Saturday April 17th, 2010
11:15pm
1 Little West 12th Street

A month in New York isn’t complete without at least one birthday party and/or going away party invitation – tonight it was the latter and a prime table at one of the newest Meatpacking ventures The Collective. It’s is part of The One Group, who also own STK and Tenjune, but it’s definitely got it’s own unique identity. Upon entering you really don’t know where to look first – there’s machinery on the walls, sculptures made of pill bottles, pillars adorned with jewelry, street signs, chairs made of functional crosswalk signs (see photo below). It’s unlike any space I’ve seen and kind of felt like being in the intersection where Dada meets Dali meets Dr. Suess (I’m a fan of all). Staying true to the name, The Collective is a mix of people, ages, styles, music, food and drinks. The bar area isn’t that big, and the main draw seemed to be tables that can accomodate large groups – a few of them celebrating birthdays and bachelorette parties. There’s  a small dinner menu, but it’s not really a restaurant as more of a lounge that serves food. The menu features a section called “a taste of the hoods,” which is supposed to feature favorites by neighborhood but the choices seem a little clichéd. A few people in our group ordered food and it looked average for upwards of $20 an entree. I’d recommend sticking to the cocktails while taking in the eye candy.

Cocktail

• Moscow Mule – vodka, ginger beer and lime

GOOD FOR: SINGLES, GROUPS, CELEBRATING, TABLE SERVICE, COCKTAILS, LATE NIGHT, EYE CANDY