Stylish evening at The Plaza Hotel

The Plaza Hotel reopened with much hype earlier this year. This century old hotel located by Central Park boasted newly renovated Louis XV style rooms and a champagne bar in the lobby. The champagne bar caught my attention! When a friend of a friend and I decided to meet for the first time, I took the opportunity to suggest drinks at The Plaza, and she liked the idea!

The interior decoration is sumptuous and luxurious, and we decided to sit upstairs at the Rose Bar, also in the lobby, but the atmosphere was cozier. The music was also trendier there, although the place seems to cater more to the hotel guests rather than to hipsters. The concierge highly recommended the afternoon tea at the Palm Court, on the other side of the lobby, which looks like a real oasis in the city.

A cold night in NYC!

A friend had recommended Ostia in the West Village, mentioning their tapas were tasty while reasonably priced.

I visited the place on a Friday night, thinking it would be difficult to get a table. To my surprise, the place was half empty by 9 p.m. and didn't get more busy by the time I left almost two hours later. Overall, I ended up being disapointed by the food, the service and the lack of atmosphere.

We ended the evening three blocks away at the Blind Tiger, newly relocated on Bleeker. The place was packed and the fireplace helped us warm up from the cold, along with a few pints of Pils.

Happy hour at Sapa

Last week, I spent a "happy hour" at Sapa with new friends. Located between Chelsea and the Flatiron district, it filled out quickly as the after work crowd flocked in to sip $5 wines (until 7:30 p.m.)and order finger food. The location has been open for four years and its white and spacious decor provide a high sense of style. The lobby serves as a lounge and the bar area is nestled adjacent to the restaurant area.

We sat in the lounge where the menu is limited for vegetarians. Overall, the decor was more charming than the food, but the restaurant menu offers interesting options inspired by French Southeast Asian cuisine.

A night out in SOHO

I recently pondered on the fact that I was not going out in SOHO enough to my liking. Prior to living in Manhattan, every trip to the city was not complete without a visit to SOHO. Yet, since moving to the city, I haven't been exploring this area enough. I addressed this problem last night.

As business is getting back to normal this week, so are the night outs with friends. I kicked-it off in style meeting up with the first friend I made since moving here, who happened to have moved to New York at the same time than I did. We both came up with a place to explore.

We meet at the SOHO Grand Hotel. Recomended by an American friend in exile. The place is welcoming, with a lounge and a bar area. We stuck to the lounge as the couches looked comfortable. We sampled a pizza and drank non-alcoholic fresh lemonade (considering that we were going to another location after and since I've implemented a "one-drink" only policy on school nights as part of the new year's resolutions, I was keeping the glass of wine for dinner).

It's a great place to chat, not too noisy and although the setting is trendy, the layout makes you feel like you're in someone's fancy living room. Beige and earth tones deco provide a calming feeling and the background music was great.

We then walked four blocks to have dinner at the Antique Garage. The place was charming. The decor makes you think of your grandma's living room, with ancient chandeliers, art and mismatched china. The wooden communal table at the center of room is ideal for a big group of friends. The menu, however, came as a surprised. I would have expected to have tea and sandwiches in this decor, but the Turkish chef has put a Turkish spin on the menu. We sampled the carrot and ginger soup and the borek topped with a glass of Tempranillo. Prices and food are decent and I'm planning on going back for brunch.

This was a great night where I got my fix of the almost mythical SOHO, but what made it special was the company. There's nothing like discovering great places with great friends...

Freemans: a Hidden Gem

I was completely charmed last week by Freemans, a restaurant hidden at the end of the back alley on Freemans in LES in New York.

Friends visiting from out of town wanted to try it and, even if we ended up waiting over a hour for a table, it ended up being a great experience. The country cottage decor was welcoming and the place was packed with hipsters. The restaurant is divided into various rooms, which provides intimacy.

The menu is simple, focused on comfort food. We shared a few appetizers and all agreed that the grilled cheese sandwich (with Dijon!) and the artichoke dip were the highlights. The service was great, except at the bar where we felt a bit squished while waiting for our talbe.

Will try and go back for brunch soon!

Slam Poetry Night

I attended my first slam poetry event last night. I was inspired by Super K who posted a performance on his blog (en français!) It made me look for a slam event in New York.

I wasn't aware of the etiquette and ended up arriving an hour after the session had started. Big mistake! My friend and I entered the room tip toeing, suddenly aware that it's a crime to show up late to these sessions.

We ordered a drink and sat at the back of the room at Bar 13 in Union Square. It was an open mic night and it became obvious that we were the only one who weren't going to speak. Some performances were interesting, other felt painful, but the crowd was cheering equally. If a speaker declares that he will recite a new poem, the audience yells "New Shit"! If the speaker claims that it's his first experience, the response is "Virgin"! Easy to follow.

The session featured Taylor Mali, an apparent fixture in the scene. His performance was followed by a Q&A with the audience. Again, it was evident that we were not part of the group, as every one asking a question was addressed to by name!

Maureen, the bartender, asked us at the end if we had come for the poetry (she seemed surprised when we confirmed so). She explained that these sessions have been running at Bar 13 for nine years and that every body knows every one (yeah, we had noticed!). Even if we stuck out like sore thumbs, it ended up being a great experience.

Roller Skating at Studio B

Brooklyn's Studio B was transformed into a classic roller disco and it sounded like a great way to spend a Saturday night. I attended the third installment of the Down & Derby party only to realized that roller skating is not like bicycle: I had forgotten how to graciously roll around!

The venue was packed and too small to practice on the side before joining the crowd, which led to several non-serious falls. The party goers colorfully dressed up in 70s style were rolling around the dance floor enjoying the music and atmosphere.

It ended up being a great exercise and next time, I'll do it in style. I regretted not having dressed up for the occasion!