Richardine Bartee
MAMO hosted the songwriter and I for an evening of great food and conversation; Hear the second single from her forthcoming project now.
As I toppled upward at MAMO, I was forced to look at the furnishing in the hallway at the sophisticated French restaurant with affordable Italian and Provençal fare. Some may argue about what is affordable but based on what we ate and its taste, the prices were justifiable. “It is awesome in here,” I thought to myself as I made my way to the bar waited for me.
Before then, two women greeted me upon check-in. From what I remember, they were proper and had the demeanour of flight attendants. Therefore, I felt at home, respected, hungry, and wanted. I travel a lot.
There she was, on a stool that matched the rest of the cosy decor in the space. Our patron walked us to the opposite end of the restaurant, away from the restrooms, and asked what we wanted to drink. After looking at the beautifully-designed full-scale menu for some time, I made the call. I wanted water, so Pellegrino was my fill. Then, Clicquotivo ($15) washed down my dinner. Her choice of drink that night: The New York Press.
Our waitress brought out fresh beet salad to the table, which wasn’t on the menu. Now that I think of it, it could have been the ‘Insalata mista, asparagi, barbabietole con tartufo ($20). Next, they brought bread and extra virgin olive oil (Ollo) to the table. Two-to-three attentive people served us. Honestly, the customer service is above standard. We didn’t want for anything, ever.
As we sat and talked in the enclosing of white exposed brick and real tomatoes and lemons on the table, I asked the New York City transplant what inspired the direction for her latest video—”CREAM.” When she replied, she said that she found inspiration in the Netflix movie: Snow on tha Bluff. If you aren’t familiar with the Netflix release, it is about a criminal who steals a camera and documents his life.
“I’ve always been into the artist holding the camera. I’ve been into things like that. A lot of directors don’t give artists the camera. They never do that, but whenever I make a video I think ‘What can I do to make the video different?’ I always want my friends involved. I always want women involved. Whenever there’s a robbery occurring in a film, the actors are usually men. I wanted to show that women do these things too.”
The artist continued,
“‘CREAM’ is basically about getting money. I didn’t want to do the usual ‘bottle in the videos.’ The project that’s coming out took a long time. It was a long process. I recorded a lot of songs, but the songs that I did come out with I think are me. Everything that I ever talk about or rap about are for real. Nothing is ever fake or made up.”
MAMO has the best selection of music for any restaurant of its calibre. When I took the first bite of my dinner, “Sexual Healing” filled the room. All I could think was ‘How synonymous?’ My partner in dine enjoyed the lamb chop dinner with mashed potatoes. She said it was tender, and doused with lemon. The salmone con zucchine, fregola sarda e limone ($29) I ate was moist and well-seasoned.
We didn’t have a dessert menu, but we ordered a tiramisù ($9), mousse al cioccolato ($12), affogato alla vaniglia con fragile calde ($11), and black coffee. By far, MAMO’s tiramisù is the richest, most delicious tiramisu I’ve eaten.
If you know me, I am one who attracts all kinds of people. It’s not the time to get too deep into all of my relationships—because I’d rather keep those details for my book—but they are unique. No relationship is like the other.
Over the years as BVNGS has dwelled in New York City, we’ve built a bond which seems to be indestructible. It’s seldom that people (in the business) keep up with one another, without self-interest or a business-related agenda. It doesn’t seem to be like that with us. So when the Rochester-native multi-talent decided to release new music, I took it upon myself to do a proper interview with her. Personally, I think everyone should be able to share a story in their own words.
It’s one of the reasons why I enjoy helping and supporting her career. Without further ado, hear the second single “COLD” from BVNGS’s upcoming project, “N/A.” The artist refers to it to the title as a multiple means of expression. According to her, it can mean not available or not associated. The project will be out this year.
MAMO is in the SoHo/TriBeCa area of Manhattan: 323 West Broadway. Whenever you’re around, pop in for lunch or dinner. Tell them that Richardine from GrungeCake sent you, or that you saw the coverage for Beyoncé and her husband’s time there. Regardless, you will not be disappointed.
