New York Times, August 2015 — Play It Again, Charlie
“For most of its recent past, Mott Haven was known as a South Bronx industrial stretch, dotted with auto parts shops and vacant buildings. It had the woeful distinction in the last census of being in the poorest congressional district in the country. But longtime residents, and newcomers who venture across the nearby Third Avenue Bridge, see a neighborhood in full transformation, and many of them are drawn to a local watering hole with the sleek look of Lower Manhattan and the casual feel of the Bronx.
Charlies Bar & Kitchen is stationed at the ground level of the Clock Tower, a red-orange brick piano factory built in 1886 that now rents lofts for $2,500 — not a bad deal for a loft, but a big change for Mott Haven. Charlies, as it is known by all, is among a small number of intrepid establishments in a rapidly developing area.
The absence of an apostrophe in the name is intentional. According to the general manager of the place, Sam Toosi, the name honors not one particular Charlie but many. On a recent busy Saturday afternoon, Mr. Toosi, 39, pointed to one of several walls covered with framed portraits of pop-culture Charlies: Parker, Chaplin and Brown, to name a few.
The cavernous interior of Charlies, including a bar and ample table seating, is a homage to the last standing relic of a once-thriving piano manufacturing industry. The open layout and utilitarian architecture nod toward this industrial past, while the homey antiques and funky playlist add a hint of Southern charm.
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In Manhattan or parts of Brooklyn, the interior design, the weekly live music and the flowing mimosas during brunch (and boy, do they flow) wouldn’t particularly stand out in a crowded field. But in Mott Haven they merit attention.
“It’s obvious the Bronx is changing,” said Greg Ashby, casting a glance around the crowd of patrons gathered, most of whom live in the area. Mr. Ashby, 54, a superintendent in a nearby building, grew up here during the 1960s and ’70s, when buildings were abandoned and gangs like the Savage Skulls roamed. He sipped a Tanqueray on the rocks. “This is positive change,” he said.
Outside, a block party sponsored in part by SoBRO, a nonprofit organization that fosters renewal efforts in the South Bronx, was going full tilt. Judith Desire, 35, of Harlem had wandered into Charlies for the first time, looking for a reprieve from the heat. She also came for the chicken and waffles, ordering the Jacksboro Chicken Benny, a heap of fried egg and boneless chicken resting atop a waffle drizzled with homemade hot sauce — a brunch favorite among Charlies regulars. “I’m a bit of a connoisseur,” she said, having tried the dish in the four other boroughs. It was the Bronx’s turn.
Indeed, the menu at Charlies — Americana with a Southern twist and a bevy of signature cocktails — is meant to be crowd-pleasing. But most patrons will tell you the ambience is the selling point.
Jemaine Buchanan, 35, was seated with four friends at a table full of mimosa flutes. “I’m proud this is here,” he said. Mr. Buchanan lives in the Bronx, but only after frequenting Charlies did he think twice about boarding a downtown train to Manhattan when in the mood for a drink. And while he acknowledges that some might view the place as a sign of impending change on the scale of Brooklyn — that is, gentrification — he is pleased with the efforts of the management and the mostly local staff to cater to the community.”