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NIGHT LIFE
My 'hood, near
That's what Basilio Ceravolo,
owner of the Turquoise, Cafe Bar Europa, told me,
emphatically. His Mediterranean-style tavern not only isn't in
Regardless of what Ceravolo thinks of
The Old World trappings are there: the scarlet-painted walls and hardwood floor; the Van Gogh print behind the bar; the flames flickering from the tips of candelabra, the vases of flowers, the cozy estate-sale furniture that invites you to flop, a rolltop desk in one corner, an upright piano in another.
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And the camaraderie.
Seats at the bar are few, and not given up easily.
Laughter prevails.
Ceravolo, who by day is accountant William ("The Taxman") Ceravolo, table-hops as though every patron were a blood relative, and has been known to break into impromptu dance with whomever is game.
"I grew up feeling European," says the ebullient Ceravolo, born in the
They may not drink at Turquoise, Cafe Bar Europa the way they do in Garnet's most popular beach bars -- i.e., where the beers keep on coming -- but there is a full bar to choose from here. Beers (all from local breweries) are about $4, wines (foreign and domestic) $5 to $8 by the glass, other drinks in the $6 neighborhood.
Multiple visits suggest that vino is the beverage of choice. Among the tavern's signature wines, all from the barrel, try No. 3, a provocative little merlot.
Ceravolo's also selling food. Besides meat and cheese platters (for $7 or so), there's a variety of dishes served in tapas portions, along with panini sandwiches and desserts.
OK. Food and wine are fine, but besides its tucked-away romanticism, the Turquoise, Cafe Bar Europa's emergence on the night-life scene is notable for the live music (with no cover charge, either) it presents Wednesday through Saturday nights (tango lessons are offered on Sundays). The menu ranges from Celtic to blues to jazz. (Friday nights, with the winning Jazzilla, make an especially tasty side dish.) The musicians, Ceravolo explains, are "all basically friends of friends," but they're not playing for pass-the-hat money -- they're pros.
The music is staged in a semi-secluded listening area behind the bar, with its own tables and chairs. But you can hear it, though not too loudly, throughout the 177-capacity tavern.
Ceravolo says that his clientele (largely 25 and up) tends to be either the curious "who fall in love with the atmosphere" or "people wandering in, looking for Kahuna's" (this building's previous occupant).
Imagine what the Kahuna's surfer-boy crowd might think of a room full of wine-hoisters conversing over a rendition of "Take the A Train."
Bummer, dude.