Natasha — No Bull
Actress Missy Koonce had such a wickedly good time playing Russian spy Natasha Fatale in the 1995 Coterie Theatre production of Rocky & Bullwinkle that she’s paying homage to the character by naming her new cabaret lounge Bar Natasha. The venue is scheduled to open by the end of the year. Koonce and co-owner J.D. Mann are installing it in the L-shaped building at 1907 Main Street, next to the DB Warehouse (1915 Main Street) where Koonce has hosted a Sunday-night show for several years.
Bar Natasha, Koonce says, will be “an upscale piano lounge” open from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. It’ll be styled after New York City’s Don’t Tell Mama, she says, an intimate room where patrons can get up and perform with the pianist on weeknights; on weekends, a featured professional performer will take center stage. “All the servers will be actors and singers, too,” she says.
Although Koonce is best known for her stage career as both an actress and a director — she’s currently in Late Night Theatre’s Dangerous Dirty Little Liaisons — the smoky-voiced comedian has worked in the bar and restaurant business for fifteen years, including stints at Figlio, Plaza III and the now-defunct Café Max. Bar Natasha won’t be just about boozing and belting out tunes, though. Koonce has hired Lou Jane Temple (owner of the former Café Lulu) as “kitchen consultant” to design the recipes for appetizers and desserts.
And Koonce and Mann are working with architect Josh Shelton on the interior of the 4,100-square-foot space. Their landlords, Jeff and Diane Alpert, are thrilled with the prospect of “a totally exciting urban restaurant and club” opening in the Crossroads District. No word yet from Boris Badenov.
Bad enough was the news that restaurateur David Rabinovitz closed Metropolis City Grill, after an eight-month run, on August 9. A co-owner during the thirteen years the restaurant was known as Metropolis American Grill, Rabinovitz closed that venue in early 2002, then reopened at the end of the year to rave reviews. “The first four months were phenomenal,” Rabinovitz says. “But after the war started, it was like a bomb dropped in the place. No one came.”
Rabinovitz finds himself at an impasse. “It’s very scary right now. It broke my heart to close the place. I’m not sure what’s next.”
