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Pizzéria
707 PUB
It\'s not often you see so many people don copious amounts of hair mousse and cool fashions before heading to a restaurant that specializes in hot dogs and funnel cakes.
But there they were one recent night, reposing in well-coiffed posses on the chic chocolate velvet furniture of 707 Restaurant & Bar, nibbling petite hot dog trios and deep-fried deli sandwiches with their tousled faux-hawks spiking skyward. One natty gent, a local TV pundit, toured the room in a pinstriped suit greeting friends. Another fellow in sunglasses glad-handed the passing crowds from his banquette like a boy-band idol, flanked on both sides by leggy girls.
Yes, there is style galore at 707, which is one of the most handsome restaurants to open this year. But are the scenesters being fed with substance?
That depends, of course, upon what you order from the extensive and affordable menu of updated American classics, which hits highlights with overloaded salads and a nearly perfect omelet. But on the whole, the cleverly fussed-with comfort food - something of a cross between Jones and Marathon Grill - is packed with more "whimsy" than "yummy."
Whimsy goes a long way in a space like this, which owner Catalin Costache and his designer, Freeman Interiors, have crafted from an old dollar store into an appealing multivibe venue that reflects the versatile moods of today\'s diners. Outside, a breezy sidewalk cafe set beneath a swooping metal awning segues inside to a big square central bar and lounge, which in turn leads to the cushy formal dining room in the rear anchored by plush round corner booths, drum-shaped chandeliers, and minimalist decor.
The big square bar is reminiscent, in a sleek kind of way, of Fork\'s lively front bar, which has always anchored that pioneering bistro of Old City style with a genuine spark of neighborhood conviviality. And 707 has the potential to draw that same kind of energy for Washington Square, with reasonable menu prices (virtually everything is under $20), a smartly eclectic wine list, and enough pear vodka-spiked lemonade to keep everyone jolly.
Certainly the well-trained staff is in a good mood, though their tableside delivery is so dramatic they could be auditioning for the Walnut Street Theatre nearby. Our first waiter caressed every syllable of his menu descriptions with such mellifluous cooing, it sounded like phone sex for foodies. In recounting the elaborate seasonings visited upon the burger, he had me at the "dehydrated onions."
