State of the Artistes
Eating Steak Frites While Listening to Live Piano

Hey, good news.

It’s Monday again.

Which means you’re back at work, sure.

But also: we can bring word of a promising new date spot.

One with French wine, garlicky mussels, steak frites and a live pianist.

Yes, the piano-playing kind.

Here’s Café des Artistes, a plush red room for eating bistro fare at bistro tables and drinking Bordeaux in dark nooks, slated to open by Friday in One Arts Plaza.

Yup, this is Alberto Lombardi’s new joint. A cozy Parisian brasserie that’s all mosaic tiles, red carpets, thick drapes and aperitifs. Plus a baby grand piano, so you know it’s good for dates (and great for playing “Chopsticks”).

This weekend, you’ll want to come here before a show. Maybe after a show. Definitely when you require drinks, a piano and some leather to sit on. Start at the bar and grab a Negroni or a glass of champagne. Then turn around and find a table behind the wood-and-glass partition, where you’ll dive into plates of lobster risotto and veal sweetbreads. Well, not literally.

And because such things often lead to extended canoodling, there’s a front lounge for just that. Claim a shadowy corner, summon a bottle of pinot noir and toss out a song request to the piano player.

Something from the Right Said Fred back catalog, perhaps.