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Envy

<p>From the second you step through the entrance, down past the insouciant, shockingly attractive sous chefs in the open kitchen, it's clear: Envy is <em>it</em>. The black-on-black design, with an endless row of industrial-style refrigerators covering one wall and a 15-foot-long refectory table running down the restaurant's center, is by über-cool Amsterdam design group Concrete. The Italian food is far less attention-seeking, with small plates of perfectly prepared one-ingredient dishes (tissue-thin culatello ham) or simple-but-delicious combinations (asparagus with lemon and roasted garlic). </p> <p><strong>Insider Tip:<strong> For a pre-dinner drink, try Vyne, five doors down at Prinsengracht 411. It's owned and managed by the team behind Envy, and the interiors are by Concrete, too. There are many dozens of wines available by the glass, including unusual offerings from southern Italy, Morocco, and—yes, indeed—the Netherlands. </p>

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From Travel + Leisure , DEC 2005

Envy, which debuted this summer on one of the city's most stately canals, modestly bills itself as a 'wine bar–deli.' Well, it's a delicatessen as could only be conceived by the impresarios behind the terminally hip Supperclub and Concrete Architectural Associates, a trendy design firm—both intent on turning the space into a visual showcase....MORE>>

– Anya von Bremzen Best New European Restaurants 2005

Last updated December 2005