bahr | ché
26 Astor Place
Tel: 212.260.2220
Designer: Richard Bloch

Gwathmey Siegel’s undulating glass building towers over Cooper Square, but tucked inside you’ll find a much smaller architectural delight: bahr|ché, a new restaurant and wine bar designed by architect Richard Bloch (Dovetail, Bar Masa, Le Bernardin). The dramatic wine wall behind the bar is a feat of verticality, showcasing the restaurant’s collection of 1,500 bottles from around the world. “The wine wall is the focal point; it draws your attention the minute you walk into the room,” said Bloch, who believes that the “whimsy and liveliness” of the design will enhance the experience for patrons at this new venue, whose windows look onto bustling Cooper Square. The wine wall may have some competition from the attention-grabbing 14-foot ceiling, which is draped in metal mesh entwined with suspended pieces of glass, creating a “deconstructed chandelier” intended to evoke the magic twinkling of fireflies on a warm summer evening.