Violet at the Arte Restaurant. April 9, 2013. By Paul Goldfinger ©  Click left for full view.

By Paul Goldfinger,  Editor @Blogfinger   (This post was originally published on Blogfinger  in April, 2013)

While shooting some images in Greenwich Village, I wandered over to University Place for a Blogfinger Film Festival meeting with our producer Marlee. On the way I spotted a small restaurant just a few steps down the block on East 9th Street.   The restaurant caught my eye for two reasons.  One is that it is a place that looks like Europe.  There were tables out front with flowers , and the rich colors  of the facade  and the lights showing from inside said, “Eat here—it’s authentic.”

The other element that made the image even more visually arresting was the presence of a very tall young lady walking back and forth in front, speaking on a cell phone.  Her striking appearance was enhanced by her color scheme—-bright turquoise  shoes and yellow skirt.

I went up to her and asked if I could photograph her.  She said, “Sure.”   It turns out that she is Violet Hasangjekja. I could not resist asking about her nationality.  She said that she and her family are from Montenegro. Violet is the manager, supervisor, and event planner for the  family-owned Arte Restaurant at 21 East 9th Street.   The cuisine is Northern Italian.  The neighborhood is very scenic—right near the Washington Mews, one of the most famous streets in the City.

I was intrigued, so I went home later  to review all the visitors that came to Blogfinger from Montenegro in 2012. There was just one.  Violet’s image on the blog will make her our second Montenegrin visitor.

GLORIA ESTEFAN:  This song  “Hablas de mi” is  not what you might probably hear in Montenegro, but it means “talking about me” and we are talking about Violet, and this music seems to fit with her charming image.

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