JoonBlog New York

Venue Review: Scarpetta Restaurant (NYC - New York City)

Everyone has been commenting on the opening of a new Italian restaurant in the Meat Packing District, but NYMag.com gets your mouth watering right from the start…

“Roughly translated from the Italian, fare la scarpetta means to wipe your plate clean with a hunk of bread—a practice that, depending upon the culinary circles you travel in, is considered either a sign of bad breeding or a compliment to the chef.”

Now that’s something we certainly like to try. And that must be considered a compliment at Scarpetta, especially given the pedigree of the chef behind it… [from UrbanDaddy.com]

“The chef behind it, Scott Conant, was previously the chef-owner of L'Impero and Alto, so he's someone we like to have feeding us.”

We agree wholeheartedly. And the space sounds just as tasteful as the food… [from DailyCandy.com]

“The space is split into a buzzy patio, a cafe/bar, and a dining room. We’re guessing it’ll be hopping but relaxed, elegant but not fussy. In other words, molto bene.”

Scrapetta
355 W. 14th St. (Between 8th & 9th Aves.)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 690-0555

Venue Review: The Pooldeck at The Empire Hotel (NYC - New York City)

Is  it summer already? No, unfortunately not. But that doesn’t mean that the new  Pooldeck at the Empire Hotel isn’t ready for it. Here’s some info for all you  Upper West Side-ers. [more from UrbanDaddy.com]

“Built as an exclusive 150-capacity  Vegas-style pool with cabanas, … cocktail service and the requisite eye candy  that naturally flocks to rooftop pools in Manhattan, the Pooldeck is set to be  your new favorite UWS pool scene (actually, it's the only UWS pool scene).”

More  on the cabanas and nightlife [more from NYMag.com]

"Should you want to escape the glow of the Empire Hotel sign, there will  be five reserve-able cabanas, each equipped with a plasma-screen TV, a  telephone (because we don’t have cell phones?), wireless, and daybeds. There  will be food and cocktails, too, but remember that the Empire is where Jeffrey  Chodorow's steakhouse, Center Cut, is poised to go into the twelfth floor. Just  keep in mind what they say about swimming after a heavy meal.”

Now  let’s not forget, The Pooldeck is only open to GUESTS of the hotel only. So…  [courtesy of Urban Daddy]

  “…don't let that intimidate you.  You can get in the old fashioned way...with cash. Get a room at the hotel and  you'll have access to the pool, the roof deck for cocktails and those cabanas…”

The Pooldeck @ the Empire Hotel
44 W. 63rd St.
212-265-7400

Venue Review: Bowery Wine Company - Winebar (NYC - New York City)

The Bowery has seen a lot of openings lately (Antik, Bowery Electric). Here's one more - The Bowery Wine Company, a new wine bar with some celebrity backing. But first, let's get the details (courtesy of Time Out NY):

Partners Lenny Linar and Chris Sileo, once a beverage director at The Plaza, scooped up the ground-floor space of the luxury apartment building Avalon Bowery Place for this 55-seat wine bar. The pair seems to embrace gentrification—their mission statement expresses their desire to “help bring the Bowery into the 21st century”—but the offerings are surprisingly inclusive.

So who else is involved?

BRUCE Willis could be distancing himself from his reputation as a shot-and-a-beer guy. The Post's Braden Keil reports the action star is a partner in the Bowery Wine Co., which opens to the public this weekend at 13 E. First St. "It's upscale and loungy," says owner Chris Sileo, formerly beverage director at The Plaza. "We'll have high-end, light fare that will include paninis, salads and desserts." Willis and his pals, "Sopranos" regulars Vincent Curatola and John Ventimiglia, already christened the place at a private party last week, where the "Die Hard" star took his place behind the bar. (Page Six)

Bowery Wine Company
212-614-0800
13 E. 1st Street
New York, NY 10003

Venue Review: Suzie Wong - Lounge (NYC - New York City)

Now that the dust has settled, it's time to take a look at the sake-bottle lounge in West Chelsea, Suzie Wong. Asian decor, dirty fortune cookies, and indeed bottles of sake are what Suzie Wong is all about. Down By The Hipster's Nicolette stopped by last weekend to file this report:

There are a lot of VIP tables here but none are roped off, and the place is pretty small – which I love. The smaller the place the better. There is only one bar and wherever there isn’t a table, or on top of the banquette, is the unofficial dance floor. Peter and his friends showed up around 12ish and we danced and mingled at their table. When they bring you bottles they also give you fortune cookies to go with their oriental theme. My friend Cristina’s fortune cookie read “Suzie Wong Says: Don’t be afraid to go to the bathroom with a stranger” and Sue’s read “Suzie Wong says: Kiss the person next to you passionately”. Pretty corny but kind of cute, and it does help with potential hooking up at 3:00 a.m.

Suzie Wong
(212) 268-5105
547 W 27th St
New York, NY 10001
www.suziewongnyc.com

Venue Review: Prime - Nightclub (NYC - New York City)

First there was Quo. Quo split in two, in to Myst and Retox Rock Bar. And now they are one again. And now they are Prime. Prime, along with Suzie Wong and Mansion, is hoping to revive the West Chelsea nightclub district. What's the draw? Top name DJ talent. Back in February, DJ AM & Jazzy Jeff played opening weekend. Steve Aoki followed. And then DJ Reach.

Expect more big names to follow as spring arrives and the temperature in the City heats up.

Prime
511 W. 28th Street
New York, NY 10001
http://primenightclub.com/

Venue Review: Bowery Electric - Bar (NYC - New York City)

The owners of Hi-Fi (home of ELDJ, the best (only?) home-made MP3 jukebox in New York City recently opened a new rock bar, Bowery Electric (which we told you about a few weeks ago). The bar takes over the space that used to house Remote Lounge (the bar where you could spy on your neighbors via camera). Grub Street has the details:

Horsehair-type stools at a long bar in the front room (eight beers on tap) and some tables in the boxy back room, where of course Remote Louge’s surveillance stations used to be.

Down By The Hipster reported on the soft opening:

The bar, which is owned by Mike Stuto of HiFi and Jesse Malin and Johnny T of Niagara and Black and White, broke out a velvet rope and clipboard mafia to keep the public out, a sign of what the Bowery has become. Sigh. Anywhoo, first reports have the space sparsely decorated, with a simple black and white motif inside. There are a few table spaces with wrap around banquet type seating arrangements, but judging from their other joints, this will definitely be a place to come and drink. What else would you want?

Bowery Electric
327 Bowery
New York, NY 10003
(212) 228-0228

Venue Review: The Rusty Knot - Bar (NYC - New York City)

Now that The Rusty Knot has been open for a couple of weeks in the far-West Village, we'll weigh in on the nautical themed 'dive bar' from restaurateurs Ken Friedman (Spotted Pig) and Taavo Somer (Freemans). So the question that everyone has been asking is, "Is the Rusty Knot a real dive bar." The answer is yes, and no. Plastic baskets of fried food and super cheap beer aside, the Rusty Knot is only a dive in a thematic sense:

The Rusty Knot is the Manhattan interpretation of [a dive bar] - like Disney World Pittsburgh - with more of a nautical them and appealing to the upwardly mobile. (ACL)

Eater has some details on the mural:

Commissioned for the bar and painted by biker/artist Robert Garey, it features two babes, a  battleship, a harbor, and some ominous clouds—just the scene you want to gaze upon while ordering a Dark and Stormy or a can of Dale's.

Down By The Hipster has the scoop on the food:

The Knot isn't only a place to drink and stare at Jersey City. They also got some kick ass bar food. Oysters, peel and eat shrimp, classic shepard's pie, razor clams, giant pigs in a blanket. Bar food to the extreme. The best we had? How about a Chicken Liver, Bacon and Avocado sandwich that scream luxury even as you are sucking down a smooth drinking tap Busch. Aww yeah.

And what's this we hear of frozen drinks?

The new nautical-themed Rusty Knot (I know, how many editors can blog about it in a week?) is supposedly serving frozen mint daiquiris.

The Rusty Knot
425 West St. (at 11th St.)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 645-5668

Venue Review: Broadway East - Vegetarian Restaurant (NYC - New York City)

All of the usual suspects have been covering the recently opened (mostly) vegetarian restaurant Broadway East, which located on East Broadway, down in Chinatown. DailyCandy has the scoop on the food:

Let’s talk food. Lots of Japanese ingredients, smoked shallot and hijiki puree, mushroom paté, and a veggie burger so good the construction guys asked for seconds. A touch of chicken and fish on the menu makes everyone feel welcome, but the focus is low-food-chain sustainability.

Thrillist checks in with some details on the design:

From a former chef of Napa's Domaine Chandon, BE's a veg-centric LES spot that makes itself approachably familiar to the everyman -- starting by eschewing the typical Krishna decor in favor of LES-chic trappings like exposed wood beams and a bar made from a reclaimed NYC water tower (so that's what those are good for).

Broadway East 
171 East Broadway, between Jefferson and Rutgers Streets
New York, NY 10002
(212) 228-3100

Venue Review: Bruno Jamais Restaurant Club (New York City - NYC)

There is an elegant townhouse on a quiet block on the Upper East Side. Walk up the steps, pass through the tall, wooden doors, step inside, and you will find yourself in the Bruno Jamais Restaurant Club, a chic yet discrete restaurant and lounge. After dropping of your coats, a host will escort you to your table--to get to the dining room you will walk through the wine cellar. A glass door will slide open and closed behind you, and then, at the other end of the cellar, another glass door will do the same. Is it a gimmick? Of course, but it is a great one, and it is hardly inappropriate; like any good, fine French restaurant, the wine list is long, and well thought out.

Bruno Jamais, the Parisian-born proprietor, is not a chef. He made his name as the maitre d' at Daniel, and after that, at Alain Ducasse. As you would expect, the service at Bruno Jamais Restaurant Club is exceptional. It is this service, and of course the food, that attracts a diverse, and well-to-do crowd. President Clinton, Kim Cattrall, and Fat Joe are among the stars who have dined here.

Bruno Jamais is defined by its contrasts. The subdued, early evening dinner crowd gives way to raucous cocktail and DJ-driven revelers (there is also a late night menu featuring items such as caviar, club sandwiches, and pommes frites). The warm walls are graced by the eye-popping art of internationally known Cyrille Margarit. Playful, feminine touches, including polka-dotted sofas break up the room.

Perhaps the best way to experience Bruno Jamais is to come for a late dinner, and to stay for the drinks and dancing. About that food...Chef Jonathon Keller, who trained at Nobu and Le Bernadin, brings the occasional Asian influence to the contemporary French menu. To start, the Lobster Brulee is simply a must. Think of the finest comfort food you have ever tasted, and then think of something better. This is it. Chunks of fresh lobster arrive buried in a tasty sambal aioli. On the subject of comfort food, the truffled mac & cheese is as good as this recently popular dish is at any restaurant in the city. The crisp, crumbling top layer adds the perfect texture to the sweet, soft cheese below. The well-prepared duck and the 'scallops three ways' are both good options, especially when you are indulging in those rich dishes. When you finish your meal, order up another bottle of wine, or indulge in one of the signature cocktails, because the party is just getting started.

Sexy yet elegant, chic yet subdued, Bruno Jamais Restaurant Club is the perfect place to take that special someone, or that special someone else.

Bruno Jamais Restaurant Club
24 E 81st St
New York, NY, 10028
(212) 396-3444
www.brunojamais.com

Venue Review: National Underground

Singer/Songwriter Gavin DeGraw recently opened a new live-rock venue, National Underground, in the space that used to house Martignetti Liquor. With a promise of inexpensive drinks, an unpretentious door, and of course, live music, National Underground looks to be a winner. As UrbanDaddy says, "It's just an unassuming bar with a mic stand in the corner, some Crazy Horse-inspired table art with silhouettes of the female form, and a metallic crest welded on the bar."

National Underground
159 East Houston Street (at Allen)
New York, NY 10002
(212) 475-061

Venue Review: 124 Rabbit Club

124 Rabbit Club is a beer bar that opens tomorrow (Tuesday), on MacDougal, in the heart of Greenwich Village. Thrillist has the details, and they sound good:

An unmarked cellar reminiscent of Midtown's Single Room Occupancy, Rabbit's a partnership between a Death & Co/Bourgeois Pig founder and a former manager of CBGB (who thinks you're the bourgeois pig). Walk down the stairs and buzz the door, and you'll be ushered into a well-appointed sleeve w/ a long brass bar, fuzzy felt wallpaper, and candle votives made from broken beer bottles -- because in such a princely establishment, it's declassé to expect fighting patrons to break their own. Choose from a 30-strong beer list from Ireland, England, Germany, Belgium and the Czech Republic, highlighted by the freeze-distilled Kulmbacher Eisbock, and the winter porter Santa's Butt -- a slightly less crippling body image problem than "Elf Wang".

Urban Daddy has some food recommendations:

And once you've settled in, you can cut the hops with a pretzel bread sandwich, a saltier, toastier version of the usual panino. Our suggestion is the ham and camembert, to quiet down that soft-cheese jones that's been tugging at you all day.

You can also check out 124 Rabbit Club's beer guide @ Thrillist, which might come in handy for the uninitiated.

124 Rabbit Club
(212) 254-0575
124 MacDougal Street
New York, NY 10012

Venue Review: Le Lupanar - Restaurant & Lounge (NYC - New York City)

Le Lupanar is a just opened Lower East Side French restaurant. Where does the name come from?

One of the most important things about opening a restaurant, we’re told, is choosing a name. Kieter Chan and Ian Brahmstedt, partners at Le Lupanar on the Lower East Side, asked their French friends for help. “We wanted something kind of goofy, something exotic,” says and they wound up with a colloquial word for brothel. (NY Mag)

UrbanDaddy has got the scoop on the menu and more:

There's certainly plenty of action in the kitchen, with French fare like braised oxtails along with modern turns like the orange and rosemary crème brulée so you can finish in metropolitan style. As for the bar, it's BYOB until the liquor license comes in (due this winter), so until then you'll have to find your own absinthe connection.

The orchid-covered walls are lined with cozy tables for Parisian romance, and there's a communal table in the middle for when you show up plus an entourage or minus a reservation. For something more personal, there's the wood-paneled private dining room in the back, or in a couple weeks you can grab a DJ and head downstairs for a lounge that's a little more subterranean...

Le Lupanar
(212) 260-2036
103 Essex St (between Delancey and Rivington)
New York, NY 10002

Venue Review: The Smith - Restaurant & Bar (NYC - New York City)

Recently opened restaurant The Smith serves food late into the night in the East Village. UrbanDaddy dropped in and had positive things to say:

Brought to you by the same people who run the brunch-centric Jane, The Smith in contrast gives you a little bit more of the late night. It's one of those places where you go for the drinks and stay for the food—a collection of gourmet (booze-absorbent) American Brasserie favorites like the Chopped Steak with Mushroom Gravy and the Lamb Schnitzel with Parmesan Crust and the sure-to-be-loved crowd-favorite Hot Potato Chips with Gorgonzola fondue.

Eater has a copy of the menu (PDF).

The Smith
(212) 420-9800
55 3rd Ave (between 10th and 11th Streets)
New York, NY 10003

Venue Review: Gottino - Wine Bar (NYC - New York City)

Back in July Eater previewed Gottino, an at-the-time unopened wine bar in the West Village from Jody Williams of Morandi:

Greenwich Avenue is on the verge of a fairly substantial upgrade as Gottino (awning/logo reveal, above; as of 11/2006, right), a wine bar from Jody Williams and, per the SLA paperwork, Michael Bull, is readying for debut at number 52. The venue, it turns out, is steeped in Plywood history. At one time, this was believed to be a Brian McNally project; now we know better. A look through the increasingly uncovered front window reveals a marble bar the length of the room, with chandeliers of a crystal type hanging above.

So now that Gottino has opened, what can you expect? Great wine and some great pork. Seriosuly, what more could ask for?

Open under the radar this week, Gottino is an unassuming nook of a spot with baskets of fresh fruit on the bar and tins of sardines on the shelves. As you might guess, there's wine (a lot of it) mostly Italian scribbled on a white chalkboard. But where Gottino gets us excited is the two-page menu put together by Morandi's Jody Williams, proof that when a great chef goes into a small wine bar, things get interesting.

So, on a quiet night when you're feeling like a small bite you might opt for, say, the grass fed beef carpaccio with black truffles or maybe the heirloom apples stuffed with garlic sausage. And as always you should keep your eye on the pig. Specifically, the Lardo (aka rosemary and pepper cured Berkshire fat back over toast). The full range of meats and cheese come from as far off as Italy, and as close as upstate, so you won't have to stress about getting too regional.

Read the full review at UrbanDaddy.

Gottino
(212) 633-2590
52 Greenwich Ave
New York, NY 10011

Venue Review: Radegast Hall & Biergarten - (Williamsburg - NYC)

Sometimes, when you're in the mood for German beer, it can be hard to choose between the city's beer halls and its beer gardens. Now you can have both. How? Retractable Roof.

Opening next week in Williamsburg, Radegast Hall & Biergarten is all your central-European fantasies rolled into one: 24-oz pints, more lagers than you can count, and most importantly, a retractable roof that leaves no doubt that you'll always be imbibing under optimal conditions.

When you step inside, you'll suddenly find yourself in a Vienna beer hall circa 1890, complete with a portrait of two Kaisers overlooking your half-liter of lager. (Never trust a Kaiser.) Sidle up to the twisting wraparound bar, grab a half-liter of Hofbrau (there are 13 lagers on tap) and don't forget the appetizers—luckily, the Austrian version of bar food is steak tartare and roast quail. Auf Wiedersehen, beer nuts. (Urban Daddy)

Thrillist has more details on the beverage selection:

Euro-brewed good times come courtesy of 40 select bottles and 13 taps, including Dentergems Witbier, Hacker Pschorr Weisse, and other brands whose pronunciation will make you sound 10% drunker than you really are.

Besides suds, RB pours 22 wines and a staggering 121 cordials, an imbalanced liqueur-to-beer ratio that almost led Radegast's owners to choose a different name -- 'til they realized no one would trek anywhere for a place called Candypants Schnappsgarten.

Radegast Hall & Biergarten
(718) 963-3973
113 N 3rd St, at Berry
Williamsburg, NY 11211
http://radegasthall.com

Venue Review: Bacaro - Wine Bar (NYC - New York City)

Opening on Wednesday night is Bacaro, an underground Venetian spot in an area that's more Chinatown than Little Italy. UrbanDaddy has the details:

Inspired by chef/owner Frank DeCarlo (Peasant) and his wife Dulci's last trip to Venice, Bacaro is a tale of two bars. Upstairs, sunny and bright from the breezy front picture windows, is a charming wine bar with dark wood rafters, a stately marble bar, and a series of small tables perfect for lounging with a carafe of wine and some bar snacks (try the marinated sardines or the spicy fried meatballs).

The real draw of Bacaro, however, is its engrossing, catacumbal downstairs, all exposed brick, slate floors and rough wood accents. The lighting is dark, sexy. The main room, with another large bar and a few scattered tables, gives way to two wine cellars, a salami room (yes it needs its own room) and two darkly lit vault rooms. It's here where larger parties will get lost in a languorous meal of braised duck, smoked mozzarella lasagna and endless bottles of Valpolicella and Amarone (the wine list has 75 bottles from regions surrounding Venice).

For a menu, head over to Thrillist.

Bacaro
(212) 941-5060
136 Division St (between Orchard St and Ludlow St)
New York, NY 10002

Venue Preview: Brasserie 44 at the Royalton Hotel - Restaurant

PR:

This month, after a brief closure, Morgans Hotel Group Co. (Nasdaq: MHGC)
("MHG") proudly unveils the 17.5 million dollar renovation of the newly
re-thought and newly re-imaged Royalton, designed by noted New York-based
design firm Roman & Williams.

Eater has some interior pics.

Elsewhere, Urban Daddy offered this review:

In its heyday, The Royalton was a collision of minimalist design and midtown chaos. While the spirit remains, the space is now darker, sexier, more eclectic and decidedly less Scandinavian-looking (minus Magnus behind the counter). The lobby is a series of loungey pockets filled with steel and brass patina'd chairs, cowhide covered sofas, and...a chess set (for brushing up on your strategy). The lighting and décor along the long runway-like lobby are meant to draw patrons, like a moth to a flame, from the darker entranceway to the glowing Brasserie 44, situated in the rear, which is where you'll want to lay your aim after a few drinks at the bar.

As for the food:

The seasonal menu (changed, oddly enough, four times a year) is all classic brasserie fare. Try the Pan Roasted Veal Chop or the Black Bass en Papillote.

Brasserie 44 at the Royalton
(212) 869-4400
44 W 44th St
New York, NY 10036

Venue Review: Back Forty - Restaurant - Bar (NYC - New York City)

Today let's take a look at Avenue B newcomer Back Forty:

For a spot that's culled the wheat from the chaff, try Back Forty, open Wednesday.

Thrillist - Back FortyChef-owned by the trio behind Savoy, 40's narrow, two-roomed space is pleasingly spare, with white walls ceremoniously adorned with farm tools, not unlike a samurai's armory (so the chef can commit sheep-shear seppuku if his food's exposed as regionless and nonseasonal).

The menu focuses only on a handful of dishes, including Blue Crab Rolls, Grass Fed Burgers, and Red Maine Shrimp & Lobster Beignets -- as if a donut and a raw bar made sweet, briny love.

(Thrillist)

Citysearch's new Imbible blogger stopped by to try the cocktails:

...after sampling just one of the new bar's signature cocktails--the Back Forty, a mix of Tennessee whiskey, maple syrup, orange bitters and lemon--at last night's media preview event, I was pretty tipsy, and I can't remember the last time anything served in a rocks glass (other than straight, 100-proof mash liquor) had that effect. Ok, fine, maybe it had something to do with the cold medicine I've been taking, but either way, when Back Forty officially opens next week (October 17, to be exact), I'll be back.

Sounds like a plan.

Back Forty
(212) 388-1990
190 Avenue B (at 12th)
New York, NY 10009

Venue Review: Label - Bar / Empanada Window (NYC - New York City)

If you've been out on Rivington lately, you might have noticed a neon empanadas sign in the window at 174. You might have thought, nice, a takeout empanadas spot, perfectly located to finish off a night of drinking on the Lower East Side. You would be right about that, but there's more to 174 Rivington than a casual glance would indicate. What we have here is Label:

[W]hat we have here is a hotspot hidden behind the guise of an empanadas joint, which is something you just don't see everyday. As a special bonus, in fact, these homemade Colombian empanadas come direct from the kitchen of [owner] Nick [Valencia's] family uptown and the early word is they're damn tasty. But let's be clear: this is not. an. empanadas. joint. It's a music-focused bar and as such Valencia has installed a top-notch sound system for your listening entertainment. (Eater)

UrbanDaddy has the details on the sound-system:

But the truth is, Label's main entrée is music. Valencia calls his place a "musicbar" (yep, one word), and the name "Label" comes from "White Label," the term used to describe new and unlicensed remixes from underground DJs and producers. Backing up all the music-talk are 14 speakers from a five-figure Electrovoice sound system, a DJ booth situated behind an intimate dance space and two inches of acoustic foam that cover the entire ceiling of the long, narrow and antler-sconced cavern—meaning you'll hear all of Label's funk/soul/Latin/deep-house/non-commercial music with pristine clarity.

You can check out the Thrillist review here.

Label
(212) 228-9600
174 Rivington Street
New York, NY 10002

Venue Review: The Rook - Bar - East Village (NYC - New York City)

East Village newcomer The Rook specializes in craft beer, with over fifty bottles available, along with seven rotating drafts. Included in this list are three a piece from Chimay and Abita, as well as Lindemans Framboise (A fine Belgian Raspberry Lambic Ale). You can expect to see Choufe, Rouge varieties, and local Blue Point brews among the rotating drafts.

Stop by for Happy Hour from 4-9pm everyday. $4 well drinks, $3 can beers, $6 for Budweiser and a shot

According to Shecky's, it's a labor of love:

Owners Matt Dugan and Thomas and Brian Hunt must have tossed back quite a few because they know their brews and definitely want to spread the love. Ask about the beer flights…the best “trip” you’ll ever take.

The East Village Idiot stopped by The Rook a couple of weeks back:

Did you find a new bar in the East Village that totally blew your mind with its beer selection, jukebox, happy hour specials, and its inclusion of Golden Tee and Big Buck Hunter?

Yes. It’s called The Rook, and it’s on Avenue A between 5th and 6th Streets.

The Rook
85 Avenue A
New York, NY 10009
http://myspace.com/rooknyc

Venue Preview: Greenhouse - Nightclub (NYC - New York City)

Billed as the world's first eco-friendly nightclub, Jon B's (Home, Guest House) Greenhouse is set for a winter opening. There's a party in Paris to celebrate the imminent opening tomorrow night (Wed Oct-3), but first, the details on Greenhouse (courtesy of The Chief Engineer):

Home and Guest House owner John B. has ruled Manhattan’s   night life with over-the-top decor and Broadway-worthy special effects. But his latest club, Greenhouse, is all about conserving.

The venue is applying for LEED certification, a designation granted by the U.S. Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

The space will be made mostly from recycled materials and has the feeling   of a glitzy nature preserve, with a huge waterfall and a ceiling made of live plants.

“   I don’t necessarily think just because something is green or energy saving or recycled, means it isn’t going to be luxurious,” he said.

As for that party in Paris, it's at Club Le Baron, there will be 3 hour open bar and Jus Ske, Ani Quinn and Sal Morale will all be DJing.

More details to come on Greenhouse in the coming weeks and months. You can also check the official website, though there isn't much there just yet.

Venue Review: Huckleberry Bar (Brooklyn - Williamsburg - NYC)

Stephanie Schneider and Andrew Boggs, the co-owners of Huckleberry Bar, have both put in time at various Danny Meyer restaurants (Blue Smoke, Gramercy Tavern), so it's no surprise that their new Williamsburg cocktails and small plates venture is aiming high:

Schneider and her partner, Andrew Boggs, are both seasoned veterans of Danny Meyer Enterprises, so it’s no wonder their speech is peppered with gastro-cultural signifiers like “seasonal,” “high-quality ingredients,” and “hospitality-driven.”

Apply those buzzwords to an ambitious, high-minded bar, and you end up with house-made grenadine in your Agave Sunrise, fennel marmalade on your homemade English muffin, and red and yellow beets pickled in gin and plated with Stilton and walnuts. A distinct southern accent is evident in chef Seth Johnson’s boiled peanuts and hard-boiled eggs garnished with red-eye gravy or Winston-Salem hot sauce. The obligatory meat-and-cheese plates are on offer, too, as are desserts like chocolate cooked cream with huckleberry jam, and the plan is to keep the kitchen open late into the night. Classic and seasonal cocktails may take center stage, but the owners claim as much pride in their carefully selected wines and beers and invite you to enjoy them, as long as this temperate weather holds, in the serene garden out back.

More @ NY Mag.

Huckleberry Bar
(718) 218-8555
558 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
www.huckleberrybar.com

Venue Review: Bobo - Restaurant, Bar, & Lounge (NYC - New York City)

Bobo--so named for bourgeois bohemians (see Bobos In Paradise by David Brooks)--is a new restaurant/lounge/bar in the West Village. According to NY Mag, when restaurateur  'Carlos Suarez was describing the vibe of his impending West Village restaurant to a friend, he used the word bobo.' The term 'stuck,' and thus we have Bobo.

So what exactly is Bobo? Eater has the details (along with some great pictures):

The kitchen work, thus far, is by chef Nicolas Cantrel, but for the early moving eaters the real attraction is a design by Caroline Grant and Dolores Suarez (relation; cousins), who design residences, mostly, but have really come to play here. Details are smart (check out the coasters) and all of the rooms -- there is a bar with tables and a rear cafe downstairs; upstairs is the proper dining room, another bar and a large rear patio -- feel authentically and uniquely clubby, not derivative of, say, the Waverly Inn.

Urban Daddy offers this bit of advice:

After dessert, head past a second bar and out onto the back patio, complete with a white paint-chipped trellis, antique daybed, lemon tree and room for 30. It might be the best new spot in the city for an after-dinner smoke and glass of wine.

Bobo
(212) 488-2626
181 W. 10th St
New York, NY 10014

A Drive-In Theater Opens On The Lower East Side (NYC - New York City)

Yes, you read that title right, the Lower East Side is now home (for 4 months) to a Drive-In theater--sort of. Yeah, of course there's a catch, but in this case, the catch only makes things cooler:

Under starry skies and the foliage of a potted tree, guests can watch classic films in a blue 1965 Ford Falcon convertible. With seating for six and a full concession stand, this unique theater setting is one of the Lower East Side's most intimate experiences. Starting with films from 1960 and progressing chronologically each night, DRV-IN will take you through four decades worth of cinematic achievement.

Urban Daddy explains just exactly what is going on here:

The brainchild of Hall and Ben Smyth, the Canadian set designers who brought you PONG, DRV-IN is a one-car drive-in movie theater available for the next 40 days. (It's also Manhattan's only drive-in of any size.) Inside a 1965 Ford Falcon convertible, you'll watch one of the classic films of the last 50 years, along with popcorn, bottled water and anything else you can tactfully sneak in.

You can make reservations via the Grand Opening website, but be warned, DRV-IN has proven to be quite popular...In other words, heed this warning: Show times will become available for online booking at 9am 10 days prior to their screening.

DRV-IN (Grand Opening)
(646) 478-7689
139 Norfolk Street
New York, NY 10002

Venue Review: Kingswood - Restaurant & Lounge (NYC - New York City)

Among the many New York City restaurants making a debut this fall, Kingswood looks to be a standout. Located in the West Village, Kingswood features a British/Australian derived menu.

Urban Daddy on the setting:

Presented by Australian-born Nick Mathers (owner of Nolita café Ruby's), Kingswood has all the scenic tranquility of an outdoor garden...moved indoors. Taking the cue of the Jefferson Market Garden across the street—and running with it, Aussie-style—Kingswood will keep your eyes busy with a doesn't-sound-like-it-would-work-but-trust-us-it-does arrangement of: butterflies on the ceiling, skylit ivy hanging off the bar, ferns and birds contained in mesh wiring and, finally, Gorgeous George, a seven-foot stuffed India Blue peacock.

NY Mag on the food:

A pair of English co-chefs refrain from any obvious Australian or British motifs, showcasing dishes like roasted-peach salad with prosciutto and mascarpone, and Goan monkfish curry. The sole exception is Ruby’s renowned Bronte burger, named for the beach that Mathers claims locals favor over Bondi. “It’s a bit of a staple for us,” he says. “We don’t want to grow up too fast.”

Kingswood
(212) 645-0044
121 W. 10th Street
New York, NY 10011

Venue Review: The Gutter - Brooklyn Bowling Alley (NYC - New York City)

The Gutter is Brooklyn's first new bowling alley in a half century. Accordingly, the place has won a fair share of hype. Now that The Gutter is open, let's take a look inside.

First up is Gothamist:

The first bowling alley to open in Brooklyn in (we can't even believe this) nearly 50 years is about to open up! The Gutter is new...but the feeling old. Brought to you by two of the same people who brought you Barcade, expect a similar vibe. There's a Schlitz globe spinning over the shoe counter, vintage bowling items adorning the bar, old lamps throughout, and even some TVs with rabbit ear antennas.

You won't find flashy flatscreens displaying your scores and advertisements hanging above the lanes. The scoring machines are straight out of the past, and the only advertisements are on the pin clearing machine. Those ads are likely for establishments in a town far far away, however -- as the equipment was all purchased from an old bowling alley in the midwest.

Thrillist reports on what might be The Gutter's most alluring feature:

The most notable throwback's the price: $6 games ($7 on weekends) and $4 shoes -- which everyone will steal, forcing Gutter to reticently inaugurate this cash-cow of ill repute: "Taking Care of Business Tuesdays (Now With Lasers!)".

The Gutter
(718) 387-3585
200 N 14th St, between Wythe and Berry
Brooklyn, NY
www.thegutterbrooklyn.com

Venue Preview: Tailor - Restaurant (NYC - New York City)

Tailor, Sam Manson's (wd-50) long awaited 'sweet and salty' restaurant / cocktail lounge has finally thrown open its doors to the public.

To review, Tailor is the creation of Sam Mason, the former pastry chef at wd-50. Mr. Mason built his reputation by blending, deconstruction, and resynthesizing common and not-so-common kitchen ingredients.

UrbanDaddy had the scoop on the cocktail situation a few weeks back:

After your sweet fix in the dining area, head downstairs to the skylit underground grotto, which is heavy on the marble, copper and half-ripped-off vintage wallpaper. From here you can stretch out with specialty drinks like the Bazooka (vodka, bubble gum, house sour...on second thought, maybe that one's for her) and the Paprika Punch (rum, red bell pepper, lemon). And coming soon from house mixologist Eben Freeman: infusions like cedar bourbon and the mind-blowing pumpernickel raisin scotch.

Eater has the menu, which features 'Sweet' dishes such as 'Caramel panna cotta, corn sorbet, chocolate soil' and 'Ceder crème brulee, frozen tangerine, basil,' as well as 'Salty' dishes like 'Foie gras, peanut butter, cocoa, pear' and 'Pork belly, miso butterscotch, artichoke'

Tailor
525 Broome St. (between Thompson and Sullivan)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 334-5182
http://www.tailornyc.com/

Venue Review: Los Dados - Restaurant (NYC - New York City)

Los Dados is a new Mexican joint in the Meatpacking District from the Double Seven team and Sueños' Sue Torres. DailyCandy has details on the menu and the scene:

[Torres] [has] created a pass-that-over menu of tacos (roasted pork, coconut-infused halibut), ceviches (scallops with fennel and orange), and enchiladas (organic chicken mole).

The vibe is very neighborhood: bright walls, kitschy shrines and place mats, cool chandeliers. A take-out taqueria (complete with abuelita pressing tortillas) opens in a few days, and they’ll be serving into the wee small hours of the morning.

Thrillist has the details on the bar:

The bar's focused on 100% agave tequilas/rare mescals, plus Mex-tails like vanilla bean and orange blossom margaritas, and the Lagerita -- with lime, simple syrup, tequila, and Dos Equis, it takes the Gordian Knot of "liquor before beer?" and hacks through it with a...plastic straw.

And finally, UrbanDaddy has some info on a forthcoming taqueria next door:

And coming in two weeks: a subway-tiled takeout/delivery taqueria, possibly open as late as 4 a.m., serving stomach-filling street food like tortas (Mexican sandwiches), chalupas, fish tacos and churros. You'll also have access to Aguas Frescas: water infused with fruits like watermelon and pineapple.

Los Dados
73 Gansevoort St. (at Washington)
New York, NY, 10014
(646) 810-7290

New York City's Best Rooftop Restaurants

A few weeks back we brought you New York City's best rooftop bars. Today we've got New York City's best rooftop restaurants, courtesy of AMNY. Head over to AMNY to read the full story. Otherwise we've picked out a couple of of our favorites below:

Sushi Samba. OK, so it's lost some of the buzz it had when the 'Sex and the City' crew were hanging around. Still, the rooftop is a perfectly pleasant place to while away a warm evening, overlooking the swarms down in Sheridan Square. Food is fine -- the only problem is, you can't reserve that rooftop spot. All you can do is hope for the best when you show up. (87 Seventh Ave. South; 212-691-7885; expect to pay about $60 for dinner)

Alma You're in Brooklyn, and you want a rooftop place? Alma's upstairs is the perfect place to be, with a terrific view of the Manhattan skyline and a menu that focuses on very tasty Mexican food. Get tired of the rarefied atmosphere upstairs, the downstairs bar is a fine place to hang. (187 Columbia Street; 718-643-5400; expect to pay about $30 for a three-course dinner)

Venue Review: Crave Ceviche Bar - Restaurant (NYC - New York City)

New to Midtown is Crave Ceviche Bar, a restaurant dedicated to the cured specialty known as Ceviche.
MetroMix previewed the joint the other day:

Very sharp and gray, the winter-colored layout here suggests the tang often found in ceviche the inspiration behind the many experimental offerings coming your way. Lobster in lemon, shrimp in citrus, but did you expect beef to make the menu? Many are surprised to learn that other meats can be prepared in the house style, and when the filet mignon sliders arrive, you'll be convinced. This spot takes risks in the name of new flavor, and you should come along for the ride.

New York Mag has some words about the chef and his inspiration for an all-ceviche menu:

Todd Mitgang’s infatuation with ceviche began in cooking school, where, he says, “you learn that acidity and salt make food jump out at you. The word bright comes to mind.” It’s that quality that Mitgang tries to capture at Crave Ceviche Bar, where he takes a playful approach to “cooking” raw proteins with everything from tomato water to Champagne.

Crave Ceviche Bar
946 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10022
(212) 355-6565
craveceviche.com

Venue Preview: BarFry - Restaurant (NYC - New York City)

New to the West Village is BarFry, a restaurant and bar dedicated to all things Tempura. According to their website you can expect a pretty interesting menu:

Among the a la carte items BarFry offers are made-to-order tempura Po Boys, "bar boxes" which include a selection of seafood and vegetable tempuras and hand-selected meats prepared tonkatsu style ( Japanese cutlet), as well as signature sauces such as Pickled Jalapeno Soy, Red Yuzu Hot sauce and Wasabi Remoulade.  There is also a variety of side dishes like Sauteed Pea Leaves with Lemon Zest and XO Sauce, Olive Oil and Wasabi Pickles, and a chalkboard featuring daily tempura specials with ingredients that are sourced from local purveyors.

Urban Daddy has the important details--the booze situation:

ill your glass with Blue Point Blueberry Ale, Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout—or a beer made specifically for BarFry: Gaijin Pale Ale from Oregon's Rogue Brewery. There's also wine and cocktails (like the elusive Sake Sangria), all of which you can keep cold in the clever 23-foot ice trough that runs the length of the steel bar.

BarFry
50 Carmine Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 929-5050

Venue Review: BLT Market - Restaurant (NYC - New York City)

BLT Market, the latest restaurant from Laurent Touronde opens tomorrow (Thursday the 16th), in the Ritz Carlton on Central Park South. Touronde switches up the formula a bit in this latest incarnation of his BLT empire:

BLT Market focuses on fresh, seasonal ingredients available in farmers’ markets, paying particular attention to unusual, wild and locally grown items. The menu rotates monthly, and blackboard specials are updated weekly with first-of-the-season produce. Impeccably fresh produce is served only at its peak; seasonal fish, meat and cheese are sourced from local producers.

BLT Market will only be open for dinner until September 10th, when lunch, breakfast and Sunday brunch hours will be added. Until then the restaurant will be in "preview mode," which translates to a 10% discount off the regular menu prices.

New York Magazine previewed the menu in a recent issue:

Although he’s yet to be spotted in socks and Birkenstocks foraging for stinging nettles near the Ramble, his monthly changing menu will yield to none in its exuberance for scrupulously (and often locally) sourced ingredients. To wit: an arugula-and-dandelion salad, tomato soup with fried green tomatillo, Amish chicken, and striped bass with cranberry-bean caponata

BLT Market
1430 6th Avenue (at Central Park South)
New York, NY 10019
(212) 521-6125

Venue Review: Spitzer's Corner - Bar & Restaurant (NYC - New York City)

We've been waiting on Spitzer's Corner for a while, so we were glad to hear over at Eater that they had their soft opening this weekend.

Restaurant Girl was there, and she posted a copy of the menu online. Standouts include:

There's a doozy of a raw bar that's soon to display west & east coast oysters, shrimp and king crab legs.  The seafood-studded menu features a whole fish version of fish & chips, cuttlefish in squid ink sauce and beer-battered oysters.  The carnivorously-inclined can feast on the house burger, grilled lamb ribs with harissa and the "PBLT" (crisp pork belly, lettuce & tomato on challah bread).  Cooperman wraps with fried donuts, sorbet and ice cream.  Just a light bar snack with your beer on tap, think pork fat popcorn, LES pot of pickles or mixed olives.

UrbanDaddy has positive things to say as well:

The décor is simple—pickle barrel wood for the floors and walls, unfinished metal for the bar and lighting—but a perfect foil to the melee-prone exterior. And then there's the beers. Modestly billed by owner Rob Shamlian as the single greatest selection of beers ever assembled in the city (fighting words if we've ever heard them), Spitzer's brings you 40 flavor-heavy beer-drinkers beers with names that sound like old European monks and despots (Aventinus, Old Rasputin, St. Bernardus).

Spitzer's Corner
101 Rivington Street (At Ludlow)
New York, NY, 10002
(212) 228-0027

Venue Review: The Half Pint - Bar & Restaurant (NYC - New York City)

Recently opened Greenwich Village bar/restaurant The Half Pint described themselves to Eater:

I would like to let you know about our new restaurant open in Greenwich Village.  It's called The Half Pint.  We've been open one month and have had a very positive response from all of our neighbors. Our kitchen is open until 2 am and our food could be described as gastro-pub style. Please feel free to check out our menu on the website. We are also on Menu Pages. We have 4 sister restaurants-Saint Andrews, Maggie's Place, Stout and Fat Annie's Truck Stop. All 5 locations are under the culinary direction of CIA trained chef Mark Whelan.

Sounds good so far. NY Mag stopped by and they offer up some details in their listing:

The mark of a serious beer bar is whether it carries cask-conditioned ale, and this candlelit corner, owned by the team behind midtown’s brew mecca Stout, displays its pump handle as a point of pride. For discerning imbibers, the couple dozen regular taps belch out anomalies like Australia’s Blue Tongue Lager and New York’s own Wailing Wench IPA as well as plain ol’ Bud or Bud Light to the NYU Law students who come simply to debate whether they should get BlackBerrys or iPhones. Meanwhile an international assortment of over one hundred bottles, including a healthy stock of Scottish, Brit, and Australian varieties, are lit up in coolers.

Check JoonBug for more information about The Half Pint.

Venue Review: The Volstead - Bar & Restaurant

The Volstead is a new speakeasy-style bar/restaurant in Midtown from the team behind Tribe, Vig 27, and Punch and Judy. So where does the name come from?

Andrew John Volstead was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota. An absolute teetotaler, his name is closely associated with the National Prohibition Act of 1919, usually called the Volstead Act. That was the enabling legislation for the enforcement of national prohibition beginning in 1920.

So what else do we know about The Volstead? For one they'll be throwing their Grand Opening party tomorrow night (Aug 8). As for the menu, signature items include Braised Short Rib Cheese Steaks, Nori Crusted Tuna Salad, and Tilapia Fish Tacos. Potential standout cocktails include the Lychee Margarita and the Volstead Lemonade.

Check JoonBug for more information about The Volstead.

Venue Review: Bookmarks - Rooftop Bar (NYC - New York City)

Sitting atop the Library Hotel, Bookmarks is one of Midtown's finest rooftop bars.:

If the New York rooftop convention is plastic cups, palm fronds, white picket fencing and the Heineken-Corona-Amstel troika of over-marketed beers, Bookmarks, at the Library Hotel, is raging against the machine. Glasses made of glass! Decidedly deciduous plants! Pilsner Urquell and Dos Equis Amber for $7!

This midtown place is also among the most tasteful of rooftops, with wicker furniture, a brick and stone railing and a high-ceilinged greenhouse for chilly nights. (NY Times)

Citysearch offers this bit of advice about Bookmarks:

Beware the after-work onslaught, which can ruin cozy, close quarters with elbow-to-elbow crowds. If you plan on stopping by in the early evening, call ahead to find out if they're busy.

Check JoonBug for more information about Bookmarks.

Venue Review: D'or (at the Dream Hotel) - Bar & Restaurant (NYC - New York City)

The Dream Hotel in Midtown has had a popular thing going with its rooftop bar for a while--and now it's got a subterranean space to compete in D'Or. Shecky's stopped by and they have the lowdown on what you can expect at D'Or (which, by the way, means of gold in French):

Located in the basement of the recently opened Amalia restaurant (inside the Dream Hotel), D’Or is a cavernous space (one might say a scenier version of the Batcave) aimed at attracting the younger, hipper set to this trendy midtown location (whether or not it succeeds at this remains to be seen). Features include a "floating" staircase entrance, Rococo-esque artwork, crystal chandeliers, and modern design.

NY Mag reports that menu standouts include lamb osso bucco and chorizo-stuffed chicken from Ivy Stark’s kitchen upstairs.

Check JoonBug for more information about D'Or.

Venue Review: Cocoa Bar (NYC - New York City)

Popular Park Slope chocolate spot Cocoa Bar recently established a second outpost on the Lower East Side. The formula remains the same: A full menu of chocolates, cake, wine, coffees, and special-recipe hot cocoa.

Shecky's dropped by and they liked what they saw:

Management wisely recommends special wine and chocolate pairings as well as a solo bon bon menu and a slew of adventurous chocolate flights. Meanwhile, elaborate hand-crafted cocktails like the Clinton or the Strawberry Margarita are such stunning confections, it's a shame to drink them. But rest assured that anything served here goes well 'au chocolat.'

Grub Street has a snapshot of the interior.

Check JoonBug for more information about Cocoa Bar.

Venue Review: Black Rabbit Bar (Brooklyn, NYC)

After putting in 14 years of time in the service industry, Kurt Lanier has staked out on his own in Greenpoint, at the Black Rabbit Bar. The theme of the Black Rabbit is Prohibition-era speakeasy meets Western Saloon, and they've gone out of their way to assure authenticity:

In fact, nearly every aspect of the former 19th-century row house is a thoughtful creation inspired by the hush-hush spirit of the roaring ‘20s, with hefty influences from Louisiana-born Kent and wife Anne Lanier’s favorite European pubs. “Every fixture, from the lights to the chandeliers on the ceiling, is pre-1945,” Lanier says. “The floors are salvaged from an 1880s mill in South Carolina. They have holes and scratches, and the planks are all different lengths.”

About a 10-minute walk from the Bedford L stop in Williamsburg, Black Rabbit is a visual standout with its jet-black exterior, red wood-paneled ceiling, and antlers, vintage lamps and portraits adorning the walls. (Metromix)

Check JoonBug for more information about the Black Rabbit Bar.