firstlook

by A.D. Amorosi

Along a block of Market Street dark with Tangerines, Marmonts and a brick-fronted Anthony's, Red Sky's illuminated floor-to-ceiling windows stand out. In fact, Red Sky positively glows. Adam Zangrilli -- the designer responsible for Bump, Jones, Denim and the upcoming Continental 2 -- took a sinewy approach to what owners David and Scott Stein desired: something pure, stark, clean and light. 'If a place is dark, you're hiding something,' laughs Scott of the 'tchotchke-less' severity of Sky and its 'floating' ceilings and walls. 'They wanted it really minimalist,' says Zangrilli of Sky's subtle shades of gray accented by customized 'iridescent lime' tile.

The clean-but-not-sterile Sky has a 4-foot-wide foyer leading to a chrome staircase with back-lit blue-frosted Plexiglas steps. These lead to a mezzanine lined with metal cube tables, square black leather ottomans, a silver-brushed aluminum bar and bathrooms (with motion-sensing towel dispensers) that make Scott proud. But the main bar area is Sky's most important space. Entering the room, you face a long, white, porous concrete bar with handmade brushed-steel stools, where you're likely to drink too many of their specialty cocktails, like georgia sky (peachy), smortini (rimmed in Graham crackers) and the sake bomb. You can look up and get lost in the subtle red glow of a floating ceiling spanning 50 feet over the bar and dining room, tipped by Zangrilli's handmade long, tubular, frosted fixtures. The dining room, divided from the bar by a thin gray frame, features hard black-lacquer tables and chairs, a banquette with visible stitching and simple, elegant dining options (peanut butter hummus, ostrich filet, an all-chocolate dessert menu) courtesy of Executive Chef Michael Salvitti. The food is warmed, in mood and appearance, by stagy, amber-lit flat curtains, amply indicative of Red Sky's sense of theatricality.

Red Sky, 224 Market St., 215-925-8080.

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