Talk about the focus on décor. Once a venue owner figures out that New Yorkers are attracted to anything that shines, the rest comes easily-a supply of bottles, experienced mixologists, cocktail waitresses clad in short uniforms; and swarms of trendy individuals run to your club, bar or lounge like moonstruck.
NYC lounge Goldbar took the idea of glitzy décor to the risky extreme. Adding a grotesque side to this lavish color and seemingly mocking its own poshness, it supplies a creepy edge with walls covered entirely in golden skulls. The nauseating gleam inside is obscured with dark, often surreal-looking paintings of investors, contractors and… their dogs (in golden frames, of course) and black plush couches, which might even save the total, if not for the crystal chandeliers and throne-like chairs by the bar— the last clowns that make the car fall apart. Even the ceiling, DJ’s turntables and…cocktails are golden. The last are mostly fixed with hearty doses of honey-something definitely worthier of checking out than, say, the graffiti-covered bathroom, which we consider the final attempt to make us aesthetically confused. Overall, the glittery main room brings to mind a cave of the miserly dragon or Tiffany’s & Co. after a nuclear explosion that melted all the gold and splattered it over everything in random doses.
The ol’ tacky velvet rope was replaced with golden chains, and you should get ready to spend some time behind them, unless you happen to be a celebrity, millionaire or a certified jeweler. Of course, it’s hard to expect anything less from a chic Nolita joint tracing its lineage to one of New York’s biggest nightlife purveyors. Apparently Jamie Mulholland-the owner of Cain Luxe-decided that everybody deserves his pot of gold. And what’s better than pot if not a hotspot.
Even though a large chunk of the design, architecture and yoga oriented population of New York City considers GoldBar overdone, this upscale lounge continues to attract crowds ever since it opened its door. Widely considered a great pre-clubbing hangout, it’s not bad a party epicenter as well. The high-tech music equipment serves a hip assortment of house and more, while the Gossip Girl and Sex and the City types exercise their bodies on the dance floor or prowl among the low golden tables and booths. Bottle service is available but not required, which allows the rare teetotalers grab a table.
Summing up, if GoldBar was a celebrity, there’s a big chance it would be Joaquin Phoenix-we know it’s a fake, but it’s just there, begging for attention, and all the fuss makes it fun after all.
For more info on GoldBar, click here.
