Ledroit & Bloomingdale have a new neighborhood bar, and it’s Albanian.What’s Albanian food like? In Bloomingdale, it comes in the form of brick-oven pizza, simple small plates, a nice beer selection on tap, and a handful of interesting wines – better than what you might find from the liquor store across the street.

Rustik Tavern had it’s soft opening this weekend – to the tune of 120 people, at least, according to ___. She co-owns the new spot with her brother ____. ___ is the former GM of local Vinoteca, at 11th & U. [Now featuring an outdoor bocce court on their patio.]

More than the food, or the drinks, the atmosphere was just right. People inside were incredibly nice. The guy pulling pizzas asked me if I lived in the neighborhood, a girl at the bar introduced herself. Guests that were dining next to us ordered the ‘Christina’ and the Chicory salad [menu]. They gave the food a B, but on its first weekend that’s not bad.

Below is the scene.

1st Dinner: 10/3/10