Post by pat bohannon on Oct 17, 2023 4:54:20 GMT
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WHEN YOU WALK INTO THIS BODEGA, what you see is exactly what you get. A nondescript corner store on the fringes of NoHo, long griddle sizzling across the back wall, late night snacks spilling on shelves that soar close to the ceiling. But, if you listen closely, you'll hear the faint murmur of bass that pulses through the tile floors - that's when you'll probably realize the people dressed to the nines wandering the place aren't here for their midnight munchies quite yet. No, they're here for Bodega, the literally-named restaurant and lounge venture concepted by the Bohannon Brothers. There's Benny, having just departed the kitchen of Jody Williams and Via Carota, who somehow pieces together an authentic menu ranging from a comforting bolognese with orange zest to a burger so light and decadent you'll spend the rest of the night marveling why you don't feel the urgent need to go to sleep. Pat is more of the face guy, managing operations, a desperate guest list, and, almost nightly, the grill out front. "I made a bacon, egg and cheese for a friend once when they left the lounge, and word got around," he admits with a laugh, demonstrating a practiced flip of an egg sizzling over spices. It's almost a rite of passage if you get a PBEC when you leave, and after one bite I understand the hype. "My brother was pissed at first, but now he sees the demand when the kitchen shuts down and I'm still here at 5am and stopped saying anything." That's right - underneath the restaurant (which itself is hidden inside the store - take a right at the pyramid of Bounty paper towels, and if you don't run into the line, you'll see a door labeled 'Break Room'), a fully renovated lounge spins on until the early hours. Louche and sexy, the Bohannon's assembled a mix of established mixologists and slinging bartenders to cover demand, something that seems to double with the rotating DJs that filter in and out. "Fred Again we almost maxed capacity - was a last minute thing, but in New York those tend to be the best." Ben's right - last minute is essential, something patrons figure out all too well as they await the 'special order' text needed to descend into the lounge. If you can't tell the doorman (or woman) what you want to 'eat' that night, the functioning bodega outside may be the only thing you see. And damn, would that be a shame. |
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When anyone asks what your first memory is, mine always goes back to this bar. Owned by my dad, and my graddad before that - I think my highchair took the spot of one of the barstools when I was a toddler, Benny raising hell with a box of crayons and fistfuls of macaroni. My parents met when my mom was getting her MBA in accounting; Rituals was her happy hour go-to downtown, and dad was the lovestruck bartender mooning after her and discounting her discounts just to get on her good side. Musta worked, because they've been married a good 40+ years now, and she says she's just as happy keeping the books for the bar as she was drinking there. Every once in a while you get a good story out of her that makes you question how they're both the same level of 'fun', but I don't try to ask any further. To each their own. Anyways, Benny and I, and eventually Charlie when she came along, were raised on trips to Rituals. It's a mainstay now for Philly sports and a mean cheesesteak, not really a dive but not an upscale spot either. Just something familiar for the city, with regulars flocking in droves and names passing on a first name basis between the staff and those who grew up watching the place grow. Felix has always run the kitchen - he's where the BEC secrets come from - and Marsha scheduled shifts and callouts, helping us with our homework when we'd bring it with us from practice of whatever sport we were playing at the time. I did whatever Benny did - football, basketball, baseball. I was a good right fielder for a while but messed one of my knees up in high school and couldn't really pursue that any further. By that time my brother'd decided school wasn't for him - he graduated for my mom's sake, but had been working in the kitchen at Rituals as soon as he was smart enough to not burn his hand on a griddle, and didn't plan much further until Eden came along. Introduced by a mutual friend, Edie's a whipsmart lawyer now and when she got a job offer in New York she didn't hesitate in asking if he would come with her. Taking a leap for love, and bigger culinary prospects, Benny broke our hearts leaving Philly but found his footing pretty quick. Got an apprenticeship under Daniel Bouloud at Bar Bouloud, met Missy Robbins and scored a spot on the line at Misi, got poached by Jody and worked under her as her right hand man until I got my shit together and followed him out here...I love New York, in that way. Or maybe it's just the dining scene - everyone's somebody, but even the nobodies can have a chance if their chips fall the right way. As for me, I took after my mom with the numbers games. I was great a math, shit at everything else once sports were out of the picture, and I wanted to be with my brother. To make a boring story quick I went to UPenn on scholarship, then packed up and got my MBA at NYU. Ended up in restaurant consulting for a private equity firm which I fucking hated, but it taught me enough that when my grandma passed and our parents passed the kids their inheritance immediately, Benny and I took a chance. The abandoned corner store always creeped me out when I walked home after nights out, but when our agent mentioned the massive basement and the strange back room, it caught our attention. After down payments, way too many contracts, more checks, contractors, investors, all that bullshit...Bodega was born. |
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How long's the wait? Can you get me downstairs? What's Benny's special? What hot sauce do you add? A flirty, awkward question to get on the list. Usually works. Are you Bodega Boy? Is so-and-so here tonight? Why can't I get in? Can you put that on a gluten free bagel? Do you sleep? Where are you going after this? |
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STASSI walked into my life one morning at 5am, then just never really left it. She lives above our spot, and didn't think twice about telling us to shut the fuck up when construction was going on. Once she got curious though, she ended up being a huge help. Knows a lot of the major places in the city, and her unsolicited advice (we were going to get it whether we wanted it or not) helped get Bodega off the ground and keep it there. Brought some of her cool friends, word got out, and next thing we knew there were write-ups and guest lists. Only thing I gave her in return for a while was priority access and the occasional phone in my face, but I slowly picked up on her habits. Night crawler for a while, then disappearing act, then barely a ghost trailing after me on the late shifts - I started bringing our family meal leftovers up to her place when I wouldn't see her for a while, and though she's never explicitly said thank you I know how she expresses gratitude. In her own way, much like everything. I'll never beat her in a fight and she's never afraid to pick one, but I like having her around, TikTok cameos and all. |
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Pat's great, honestly - half the time, you don't want to fault him for what inevitably annoys you about him because he is who he is. Philly proud, family oriented - seriously, it's almost impossible to drag him away from 'family dinner' at the restaurant with his brother and their staff. It's hard to drag him away from that place, period. Which I get - it's like a make or break place, all tied up in a good thing, etc etc. But he's hard to get one on one and when you have him, sometimes his mind is somewhere else. Big note taker so he doesn't forget things, which he doesn't - still sends me birthday texts, even though we're not together anymore. When you get his focus he's smart and attentive and thoughtful, and it'll take you all of 5 seconds to figure out his routine. Up at the same time every day, gym or a run, will make you breakfast no matter if you're a one night stand or his long time girlfriend, and then always has somewhere to be. And I mean that literally - you could be grabbing lunch with him at a place his friend recommended, or he's meeting up with his someone at the shop or his brother to go over a few things, man the register, whatever. Nothing's beneath him which is also nice - a hustler in this city for sure. And when you see him at night it's kinda magic how he can get through a room and network - those moments make you want him the most. But then you never get a Sunday morning with him (they're sacred - don't know why, but he likes to be alone), and you realize after a while he's there but you still feel lonely. I don't think he means it, but I couldn't do it after a while. Luckily he got it when I broke it off - and still lets me into Bodega Underground whenever I want, which is clutch. My friends are so grateful! - Jenna Holmstead, ex |
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jill . miles . resident |