Michael Imperioli behind the bar at Scarlet.
Michael Imperioli, star of popular HBO shows ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘White Lotus,’ along with his wife Victoria, have teamed up with Upper West Side restaurateur Jeremy Wladis to open Scarlet, a cocktail lounge located at 468 Amsterdam Avenue, between 82nd and 83rd streets (right next to Fred’s).
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The space opened on Tuesday and aims to offer cutting-edge original drinks in an intimate setting with red hues (hence the name) and inspiration from wartime France. One of those cutting-edge drinks is The White Lotus, an appropriately named punch featuring Don Q Cristal Rum, pineapple, yuzu, coconut sugar, and champagne.
Wladis is President of The Restaurant Group, which has a wide UWS footprint that includes Good Enough to Eat, Harvest Kitchen, Nina’s Great Burrito Bar, Big Gay Ice Cream, and neighborhood favorite Fred’s (immediately adjacent to Scarlet.) Wladis reportedly met the Imperiolis after they became frequent patrons at his UWS eateries, the NY Post reported.
Scarlet is not the Imperiolis’ first venture into the hospitality business. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, the couple owned and operated Ciel Rouge, a bar in Chelsea that often hosted Sopranos after parties during the show’s heyday (Imperioli played Tony Soprano’s nephew, Christopher Moltisanti, in the hit show). The Imperiolis reportedly lived above the bar, according to The New York Times.
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Victoria took the lead on designing and curating art and furniture for Scarlet.
“She did everything,” Wladis told the Post. “Including making the furniture.”
Left to right: Emma Wladis, Michae Imperioli, Jeremy Wladis, Victoria Imperioli
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In addition to The White Lotus cocktail, Scarlet’s menu will feature inspired cocktails like the Pisco Pink Panther (pisco, raspberry Disaronno Amaretto, orgeat, lemon and rosewater), along with classics like the French 75, traditionally a refreshing combination of gin, champagne, lemon juice and simply syrup. The menu will include small plates like Lollipop Lamb Chops Au Jus with basil pastou and Foie Gras Torchon with vanilla-fused honey, pomegranate glaze, and brioche toast.
“Scarlet offers an elegant and transformative atmosphere,” Imperioli told Eater. “…and a certain magic that only Victoria can create.”
Scarlet is open Monday-Thursday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Friday-Saturday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Walk-in only.
Can’t wait to have a cocktail here! Welcome to neighborhood Michael. So refreshing to see something classier than fast food.
Is der gabbagool on da menu?
There hasta be gabbagool.
Drink prices are unnecessarily high by a factor of 15% Scale those back down a notch or two….remember, it’s the UWS not the UES, folks! A high of $19 is more than sufficient even if most if not all the profit comes from alcohol (wine and spirits) and never the meals. Scarlet is going with $24…aren’t those Ritz-Carlton, Waldorf-Astoria prices?
Last night the wife and I guessed $25. Two drinks for two people and you’re at >$100.
….add tax and tip (since we don’t get outta of a place without paying them!) to those $24 drinks, and at 2 drinks for 2 people, you’re up to a staggeringly unrealistic $125. Michael, Victoria, Jeremy and Emma…c’mon, say it isn’t true! $125 just for drinks before you even begin a meal??!! You’re breaking bad here. PLEASE RETHINK YOUR PRICES BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.
$24 drinks?! Nooo Christufuh!
There is another wine bar coming on 81st street and Columbus called Le Vin Coeur. More choices in the neighbourhood.