The media invitation to Move the Passion sounded intriguing.
The invitation promised a unique, immersive and progressive EU-funded wine-tasting experience with art and entertainment, featuring wines from 25 Italian wineries at three different locations.

Not exactly.

The event was open to the public and drew 5,400 attendees, but there wasn’t nearly enough food, wine or seating.

We left the third venue—crowds at a standstill, no food and no libations remaining—after overheating in the basement of the second venue, which also had no food. We would have stopped after the second venue, but we figured we might as well stay long enough to enter the drawing for a trip to Italy. Amid all the chaos, we never found anywhere to submit an entry.

On the walk home, we stopped for a drink on the patio at Café Altro Paradiso, on a large corner in SoHo, where we could sit, unwind and talk.


Our wonderful waiter, Miles, suggested their Calabrian Daisy ($22), a refreshing Italian take on a spicy margarita made with sun-dried tomato tequila; the bergamot added a hint of orange, while the Calabrian chili brought just enough spice. Delicious.


With that, we each popped one arancini ($6 each), a rice fritter filled with fontina cheese and Calabrian chili.

I recommend a stop, especially for the cocktail.

Café Altro Paradiso
SoHo
234 Spring St
New York, NY 10013
(646) 952-0828
altroparadiso.com/