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Apiary
60 Third Ave, between 10th and 11th Sts
East Village
New York, NY 10003
212-254-0888
apiarynyc.com
Despite a partnership with French furniture manufacturer Ligne Roset, Apiary's décor seems to have been ordered from an Urban Outfitters catalog: Lucite chandelier silhouettes frame too-bright bare bulbs, and slatted wood dividers look like tacky shutters, a poor choice for the small dining room’s acoustics. The music, a pandering playlist that included tracks by the Fratellis and Fine Young Cannibals, was always a decibel too loud — I found myself shouting at my date. It’s plain to see that the restaurant’s interior and bizarre service touches (hot tea comes with three indistinguishable flavors of honey) received far more attention than the food itself (the menu includes a dizzying amount of international influences: Mediterranean, Indian, Spanish and Moroccan, to name a few). --Andrea Rosen
