As promised, here’s a look inside Veloce Club, the new iteration of Bar Veloce in Nolita. Owner Frederick Twomey tells us he wanted to make this Veloce more of a destination than a pit stop (due to its somewhat tucked-away location), so he brought in Persian rugs, leather booths, and even leatherette-topped tables. Yes, he was aiming to create a “clubby hideaway,” but Twomey assures us, “I don’t want to play the game of members-only.” After 6 p.m., anyone can call and ask the bartender to hold a booth for sipping Italian cocktails such as a negroni, an Aperol spritz, a white-peach-purée bellini, and two house drinks made from Veloce’s own grappa-based liqueur. This isn’t the last of the changes Twomey plans on making: Although nothing’s signed, he tells us he’s looking at new locations in Hell’s Kitchen and Williamsburg, and hopes to eventually open a Bar Carrera uptown.
