Tini's Brad Kime Makes It a Double

In his younger days, Brad Kime was obsessed with the music videos on MTV and VH1. “I still love trashy pop,” says the owner of Mass Ave’s miniature cocktail lounge, Tini. “I love a Katy Perry video.” As a result, patrons at the sliver of a bar Kime originally imagined as a Friday-night watering hole for him and his friends have come to expect plenty of “Roar” and “Wide Awake” with their stemless cocktail glasses. And in February, they were given a little more room in which to enjoy both, thanks to a renovation that connected the original two-year-old space, via pocket doors, to the adjoining former Flying Cupcake location. With the expansion came a more robust menu of small plates, and with spring upon us, a front patio adds sidewalk seating for 20 more, a feature Kime expects to be a huge hit on the Avenue.

He should know. Although the restaurateur spends most weekdays in New York, where he works with startup financial-technology companies (currently serving as chief strategy officer for electronic-payment company FinTech), Kime has lived downtown for more than 25 years. For the past 12, he has resided in a condo directly behind Tini. “I love how it has all come together,” he says. “We’re fortunate to be able to be part of Mass Ave.”

Brad Kime’s Favorite Things

(1) Mass Ave Pub: “Try the house salad with a Cajun chicken breast on top, with homemade ranch dressing.”

(2) Breakfast at City Cafe: “Migas, veggie hash, or French toast rolled in cornflakes.”

(3) Goshen’s Olympia Candy Kitchen: “I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but if I do indulge, I go back to where I grew up for the best homemade hand-dipped chocolates.”

(4) The Rathskeller’s Biergarten: “Groovy music and terrific people-watching.”

This article appeared in the April 2014 issue.