ROOTS, INFLUENCES,
&
GOOD FOOD
Logo
While you might expect darkness in a place described as “infamous,” in fact, Amsterdam Avenue’s newest opening, Infamous Bistro, has none of that. Instead, light pours in through a wall of windows and into theSPACIOUS & VERDANT NEW NEIGHBORHOOD SPOT.green-swoop
On a spring afternoon, the restaurant comes alive with sunshine and the smell of the fresh cut flowers that rest on every table. But theWARMTH OF THE SPACE is not just the product of the windows and the interior design; it is the product of being in a place where the staff are deeply connected and loyal to each other. In other words,A FAMILY.
green-swoop
“
My title used to be general manager, but I didn’t like that. I mean, I’m not managing anybody. I see these people every day and, even when we’re not at work, we’re still together and hanging out. We’re friends, but we’re also family. I’m not a manager of my family.
”
- Elena, Creative Director of Infamous Bistro
green-swoop This theme of family and close connection extends to everything at Infamous Bistro. Many members of the staff, from the kitchen to the front of the house and then back to the owners of the restaurant, are from Balkan Europe. As a result, English flows in and out of Serbian, and the staff are able to converse fluently on more than one plane. Elena and other members of the front of the house remarked on how much of the culture of Serbia, how much of thefriendliness, compassion, & loyaltythat she associates with her first home country, carries over into the restaurant because the staff has a large Balkan representation. But family is present at Infamous Bistro BEYOND SHARED NATIONAL IDENTITIES. green-swoop
Chef Zivko Radojcic grew up in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, and CAME FROM a family of pastry chefs and cooks. green-swoop
One of his aunts was, in fact, a pastry chef for Tito, the Former President of Yugoslavia. His grandmother owned a restaurant in France before moving to Serbia. And though cooking is in his blood and in his bones, Radojcic had not always planned to be a chef. Instead, his first passion was soccer, which he played throughout culinary school and then played professionally after he graduated. But, as a goalie, he had to exert himself and sustain injuries often, and he decided to keep playing soccer, but only as a hobby. After that, he worked in restaurants in Belgrade, and then in New York, making a name for himself in a new city. green-swoop
Read belowfor five key questions with the chef, and a bonus interview with the creator of Infamous Bistro’s cocktail menu, Milos Zica.
What are some of your favorite foods from Serbia that you feel that you just cannot get done well in New York?
What do you think a good dish should do - should it evoke a memory, make you feel comfortable, challenge you?
Is there anything that you’re tired of seeing with food?
How did you come up with the concept for Infamous Bistro? What drew you to these flavors?
What is your favorite dish at Infamous Bistro?
“
“Well actually, I know this isn’t your question, but I really like Kafana in the Lower East Side. They have certain food that is good, but of course they don’t have everything. I don’t miss that much Balkan food because I can usually make what I miss! One thing I will say is that it’s a mix - each of these places, they do a few things well, and they all do different things well. At Kafana, you get čevapi, at another place you might get begova čorba.When you’re grown and you’ve tasted so many different cultures’ cuisines, I think you tend to miss old flavors less because you’re more open to new flavors.”
”
- Zivko Radojcic, Chef
What are some of your favorite foods from Serbia that you feel that you just cannot get done well in New York?
Do you miss any of the homemade alcohols from the Balkans?
What should a good drink do?
Do you have a favorite classic cocktail? And do you have a favorite cocktail that you’re ever created?
“
“Kafana is very good! Barbecue in general, rostilj, is my favorite, and it’s very hard to find here. Maybe a good old sarma. Homemade ajvar is never good in New York either, you can’t get it anywhere the way you can get it at home.”
”
- Milos Zica, Bartender
Photos by Molly Tavoletti