Friday May 14th

6:30pm

40 Broad Street (located on the second floor of The Setai)

I met the Wine Dutchess for an afternoon work session at the Hive at 55 to design her new logo—and since we were already on Broad Street we felt compelled to stop in SHO for a Friday evening cocktail. SHO is located on the second floor of The Setai, luxury condos that are a brand extension of the Miami namesake. A quick elevator ride after entering the small black and red lobby you step in to the bar and lounge area of SHO. The space is very sleek and minimal, evocative of Miami Beach style – except here the Stock Exchange is steps away rather than the beach. Just past the entrance is a walkway lined with wine bottles from floor to ceiling set behind glass, which leads to the main dining area. I had dinner in the dining room back in January and the 6 courses were mostly a hit (one or two dishes were misses, they felt a little dated like they belonged in the movie Wall Street circa 1987), but I digress. Tonight was about the cocktails and a cheese plate, which at $20 for the chef’s selection of 6 came complete with a lesson in fromages from our server. We learned that fine blue cheese is often cored and served with champagne in the center, that fruit paste is meant to cleanse your pallet between tasting the different types of cheese (as ginger does for sushi) and that cheese plate selections are presented left to right from fresh to sharp.

Tip: Monday – Friday SHO offers a 3-course prix fixe lunch for $30, a small price for a fine dining experience.

Cocktail

• French 75 in Padua – Aperol, Citadelle, Prosecco, Blood Orange

Chef’s Selection of Cheeses

• Lynnhaven Goat Cheese, Comté, Langres and two that were off the menu including a blue and and a Sheeps Milk

  

  The cheese plate was small for $20, but delicious.

  

  French 75 in Padua made with blood orange and Prosecco

  
  
  

Good for: Expense check dinners, Special Occasion, Foodies, cocktails, award winning Wine list, Fine Dining in FiDI, Prix Fixe Lunch

Thursday March 11, 2010
7:00pm
105 Rivington Street

The charity group I belong to, the WGIRLS NYC, was hosting their Ties & Tiaras fund-raiser at The Hotel on Rivington’s newest lounge CV (formerly 105 Rivington). The first hour was open bar, so we all descended upon it to enjoy our complimentary well drinks. Around 8pm we actually reached capacity and guests were directed to LevantEast next door to have a drink until the crowd thinned out a bit. The bar itself is rather small, however there’s a small step (should be noted because it’s easy to miss it) that leads to a main floor lined with tables and seating with a DJ booth tucked into the back. There are only two restrooms (unisex, a peeve of mine) but considering the amount of people the wait wasn’t that long. After the open bar ended drinks were a bit pricey ($15 for top shelf). The space is intimate and decorated with a vintage style wallpaper – all in all it was a great venue to host a private event.

Cocktail:

• Kettle One and soda

Good for: Trendy, Private Events

Saturday March 6, 2010
9:30pm
848 Washington Street

After dinner I met a few friends at the bar of The Standard Grill – located in the Standard Hotel beneath the High Line. The bar itself isn’t that big but draws a large crowd on the weekend. If you arrive early, or patiently stalk a table until someone leaves, you can usually grab a seat. There are only a few bartenders, so patience is a virtue here. The crowd is trendy, so expect to dress well unless you’re only planning on going to the Biergarten next door. Upstairs is the elusive Boom Boom Room, which I hope to visit one of these nights.

The classic cocktail menu is a nice touch, featuring vintage drinks moderately priced at $10. In addition to the full bar there’s also a good selection of wines (mostly French and California wines).

Cocktail:

• Penny Drop – vodka, housemade ginger cordial, lime juice, ginger beer, fresh ginger served on the rocks

Good for: Small groups, Singles, Trendy, Cocktails

Saturday March 6, 2010
6:30pm
16 W 29th St

One of the latest in the recent hotel dining trend, The Breslin opened in the Ace Hotel last October. Located on West 29th Street it fits into the Out of Bounds category, but since it’s headed by chef April Bloomfield of Spotted Pig fame I was willing to make an exception. I had been at the Armory Show with a friend all afternoon and we wanted to take advantage of the early 6 o’clock hour. The Breslin seemed perfect since they don’t accept reservations and tables are on a first come first serve basis… fortunately we were seated immediately.

The vibe is very cool, very dark and dimly lit. An eclectic mix of music, ranging from old-school Phoenix to Tupac, played while we looked over the menu. Various cow and bull decorations adorn the room, and if you’re lucky enough they have 4 private booths along the side wall with red velvet curtains. The food is dubbed as New American, but leans toward French with a large selection of game and terrines and even gastropub with the snack menu (scotch eggs, boiled peanuts cooked in pork fat). It’s not light fare by any means – it’s heavy, it’s fried, and will probably result in an extra trip to the gym during the week, but it’s delicious and worth every bite.

Pre-dinner cocktail:

• London Calling

Snack:

• Scrumpets (fried lamb) served with a mint vinegar dipping sauce

Wine Pairing:

• Sauvignon blanc

Good for: Dinner, Date Night, Out of town guests, Romantic, Foodies, Business Lunch