counter overhung with smoked country hams, a raw oyster bar and expertly crafted pizza done in traditional Neapolitan style, and it starts to sink in — Paley’s idea of casual reflects a strong sense of getting back to the basics.