Let me guess—you’ve done it all. Scrubbed your unconscious date off a bar stool and hurled her or him into a cab? Waved off baseball-cap-wearing, beer-bellied hunks and gold-jewelry-ed / popped-collared / Hawaiian-shirt-clad (circle as many as fit) predators twice your age? Lied about the death of all your family members to ditch a completely classless date, or even feigned sickness, fainting, heart attack or diarrhea to escape from the all-too-annoying bar vultures? Been there, done that.
Basta! Next time my date asks me if I prefer Amstel or Bud light, or takes me for drinks to Hooters, I’ll end up with a homicide record. It’s time to move to places that don’t stink of beer and sweat and the crowd which doesn’t collect Key Foods coupons, lives on fries with nuggets and that never, ever uses a beer hat.
Inc Lounge
www.incloungenyc.com
224 W 49th St, 2nd Fl
Phone: (212) 320-2984
Tired of Amy Winehouse and Blake Fielder-Civil types? Come to where George Clooney and Sarah Larson lookalikes dwell in the atmosphere of snobbery and chic. The owner of such attested NYC hotspots as Rm. Fifty5 and Ava Lounge, Ric Addison, decided to pamper the Big Apple socialites with 2,500 square feet of glam-soaked plush area complete with abundance of black leather and cowhide sofas, large mirrors, and a shiny black bar. Attempting a retro disco look of the ‘70s, Inc Lounge does not fall far behind that goal, though you can sense a certain dose of corniness. But who cares—you’re little likely to see a guy in a polo shirt inside.
Getting my breath by the bar and feeling finally more like Samantha Jones (only 200 years younger) than Gloria Bunker; I tried to spot some eye candy among the suit-clad, money-stinking, but little aggressive individuals who at least try to pretend they glance at my face and not below it.
There’s plenty of room to flirt (three rooms filled with soft ottomans), even more so thanks to the dance floor with a live DJ on weekend nights. The lounge’s location (The Time Hotel) gives it an extra touch of intimacy and a cosmopolitan aura.
The drinks are on the expensive side, but, classy lady as you are (or an audacious usurper like me, sipping one martini for 45 minutes), should not be hurt by it too much. It’s either that or them cowboys in Joe’s Pub.
Who you can bring home: The suit-wearing pros who hit Inc Lounge for after-work drinks.
Watch out for: Drunken yuppies.
Click for more info on Inc Lounge New York.
Salon de Ning
www.salondening.com/
700 5th Ave, 23rd Fl
(between 54th St & 55th St)
(212) 956-2888
Asiaphiles should be delighted as the upscale contemporary variation of Salon de Ning from Shanghai and Hong Kong arrived to New York, resuscitating the notion of old-school Asian “Orient” and Chinese kitsch décor for the pleasure of western townsmen. Located on the rooftop terrace of the Peninsula New York, this trendy semi-plein-air lounge offers a number of cozy ottomans and great night-time view of 5th Avenue. Complete the ambience with one of their signature cocktails (if you haven’t try lychee liqueur yet, now’s the time) for a pinch dose of socializing skill. As long as you’re not allergic to suits and you’re over, say, 25, there should be plenty options to pick from at this Midtown after-work chilling sanctuary. Okay, the suit guys can be importunate too, but at least they smell nice. And the atmosphere and gorgeous view make for enough class to start a great evening and perhaps some new friendships. And by friendships, I don’t mean friendships.
Who you can bring home: Mostly midtown guys in early thirties. Think Sex and the City on the worse episodes.
Watch out for: A-holes with Asian fetishes
Click for more info on Salon de Ning New York.
Arlo & Esme
42 E 1st St
(between 2nd St & 3rd St)
(212) 777-5617
Finally a place on a budget and with just the kind of chic I am fond of. An upper-crust, though supple, coffee and wine place during the day, Arlo & Esme turns into a dim, seductive maze at night, with flickering candle light and couches paired with small coffee tables. Don’t get discouraged by the bright, French-bistro-looking first room, since, as soon as you pass it, a dim dungeon of underground seduction awaits you downstairs together with another full bar, bare stone walls, abstract art pieces and sea of red, brothel-like light. It attracts the fashionable and young crowd (finally my favorite age range of early to late twenties). As I was getting indulgently comfortable on one of their cozy sofas, with gin and tonic in hand, I noticed that girls predominate in this temple.
When the DJ is not around, the playback varies from George Michael to TLC; but when he finally arrives, expect a non-sickening and fairly eclectic mix of oldies and contemporary lounge music. Though the lack of printed cocktail lists might be a slight pain, that did not ruin my impression of Arlo & Esme being one of the cutest, coziest, and sexiest hangout spots I’ve been to in a while.
Who you can bring home: Young, sexy East Village crowd— mostly beautiful girls. Mostly blonde.
Watch out for: Occasional competition
Click for more info on Arlo & Esme New York.
Merkato55
www.merkato55.com
55 Gansevoort St
New York, NY 10079
(212) 255-8555
No other cuisine brings people together better than Ethiopian. Make use of it and split a plate with some sexy specimen at this trendy new Meatpacking District restaurant that also offers a great lounge-like atmosphere and an extended list of cocktails. Let me make it clear—this is a restaurant. But not many lounges have a more lounge-like ambience and slicker décor. Who can resist the cubical-style seating area and dim lighting joined with an artsy, well-thought and aesthetically non-nauseating décor (with ethnic African accents, of course)? This is not exactly where you throw the bait, but rather where you drag your pray for feasting on it. Or with it.
The seductive atmosphere and menu featuring jerk pork belly, yassa guinea hen, chickpea dumplings, plus the yummy Injera bread, create an almost-perfect date environment. Merkato 55 (named after a famous market in Ethiopia) offers an impressingly long dessert list, so that you can satisfy your sweet tooth while sipping one of their upper-shelf rums. Try it before it closes. You know how it is in the MPD.
Who you can bring home: Classy Meatpacking District connoisseurs.
Watch out for: Slow-ish service. Don’t try to pick up the bartender. Really.
follow clubplanet @
