Sisu, as the menu of the new bar and bottle shop in Little Italy explains, is a Finnish concept defined as “stoic determination and tenacity of purpose.” Married owners Chris Peters and Kate Hufton opened it (with two other partners) in May with the purpose of bringing a casual spot for high-quality pre- and post-dinner drinks and snacks to a neighborhood flush with restaurants.
It’s working wonderfully. Peters and Hufton live above the bar in the rowhouse that once housed the wildly popular Joe Benny’s, and their aim was to make people feel like they’re hanging out in the proprietors’ living room.
Peacock trim for the shelving was made from wooden picture frame molding purchased at Second Chance. The draft system was built by Peters using World War II-era footlocker. Most of the plateware is old China from Peters’s mom and Hufton’s grandmother. Photos of their families hang on the wall, alongside a Pennsylvania artist’s colorful and playful rendering of the Three Stooges.
When we visited in July, Larry, Curly, and Moe also made an appearance on the cocktail menu, which like the offerings of native yeast wines, craft beers, and thoughtfully sourced meats, cheeses, and tinned fish, is ever changing. Moe’s Rosita Negroni is made with tequila and Larry’s white version with gin, but the most popular variety is Curly’s, a combination of Hayman’s gin, blanc vermouth, and strawberry-infused Campari.
There’s also a mix-and-match-your-favorite-gin-with-a-fancy-tonic section of the menu, along with the house’s favorites. We enjoyed the Rosemary Magdalene, a sophisticated blending of gin, rosemary simple syrup, lemon juice and Fee Foam, a non-alcoholic, egg-free alternative that adds a foamy head to drinks. The sip’s complex taste matched its stylish appearance.
When it comes to cocktails, the couple, who worked in the industry for 20 years in Pennsylvania before falling in love with Little Italy, have a simple philosophy: “You put good stuff into people’s drinks and they’re going to be happy with it,” Peters says.
The same principle is true of their mouths. Popcorn (always appreciated) appeared when we took our seats at the long wooden bar, and everything that followed was better than what came before it.
A mix of house marinated (rosemary, garlic, and pepper flakes are among the ingredients) Castelvetrano and green cerignole olives, with some oil-cured black beldi olives sprinkled in, was transformed into a bowl of pits in no time. The constantly rotating charcuterie options included heavyweights like Spanish Iberico ham and cheeses from France and California. But there also was Sequatchie Cover Shakerag, a Tennessee-made blue “wrapped in fig leaves soaked with Chattanooga whiskey.” Its flavor was as layered as the description suggested, although after a sip of our uber-strong Old Fashioned, everything tasted a bit intense.
Throughout the evening some people popped in for a quick drink, while others lingered and laughed (making for a rather loud atmosphere).
“We are kind of neutral territory for everybody because we don’t have a food program that’s massive,” Hufton says. “Some of the local restaurants that don’t have bars will send people to Sisu if they have a wait. The locals here are just fantastic. They try to support everybody.”
Our one regret is that we left without ordering gelato. The selections are influenced by Peters’s 10-year-old son, Axl, whose photo is among those on the wall. In it, he’s staring at barrels in a cellar at Villa Oeira, which produces fortified wine in the Carcavelos region of Portugal. His back is to the camera, so you can’t see his face, yet his aura is such that there’s no doubt he understands the concept of Sisu perfectly.