Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1471747
WHEN A CAFÉ, A TRATTORIA, AND CHARMING APPARTAMENTI MEET BY REBECCA SHERMAN, PHOTOGRAPHY STEPHEN KARLISCH. THE STYLISH NEW CASA DURO APARTMENTS ABOVE CAFÉ DURO AND SISTER TRATTORIA ON LOWER GREENVILLE ARE A SLICE OF EUROPEAN CHARM. E arlier this summer, two charming and original new concepts by Duro Hospitality quietly opened on Lower Greenville Avenue. Café Duro, an Italian wine-and-coffee bar, has boldly patterned interiors inspired by the great Milanese architect and designer Renzo Mongiardino. Nestled above the cafe is Casa Duro, a trio of stylish sort-term lease apartments brimming with exquisite furnishings, antiques, and art. The apartments are available to book directly through the website or via Airbnb, and guests can have food and drinks sent up from the cafe, while a private dining room in one of the apartments is designed for hosting dinners catered by Sister, Duro's trattoria next door that opened last year. Hotelier Benji Homsey is one of four co-founders of Duro Hospitality, whose portfolio also includes Dallas Design District hot spots The Charles and Bar Charles. The new Casa concepts are a first for Dallas, Homsey says. "Something like this doesn't exist, and being able to provide amenities from Sister and Café Duro is unique for an Airbnb. We feel like it's an incredible collection of uses in a neighborhood that's vibrant, with a great demographic and substantial traffic." Italian food and design are threads that run through all Duro Hospitality concepts. Homsey and restaurateur Chas Martin, another Duro co- founder, traveled extensively along the Amalfi Coast, Tuscany, Florence, and Rome, gathering inspiration, and their passion for Italy is woven into the DNA of everything they do. Café Duro has a walk-up espresso bar and standing bar tops, and offers Italian wines and beers along with paninis, small pizzas, and pastas, all freshly interpreted for Duro and handmade in Sister's kitchen. The new Café Duro is part of a European enclave on lower Greenville Avenue. 49