tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8634549.post-7223806882668396092007-08-14T23:40:00.000+08:002007-08-15T23:18:13.549+08:00<p align="center"><img title="" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1391/1107998616_ad9f3e4ebc.jpg" width="420" /></p><p><b>[Envy of Amsterdam]</b><br /><br />Close to the shopping streets of <a href="http://www.de9straatjes.nl/Historie/historie.html" target="_blank">Negen Straatjes </a>(9 Streets) and not too far from the <a href="http://www.annefrank.org/content.asp?pid=1&lid=2" target="_blank">Anne Frank Museum</a> is the strategically located Envy, the talk of the town when it first opened a few years ago. One can never fail to notice the bar-restaurant's chicness as you walk past its glass-paned premises with immediate views of its busy open kitchen and <a href="http://www.tomdixon.net/en/projects.html?Gid=0&amp;Id=12" target="_blank">Tom Dixon</a>'s installation of mirror ball pendants. The narrow and dark space concept was developed by the creative team at Concrete, known for their <strong>astounding designs</strong> in the city for places like the funky Supperclub, the renowned caterer AMAISON's concept store and <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/greenolivetree/657553985/">De Lairesse pharmacy</a>.<br /><br /></p><p align="center"><img title="" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1019/1107167759_c3dea74b70.jpg" width="340" /></p><p><b>[Intimate dining at Envy's bar]</b> </p><p>With a changing menu based on the fresh ingredients like Italian cheeses and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BICL9O?tag=greenolivetre-20&amp;amp;camp=14573&creative=327641&amp;linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B000BICL9O&amp;amp;amp;adid=1DKW0WXD9ZWYQFBD33P9&amp;">prosciutto di Parma</a> air-flown daily, the food is served a-la-delicatessen in small portions with very <strong>refined ingredients</strong>. The last time we were there for lunch, I had a lobster bisque and a veal salad and they were wonderful. It's one of those places that you pay for the ambiance and the foofoo-ness of the food, but it won't necessarily fill you up. (In Spanish, you say "pica-pica" for something like that - grazing.)<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">In the know:</span><br /></span><a href="http://www.envy.nl/" target="_blank">Envy</a><br />Prinsengracht 381, Amsterdam<br />Reservations: 020 344 64 07</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8634549-722380688266839609?l=greenolivetree.blogspot.com'/></div>*kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03899660466554175066noreply@blogger.com8