Naked Lunch’s Danny Kane and Rod Surut have found themselves a fresh spring renovation project. What used to be Donald Trump’s Biltmore Room or what’s left of it, The Gates will publicly call home this month. As a re-envisioning of, this elegant Chelsea speak-easy-come-super-lounge will keep the rich interior alive with marble flooring and walls (which have been valued at $2.4 million) solid brass accoutrements, plush fabrics, large mirrors and crystal chandeliers. Sound like every newly-realized, New York City modern version of ‘classico’ lounge to you? Lavish interiors alone are so 2007, there has to be a catch! Oh and there is!
Featuring a promotional admittance program that enables entrance for only 125 of New York City’s chosen elite (names unreleased, of course), who will don the title ambassador - because ambassador sounds much more modish than promoter, right - The Gates is set to achieve exclusivity at its finest, at least for a while, anyways. Each ambassador will own a singular key, which strangely doubles as a pen or a bracelet, and even more strangely does not actually open anything. But owning this ‘beacon of belonging’ means more than functionality, as each ‘ambassador’ will have access to a computer which will store five to ten hand-picked names of ‘members’ who are allowed entrance with guests of their own.
This ‘nightlife’ trophic social network, as we like to think of it, caters to those of you who are the top dogs in the New York City circles or at the very least, the lesser-known that run alongside the top dogs. So, if you want to try to get past The Gates, make sure you know someone or know someone, who knows someone. (…yadda, yadda) We just hope there isn’t a rebellion of disapproving sub-groups; the backlash to this kind of exclusivity could be detrimental to The Gates’ long-term livelihood. Just sayin’…
This Tuesday through Sunday, after work hotspot offers imaginative cocktails at a less imaginable amount of $16 each. The good news is: if you cannot afford this kind of faire because you are unemployed, chances are ‘post labor drink’ just isn’t your thing in the first place. However, job or no job, we all have to eat and The Gates serves up a simple, yet inventive tapas-like cuisine which includes creative dishes - Bacon and Oyster Hushpuppies and Mac n’ Cheese Lollipops with a Champagne Gruyere Fondue. We recommend you give The Gates a try, if not for the hype, then at least to see what the ambassador key/locket/pen/bracelet is about.