Sunday, September 07, 2008
Food, Wine, Beer & Spirits, "Behind the Bar"

Painting the town

Artistic bartender Alli Royce Soble talks wines, cocktails and creativity

By Hope S. Philbrick

Not all artists are starving, but it’s common to meet one with a second job. It’s rarer to meet an artist who is as passionate about that second job—in this case tending bar at La Tavola Trattoria—as she is about painting canvases and shooting pictures. When The Sunday Paper heard about Alli Royce Soble’s dual passions, we wanted to meet her.

Q What drew you behind the bar?

A I started bartending almost 10 years ago at a restaurant called the Food Business in Decatur, which no longer exists. I would watch the interaction of the people at the bar. I thought it looked like something I’d be interested in doing. I just kind of dove right in.

    I started at restaurants when I was still in college. I grew up in the Chamblee-Tucker area. My first touch of the industry was with Arden’s Garden. I was the original “juice girl,” pedaling my bike around selling her products.

When I came to La Tavola Trattoria in 2000, I started out as a server but worked my way up.

What inspires you?

I made a drink last year that was popular this summer, the limonada. It came upon me sort of by accident. I was serving limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur, to a customer who tried it and said it was too strong so she wasn’t enjoying it. I said, “Let me make something else out of it.” I threw it in a Collins glass with ice, soda water, fresh lemon juice, sour mix, Sprite and voila!, a refreshing drink that was less sweet. Inspiration can come immediately, such as in that case, and other times you might see a recipe in a magazine and think of how to put your own twist on it.

There are so many different producers making high-quality products. Personally, I like gin and vodka. They’re pretty easy to work with as far as creating different flavor profiles. We have so many different purees like blood orange and strawberry, and different syrups like rosemary or mint, which makes it easy to play around and mix things to add elements. I like adding bitters to drinks, as it gives a twang to it. I like to add non-traditional things people have never tried before.
   
Sometimes we flow with the trends, like when everybody starts asking for a pomegranate martini, while last year, it was blueberry and two years ago, it was apple. The bottom line is we’re an Italian restaurant, and our focus is on Italian wine. The cocktail list isn’t as much a draw as our wine list. 

I really didn’t know anything about Italian wine when I started, but now I can’t get enough. We have 120 bottles on our wine list. I love selling wine. When people come into the bar and ask about wine, I always start with three questions: Do you want red or white? Do you want light, medium or full body? Do you want Italian or domestic? Their answers help me edit down the list so I can give them options. That’s my best joy.

I love my job. We’re not a “bar bar,” we’re a bar that makes drinks. You’re not going to see me making shooters for eight people at 3 a.m. That’s not the kind of bartender I am. I like interaction, talking about wine, educating people, turning people onto something new. That makes my day. It’s only a seven-seat bar. I have tons of regulars. Coming to work is like being out with friends. I know what they like, and it’s a beautiful relationship. I have people who wait an hour to sit at the bar; it’s the biggest compliment.
   
I work at La Tavola four nights a week so I can work at my studio. I’m a painter and photographer and have been doing it for 15 years. Everyone at the bar has always been supportive of my career. SP
La Tavola Trattoria is located at 992 Virginia Ave. NE. For reservations or more information about the restaurant call 404-873-5430 or visit www.latravolatrattoria.com. To learn more about Alli Royce Soble and her artwork, visit www.alliroycesoble.com.