Lorenzo Bongiovanni is the New York-based photographer and writer behind the Substack Mr. Flood’s Party, a thoughtful curation of some of the best places to eat and drink in the city and beyond. More than just restaurant recommendations and travel guides, his Substack deals with the highly personal and constantly evolving spirit of restaurant culture everywhere.
Raised by a family of restaurateurs in the suburbs of Detroit, the newsletter pays homage to the people and places that have shaped him–its name comes from one particular bar that his grandfather owned in Ann Arbor. It is these kinds of details–intimate, self-aware–that Bongiovanni brings to all of his work. He is a true creative with a keen eye and exquisite taste which he shares with us below.
Salle Climatisée Tote Bag – My friend Brendan sent me a tote from his restaurant Salle Climatisée in Montreal. They were sold out of new bags, so he stole his girlfriend’s and mailed me hers (sorry Alexe). After a thorough lint roll to remove the cat hair, this baby was ready to hit the streets of New York. Not only am I proud to be repping one of my favorite restaurants in the world, but this is a really good tote. Jet black, understated logo, perfect strap length, sturdy wine pocket (I’m a sucker for utility). Pulling up to the function with a bottle of crisp Austrian wine firmly secured in my Salle Climatisée tote just makes me feel like I’ve got my shit together.
FUJIFILM X100V – This camera is unbelievable, so much power, and such a nimble body. I love everything about it, honestly. Buying a camera changed the way I see the world – I know this sounds dramatic, but I mean it! There’s magic in every scene, and every to-and-from has the potential to be the next great photo. Cameras are sick, and I feel lucky to have this one!
Collection of Restaurant Menus – I always keep an eye out for restaurant collateral – matchbooks, postcards, coasters – but the menus that make it home with me are the keepsakes I value most. The menu is such a fundamental part of any dining experience — holding it, lingering over it, choosing from it (get that QR code nonsense out of here). When I look back at these menus, I can remember every detail of my meal – who I was with, what I ordered, even what my server looked like. It’s emotional and evocative in such a beautiful way. I hang some on my fridge, and others are safely stashed away.
Big Park Blanket – I was on the hunt for a great blanket to throw down in Fort Greene Park – something big, durable, and somewhat masculine-looking. I’m generally a major overthinker when it comes to buying practical things – like, I’m gonna read every last tech spec about humidifiers before I make a purchase. But when I saw this blanket on the shelf at Cardinal Gift Shop, I didn’t hesitate. Cardinal is such a wonderful home store in the neighborhood – Chelsea has a brilliant selection of goods, and serious DIY talent (she hand-stitched this blanket from up cycled sheets). It makes me unreasonably excited to lie in the park knowing I’ve got this under me.
Keap Candle Subscription – Way back when, I went to the bathroom at Cervo’s and was enveloped by the smell of Cavern NYC's Majorelle candle. I went home that night and bought like 6 for my apartment. When Cavern shut down its operation, I was gutted. Cervo’s replaced their bathroom candle with Keap’s Wood Cabin – and so did I. Hand-poured in Hudson, NY, carefully packaged, and shipped to me every month, this is a luxurious maneuver – one that I value greatly. These make for a great gift, too, if you’re ever in need of something agreeable and not too deeply personal (in other words, a nice thing to bring to your friend’s parents’ place that you’re visiting in Austin, Texas).
Waterfall Coffee Table – When I moved into my apartment, it was a true blank slate of a room. Empty space is fun to fill, but also a little overwhelming. I knew the first purchase would set the design tone for the rest of the space, and thus, I sat in an empty living room for a solid month. But then! I saw this table on Facebook Marketplace, and everything started to fall into place. It’s faintly green, etched glass, curvy in all the right ways. Collin, who runs FAULT, is an unbelievable curator – the guy has an eye. I’ve bought a few other pieces from him, but this coffee table is my grail.
RoosRoast Mug – Everyone remembers their first time (drinking cold brew). For me, that was a brisk fall day in Ann Arbor, MI, at RoosRoast on Rosewood Ave. While I was in undergrad at the University of Michigan, Roos was my go-to cafe, study spot, and casual hang. It’s a quirky, bootstrapped operation that I have a deep love for. Roos is where I learned to appreciate cafe culture – slowing down, sitting in mismatched chairs, listening to funky music, and getting way too caffeinated. Anyway, I have this handmade ceramic mug from Roos (via Grayling Ceramics) that I use every morning. It’s wide-mouthed, beautiful to look at, and most importantly, my hand fits perfectly in the handle.
1of1 Custom Earplugs – By far the most practical item on this list. I invested in some really nice, custom earplugs a few years ago. I went to a WeWork in Tribeca and they took a mold of my ear canals — weird day! But this is an incredibly worthwhile purchase if you enjoy going to concerts as much as I do. Dancing and listening to music are things I want to do for the rest of my life, and going deaf would make it so much less fun.
Tekla Sheets – On the opposite end of the practical and responsible spectrum, I bought unnecessarily high-quality sheets for my bed. The old “you spend one-third of your life in bed” saying is how I justified this one. I have a well-documented history of being a fan of Scandinavian design and culture. The Danes, in particular, design things that look clean and make sense, and that resonates with me. My brother got me a cocoa brown duvet for Christmas, so now I use the off-white for spring/summer and swap it for the darker tone as soon as the temps drop.
Dorothy Thorpe (Don Draper) Glasses – I stumbled into a vintage pop-up in Nolita and came across this set of really small glasses with a vintage silver band that felt so good in my hand. Let me emphasize the word small – these are 5oz glasses! I much prefer drinking things in small quantities – I’ll take a tiny beer over a monstrous one every time. It turns out that these glasses were designed by Dorothy Thorpe, who curated the props for Mad Men. I now call them the Don Draper glasses. Perfect for a splash of wine, amaro with a single ice cube, or, like big Don: a sip of whiskey, neat.
in good taste for real