Pasita nyc & David Moriarty

So far, the best thing about working on "Sherri" Lifetime's NEW sitcom starring Sherri Shepherd from "The View" & "30 Rock" is the Scenic Art Dept. I have the pleasure of working with talented, interesting and fun people on sets for the show, which begins airing Oct 5.

Last night we went down to Pasita Salon de Vino y Pizza, after work. I have walked by this little restaurant countless times and noticed how cute it looked. It's located on 8th Ave. @W 4th St. Fellow scenic and NY artist, David Moriarty painted this window below and several murals inside.

The concept was to create murals/signage that looked as if they had been here for many years, paint peeling away & fading in a strategic, yet believable way. This is just one of the things scenic artists are asked to do on sets, make something look older than it is. I think David did a terrific job on these wall murals, plus I learned his top secret tricks to get such a nice look ;)

Here is David above, enjoying wine and graciously posing in front of this fun back wall he painted by the kitchen. David has been exhibiting work since the mid 1980s in solo and group shows and his work is included in numerous private and public collections. I've included some of his paintings below, but you should visit his website to see a full array of his very beautiful work!

Here we are from left, Martha Allen, Holly Moore (charge scenic), Jess Nissen, moi, John Stachowicz and David. We were missing a few, like Denise, Yan & Millree (moved onto another project). Somehow we managed to enjoy the night without them ;D

Loved the way the light looked here.

Now, more about Pasita... This place serves up some of the very best wine and pizza I have ever had and I've tried A Lot!! We shared three pizzas-- the Champinon, roasted mushroom, artichoke hearts, caramelized onion, mozzarella, ricotta salata & evo oil --my personal fave :) also savored La Joya w-prosciutto and a Chorizo/arugula pizza. The plantains were fab and the bottles of vino we shared were all wonderful. I jotted down the group's favorite which was a red-- Bodegas Carrau/Tannat de Reserva 2006 from Uruguay-- Deeeeee-licious!

Pasita is named for a fortified banana wine "Alegria en Botella" (Happiness in a Bottle) The owner's grandfather, David Katz developed it for his business in Caracas. He had escaped occupied France, hiked over the Pyrenees to Spain & boarded a ship for Venezuela in the early 1940s.

Liked the variety of old posters throughout Pasita, even the pics in the bathroom below were charming :)

Did a little bit of wine tasting at bar, too. I particularly liked this white above :D Pasita offers wine tastings every Monday night and they have a refreshingly down to earth, yet very well informed expert serving up the picks.

Pasita is located at 47 Eigth Avenue @ 4th Street NYC 10014