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Originally a commercial district not designated for residential housing, the 17

name SoHo was coined by developers to 8 refer to the neighborhood South of 34 . 14 24

16 1 21 However, SoHo is not just a geographical location, 2 it is a statement, in which residents and visitors

alike proudly stake a claim to being a part of this 19 37 20 13 36 international hotbed of fashion and art. Known for 3 the small art galleries, sidewalk trendy cafes, and 32 33

boutiques that line its streets, SoHo is an 6 experience to be slowly sipped, absorbed block by block and savored over an intimate dinner. 18 10 30 38 29 31 7 Having outgrown its early radical persona, SoHo 5 25 23 27 has carved out a popular niche for itself — 9 26 4 35 culturally and economically. The same lofts once prized for their location, are no longer inexpensive. The escalated cost of living is now forcing up-and- coming artists to flee to Neo-Bohemian enclaves like Williamsburg in Brooklyn, eroding SoHo’s cutting-edge reputation. The area’s established 22 15 chic character, however, is firmly embedded. 28

Bordering SoHo and the Lower East Side, Little Italy remains the heart of New York’s Old World 11 Italian culture — a character slowly being whittled 12 away by time. This is where it all started. The turn- of-the-century flood of Italian immigrants into the area’s cramped tenements that were the launching pad from which they have achieved great heights. For the most part, though, their aura has moved onward and upward, leaving behind faint wisps of what had been. Still, stroll along the area’s storied streets and sample from the specialty shops, restaurants and delightful outdoor cafes 1 Androgyny 14 Jet 19 27 The Room carrying on the tradition along Mulberry and Mott 2 15 Jet Lounge 28 S.O.B. s (Sounds of 3 Bar 89 16 L Orange Bleue 29 Brazil) Streets. 4 Blue Ribbon 17 M&R 30 Scharmann s 5 Cafe Noir 18 Magnum 31 Shine 6 Casa La Femme 19 Match 32 SoHo Grand Bar 7 Chaos 20 Merc Bar 33 SoHo Kitchen & Bar 8 Chibi s Sake Bar 21 æ 34 S py Bar 9 Cub Room 22 NV V elvet Rest aurant & 10 Diva 23 Naked Lunch 35 Lounge 11 Don Hill s 24 Pravda 36 V eruka 12 Ear Inn 25 Raoul s 37 V oid 110 New York @ Night 13 Fanelli s Cafe 26 The Red Bench Bar 38 W ax Bar NY@Night 1st Edition.qxd 8/21/2006 1:15 PM Page 112

T ype of Androgyny Blue Ribbon T ype of Establishment 35 Crosby Street 97 Establishment Lounge Between Grand & Broome Between Spring & Prince Bar/Restaurant Hours (212) 613-0977 (212) 274-0404 Hours T-Th 6pm-2am Daily 4pm- F 6pm-4am 4am Sa 8pm-4am Whether you’re a professional drag queen, Blue Ribbon doesn’t win the grand prize a recreational cross-dresser, a shy New for congeniality at our fair, but the neighbor- Drink Prices Drink Prices $$$$ $$$ Jersey father of three with secret desires or hood regulars who frequent the place seem a boringly straight mortal tired of New York’s to like it. This compact SoHo restaurant fea- Food Food Eclectic N/A new impersonal and selective nightspots, tures seafood, but you will also find items this alternative lounge will refresh your like pigeon, fried chicken (and their spe- Nearest Nearest Subway Subway senses. Trying to create an all-welcoming cialty, attitude du jour) on the menu. In his C,E to Spring J,M,N,R,6 to community hangout — partners David and signature Fila headband, Alonso, the raw Credit Cards Marquesa offer dressing rooms for those oyster bar chef, brings some very needed All Major Credit Cards not ready to walk around in drag. A warmth and personality to this place. Man- Cash Only pool table helps break the ice agement claims Blue Ribbon has a familial Dressing between shy patrons, like the atmosphere, unfortunately we were treated Room stocky guy in a red dress like Stepford children. playing against an oversized school girl in a jean skirt, who end Cafe Noir up sipping wine together on 32 @ Thompson T ype of Establishment the couch. (212) 431-7910 Bar/Restaurant Some place in Morocco there is a Cafe Noir, Hours Daily 11am- T ype of Balthazar but if you don’t have the time or resources 4am Establishment to go all the way to Africa may we suggest a Bar/Restaurant 80 Spring Street Drink Prices Between Crosby & Broadway more suitable option in SoHo. The French $$$ Hours Moroccan menu is filled with an array of M-Th 12pm- (212) 965-1414 Food 2am seafood dishes (entrees $13-$22), colors, French F-Sa 12pm- The hippest, chicest spot in town, you’d have and textures. Hand-woven tapestries made Moroccan 3am to wait a month for a dinner reservation, of yarn lie on stucco walls. Lanterns covered Nearest Su 11:30am- unless you’re Brad Pitt, or you just walk in in faux gems illuminate corners of the room. Subway 2am with a lot of New York attitude, pretend to Gigantic potted palm trees double as A,C,E,1,9 to Drink Prices have a reservation, flash your card and get incense holders and archway upon archway Canal Street $$$$ really upset if they can’t find it — you’ll get a takes you to an exotic place where knights Credit Cards Food table in no time. This warm bistro with metic- AmEx French wrapped in white cloths look stately to the ulously researched French gadgets, such as horizon on two-humped camels. Nearest old mirrors, clocks, and two sirens sensually Subway 6 to S pring watching over the bar crowd, offers excellent S treet French food in a fizzing, hip ambiance. The Casa La Femme crowd, from fashion to Wall Street, is totally 150 Wooster Street Credit Cards T ype of All Major in love with itself and life at Balthazar. Between Prince & West Houston Establishment (212) 505-0005 Bar/Restaurant Hours Bar 89 Casa La Femme captures your imagination Su-T 5pm- 89 Mercer Street with its gorgeous Eastern/Maghreb decor. 12am W -Sa 5pm- T ype of Between Broome & Spring Enter and find your eyes falling to the floor, 3am Establishment (212) 274-0989 where people sit on plush cushions around Bar/Restaurant tables and where you can smoke Egyptian Drink Prices $$$$ Hours Simple and clean like an Ikea catalogue, Bar tobacco (with apple-cinnamon flavoring) Daily 12pm- 89 is proof that minimalism works. Located in from big hookas. Further inside are tables Food 2am the heart of SoHo, this sleek bar/restaurant and chairs, and Bedouin-inspired ‘tents,’ Egyptian Drink Prices is the neo-neighborhood diner. The portions tables with curtains falling to the ground for Nearest $$$ are huge and beautifully presented. Bar privacy. Can you think of a better place for a Subway N,R to Prince Food goodies like burgers, buffalo wings and date? It’s low-key and very tasteful. Call in S treet Eclectic nachos look like exotic cuisine. Ever-chang- advance for any type of seating. Whether American Credit Cards ing art installations ensure that the space you start or end the evening here, this is a MC,V,AmEx Nearest never looks the same. But believe it or not, a must see for the decor alone. trip to the bathroom might be the best part of the evening. So drink up. 112 New York @ Night SoHo 113 NY@Night 1st Edition.qxd 8/21/2006 1:15 PM Page 114

T ype of Chaos Diva T ype of Establishment 23 Watts Street 341 Establishment Lounge Between West Broadway Between Grand & Broome Bar/Restaurant Hours & Thompson (212) 941-9024 Hours Daily 10pm- (212) 925-8966 Daily 11am- 4am Walk down West Broadway and you can’t 3am Drink Prices Although its name alludes to a miss Diva. Its doors, a bright fire-engine red, Drink Prices $$$ place where wild nights are the norm, capture the eye and definitely draw attention $$$ Food walk through the 25' tall wrought iron away from the other more understated Food N/A tI alian gates and you’ll soon realize that Chaos’ places that surround this Italian restaurant. Nearest clientele doesn’t rage, they play. With more But come to think of it, isn’t a diva always Nearest Subway Subway C,E to Spring nooks and crannies than an English muffin, supposed to be the center of attention? Its C,E to Spring S treet the swanky, palatial, three-level lounge is loud exterior is beguiling; however, the can- S treet Credit Cards prime for intimate conversation and romantic dle-lit room is rather sedate. Patrons are too Credit Cards All Major interludes. Crystal chandeliers, winding stair- busy enjoying the Ravioli d’Aragosta and All Major cases, and ever-flowing bottles of cham- indulging in a taste of La Dolce Vita. pagne lend a 20s feel to the place. Picture Hugh Hefner, in a silk smoking jacket puffing on a Monica that he purchased from the Don Hill’s cigar girl, looking down on you happily 511 @ Spring T ype of Establishment drowning in the plush red velvet pillows that (212) 334-1390 Club abound. This place, particularly on Friday nights, is Hours Daily 10pm- not for the conventional. The party, called 4am T ype of Squeeze Box, features scantily clad go-go Chibi’s Sake Bar Drink Prices Establishment dancers, drag queens, trannies, homosexu- Sake Bar 238 Mott Street @ Prince $$$ (212) 274-0025 als, and everything in between, all brought Hours Food together by their love of hardcore rock ‘n’ N/A T-Th 6pm-1am Chibi, the canine namesake of this charming F-Sa 6pm-2am roll. The soft porn slide show and movies Nearest Su 6pm-12am sake bar, proudly towers in a gold-framed played throughout the night help set the Subway Drink Prices photograph above the lovingly arranged pace of the evening. “I want people to know N,R to Prince $$$$ glass shelves holding the trinkets necessary that this is a gay nightclub,” said promoter S treet Food for authentic sake drinking. Mellow, young Michael Schmidt, “but we have a great mix Credit Cards Appetizers and old, hip downtowners enjoy, among oth- of all types here.” Cash Only Nearest ers, 7-year-old Koshiyu-Yoshiorino sake in Subway minuscule, hand-painted French glasses, 6 to S pring and Japanese appetizers at the curved, Ear Inn S treet marble corner bar. Romantic couples disap- 326 Spring Street Credit Cards pear behind the blue-velvet curtain to Between Greenwich & Washington T ype of Cash Only Establishment smooch at one of the little tables in the (212) 266-9060 Bar/Restaurant darker, unadorned but cozy side of the Hours room. As you’ve probably already surmised, this Daily 12pm- place has ears galore. If painter Vincent Van 4am T ype of Gogh (the destitute who cut off his ear and Drink Prices Establishment sent it to his girl from around the way) were $ Bar/Restaurant Cub Room 131 Sullivan Street @ Prince alive he’d love this bar/restaurant. Opened in Food Hours 1817, this rickety dive was once home to Bar Menu Su-Th 12pm- (212) 677-4100 1am James Brown a reputed black man — go fig- Nearest F-Sa 12pm- A staple of the SoHo bar and restaurant ure — and aide to George Washington dur- Subway 3am scene, the regulars at Cub Room call it a ing the Revolution. Over the years, this C,E to Spring S treet Drink Prices SoHo icon. A yuppy, somewhat older crowd historical landmark has been a boarding $$$ tends to dominate the scene. The wine list is house, smuggler’s den and brothel. Today, Credit Cards All Major Food exceptional, and they serve a delicious it’s a watering hole that has the charm, bric- New American watermelon martini. Weekdays, everyone a-brac and some say ghosts of a cobweb Nearest comes suited and booted, lending the place filled attic. Subway a definite after-work vibe. But weekends are C,E to Spring S treet more relaxed, although it does feel like an ‘Upper East Side comes downtown’ place. Credit Cards All Major We prefer the early evening scene, when you can actually get a place to sit and peo

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T ype of Fanelli’s Cafe L’Orange Bleue T ype of Establishment 94 Prince Street @ Mercer 430 @ Crosby Establishment Bar (212) 966-3518 (212) 226-4999 Bar/Restaurant Hours Hours Daily 10pm- Fanelli’s is old. Really old. The cafe has La vie est belle at this Mediterranean night Daily 12pm- 2am been around since 1847 and has earned spot where the North African music makes 2am Drink Prices the distinction of being the second oldest even 75-year-old local artists dance on the Drink Prices $ $$$$ continuous food and drink establishment bar. “Vat can I say!” exclaims Vincent, one of Food on the same site in . While the French owners, as he unbuttons his pur- Food Bar Menu Mediterranean the rest of SoHo continues to change the ple shirt lower and swirls around with a Nearest Nearest Subway 151-year-old corner joint is like an old steaming plate of paella. Everything, from Subway N,R to Prince faithful dog steadfast, reliable and always the exuberant staff to the warm orange walls 6 to S pring S treet there. and the delicious food, will serve you justice S treet Credit Cards in this world of blue and orange. Monday Credit Cards MC,V,AmEx features Moroccan night with belly dancing AmEx Jet 19 and couscous. An eclectic crowd of under- T ype of 19 Cleveland Place @ Spring stated European chic also enjoys the large Establishment Lounge (212) 675-2277 outdoor cafe in the summer. Hours The Balinese wooden masks and delicately T-Sa 9pm-4am woven tapestries that accent the walls give M&R Drink Prices this two-level lounge a South Asian charm. T ype of $$$$ 264 Elizabeth Street Jet 19 attracts a trendy downtown crowd Between Prince & West Houston Establishment Food that likes to snack on bento boxes and Bar/Restaurant Japanese (212) 226-0559 groove to classic funk, R&B, and hip-hop. Hours Nearest Who wants to sit upright in a boring ban- This neighborhood gem, on suddenly sexy M-F 5pm-3am Subway Sa-Su 6 to S pring quette when huge Balinese daybeds, cov- Elizabeth Street, is just too cozy. We love 11:30a S treet ered in sparkling afghans, can comfortably the intimate feel, casual atmosphere, great m-4am Credit Cards hold up to six people laying down? Get scotch selection and the good music in this Drink Prices All Major there early because the beds fill up fast. bar/restaurant. A DJ spins Thursdays $$$ through Saturdays. With about fifty vari- Food eties per liquor category, ranging from tI alian/America Jet Lounge scotch, rum, whiskey, gin, cordials, wine, n T ype of 286 Spring Street champagne and brandy, you can easily Nearest Establishment Between Varick & Hudson lose track. A back garden and a back room Subway Lounge 6 to S pring (212) 675-2277 that doubles as the restaurant offer some Hours S treet seating, but the best place to sit is in the T-Sa 10pm- Credit Cards 4am If the old adage about 7 years of bad luck front, right by the bar. They also make for breaking a mirror is true, the owners of MC,V,AmEx Drink Prices excellent margaritas and Campartinis — a $$$$ the Jet Lounge definitely won’t be getting Campari martini. any good news for a while. Shards of mir- Food N/A rored glass cover every square inch of this place. The glass, coupled with the silver Nearest Magnum and white color scheme, give an icy, almost Subway 357 West Broadway T ype of 1,9 to Houston igloo-like look to the lounge. You won’t find Between Grand & Broome Establishment S treet Santa or his elves in this winter wonder- (212) 965-1491 Lounge Credit Cards land, only fashionable downtowners looking Hours MC,V,AmEx for a cool place to chill (pardon the pun). No crazy art deco, no ornate furniture — just Daily 9pm- Watch out, Leonardo DiCaprio, the ban- cool and simple sophistication with a funky 4am quettes resemble icebergs. downtown edge. The booths, soft as a Drink Prices suede glove, create the perfect space for a $$$ group of SoHo socialites to congregate. The Food crowd loves to kick back and drink — what N/A else would you expect from a lounge named Nearest Magnum? Champagne and great service Subway are not the only things served here: wine, C,E to Spring S treet aperitifs, French and Belgian ales, and dif- Credit Cards ferent treats flow on and on throughout the All Major night.

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T ype of Match NV T ype of Establishment 160 Mercer Street 289 Spring Street Establishment Bar/Restaurant Between Prince & West Houston Between Hudson & Varick Lounge/Club Hours (212) 343-0020 (212) 929-nvnv Hours Su-M W -Su 10pm- 11:30am 4am -2am Downstairs at Match is loud, fun and Walk through the dimly lit cor- Drink Prices T -Sa 11:30am- crowded on any weekend night. A real pick- ridors and enter a trendy $$$$ 4am up scene but also a place for a large group downtown lounge with Food Drink Prices of friends. It’s great if you have seating, and touches of an old world salon. N/A $$$$ the food offering is delectable, making for a The glam gods and goddesses who profile Nearest Food fine accompaniment to your drinks. The on the vintage chic couches have their fair Subway Eclectic crowd looks like ‘Upper East or West comes share of attitude, but once the voguing ends, C,E to Spring International downtown,’ but we don’t mind. It’s fun here which is usually around 1 a.m., this crowd S treet Nearest and while not very exciting or innovative for heads upstairs and gets down to business: Credit Cards Subway most jaded New Yorkers, Match makes for Dancing. After a few good hours of dirty All Major N,R to Prince S treet a good stop on the SoHo tour. Your out-of- dancing, head back downstairs and get to Credit Cards town friends will love it too. know your inevitably attractive partner a little All Major better in one of the sexy curtain-flanked enclaves. Merc Bar T ype of 151 Mercer Street Establishment T ype of Bar Between Prince & West Houston Naked Lunch (212) 966-2727 Establishment 17 Thompson Street @ Grand Bar Hours (212) 941-0479 M-W 5pm-2am With its colorful oil paintings of American Hours Th-Sa 5pm- Daily 6pm- 3:30am Indians, a canoe hanging from the ceiling, The bar gets its name from a novel by beat- 4am and gigantic black-and-white photographs of nik-era writer William Burroughs. The story Drink Prices Drink Prices $$$ a bubbling waterfall, Merc Bar looks more is about a struggling writer who works as $$$ like an exhibit at the Museum of Natural His- an exterminator to pay the bills. When times Food Food N/A tory than one of the hottest night spots in get too tough for the writer and his wife, they N/A New York. But judging from the crowd, the Nearest snort roach powder as their sole means of Nearest Subway log cabin motif is working. This bar is perfect sustenance. Read the book to find out the Subway N,R to Prince for the urban outdoorsy type and even better rest, but now you know why the bar’s signa- A,C,E to Canal S treet for those who love good funk, soul and R&B ture is a masterfully designed cockroach. S treet Credit Cards classics. Bug haters, relax; this Moroccan-inspired Credit Cards All Major place, All Major is only infested with great drinks, Wall ñ Streeters, and SoHo Bohemians. T ype of 33 Crosby Street Establishment Bar/Restaurant Between Grand & Broome (212) 219-8856 T ype of Hours Pravda Establishment M-Th 5pm- 281 Lafayette Street Restaurant/ 2am ñ (pronounced enya), a dark and sexy Between Prince & West Lounge F-Sa 5pm-4am Spanish wine and tapas bar, is only inches Houston Hours Drink Prices wide, but endlessly long and barely lit by (212) 226-4944 M-Th 5pm- $$$ candles. Squeeze yourself between the 3am F-Sa 5pm-4am Food exposed-brick wall and the two slim bars in Step down to Moscow’s chic Su 6pm- Tapas a row, and try to catch a stool to order a underground, drink exotic 1:30am Nearest glass of Rioja and some tapas (a smart vodka with the terminally fash- Drink Prices Subway Spanish form of hors d’oeuvres) to keep ionable comrades, and act suave. Some- $$$$ 6 to S pring your alcohol level under control. It gets thing utterly taboo not too long ago seems S treet Food packed with a rather homogenous Gap and to attract hip New Yorkers, who relax against Russian Credit Cards Banana Republic crowd that engages in a backdrop of Russian street signs and Cash Only Nearest animated conversations, stays for hours, communist industrial paintings. They are as Subway and seems to love coming back. Cash only. unpretentiously sophisticated as the scram- N,R to Prince bled eggs with caviar served by emaciated S treet Russian models in black dresses. A friendly, Credit Cards semicircular bar opens toward a warm, cel- All Major lar-like lounge/bistro with atmosphere — well-lit with candles, well-ventilated, and fea- turing jazz as background music. 118 New York @ Night SoHo 119 NY@Night 1st Edition.qxd 8/21/2006 1:15 PM Page 120

T ype of Raoul’s S.O.B.’s (Sounds of Brazil) T ype of Establishment 180 Prince Street 204 Varick Street @ West Houston Establishment Bar/Restaurant Between Thompson & Sullivan (212) 243-4940 Bar/Live Music Hours (212) 966-3518 Hours Daily 5pm- The intimate and colorful tropical ClubMed Daily 6:30pm- 2am On most nights the line to get into this place setting in cool New York envelops a multi- 3:30am Drink Prices spills out onto Prince Street. Though it’s culti crowd of curious Americans, dressed- Drink Prices $$$ $$$$ been around for 23 years, this French bistro up Africans, adventurous Europeans, Food is still as popular as it was when it first homesick Caribbeans and Brazilians. Get Food French Bistro T ropical opened. acquainted over a Caipirinha (trademark Nearest The front room’s familial aura — walls com- Nearest Subway Brazilian drink) that inspires vigorous and Subway C,E to Spring fortably cluttered with old oil paintings, tight dancing to live Brazilian, Caribbean or 1,9 to Houston S treet Victorian era mirrors, and black and white African music S treet Credit Cards photos — is warm and welcoming. Gentle- on the well-observed dance floor. After an Credit Cards All Major men, the ultra-romantic garden dining room exhausting lesson on how to shake bundas All Major is the perfect place to pop the question. (behinds) by a snakeskin-clad Brazilian singer, the exhausted crowd relaxes with tropical food at the tables, or back to where T ype of Red Bench Bar it all started — at the elevated bar with a Establishment Bar 107 Sullivan Street Caipirinha. Between Spring & Prince Hours Daily 5pm- (212) 274-9120 T ype of 4am Scharmann’s Establishment The magnetic bundle of energy behind the Bar/Cafe Drink Prices 386 West Broadway $$ bar is Algerian owner, Mustafa. Everyone Between Broome & Spring Hours calls him Mus (Moose) and he sets the pace M-Th 9am- Food (212) 219-2561 of this gregarious and fun-loving environ- 12am N/A F-Su 9am-3am ment. Patrons of this small neighborhood Tired of all those cramped, hustling and Nearest Drink Prices Subway place are all Mus’ honorary relatives or bustling SoHo bars, and want to relax with a $$$ C,E to Spring spouses and by the time you leave, you too cup of coffee and a piece of cake, without S treet Food will feel like a family member. “This is a renouncing people watching to over-deci- Light American Credit Cards very non-threatening place, especially for beled club music? This beige, ballroom-sized All Major Nearest women,” said Lovey, a Bench Bar regular. Kaffeehaus with exposed fixtures, SoHo art- Subway “You can come in here alone and not feel work, plants and crystal chandeliers is the C,E to Spring uncomfortable and you’ll be talking to the right place. The hip, beautiful crowd checks S treet entire bar in twenty minutes.” each other out across the antique and Credit Cards pseudo-antique furniture, of which each MC,V piece is truly unique, including writing desks, The Room T ype of lamps and couches. Or, you can lounge Establishment 144 Sullivan Street around the terrace and watch West Broad- Bar/Lounge Between Prince & West Houston way before jumping back into its stream. Hours (212) 477-2102 Daily 5pm- 4am Though the bartender believes this fact is Shine T ype of trite, The Room is actually two dark narrow Establishment Drink Prices 285 West Broadway @ Canal Bar/Lounge $$$ rooms, bar on the right, lounge on the left. (212) 941-0900 The industrial concrete and steel setting is Hours Food M-Sa 9:30pm- N/A quite austere, but neighbors find the place Shine is a cross between a SoHo chic 4am surprisingly comfortable and love the bar. lounge and a traveling carnival show. New Nearest Drink Prices Subway “We don’t even consider ourselves cus- York Magazine voted it Best New Club of $$$$ C,E to Spring tomers,” said Jane, a Room regular who 1998, but Best Freak Show would have S treet Food lives next door, “we’re family.” You’ll find been a more appropriate title. The live N/A Credit Cards camaraderie, but no Cosmopolitans. There’s entertainment includes everything from Cash Only Nearest no room for liquor, only wine and beer. contortionists to fire-swallowers, but noth- Subway ing on stage rivals the giant 6'6" bunny in A,C,E to Canal combat boots that hops (or gallops) around S treet throughout the night. Credit Cards All Major

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T ype of SoHo Grand Bar Velvet Restaurant & Lounge T ype of Establishment 310 West Broadway 223 Mulberry Street Establishment Bar Restaurant/ Between Canal & Broome Between Spring & Prince Lounge Hours (212) 965-3000 (212) 965-0439 Daily 12pm- Hours 2am T -Su 5:30pm- The SoHo Grand Bar shirks the cast iron This former garage-turned-groovy bar and 4am Drink Prices and glass that typifies the much-reviewed restaurant, with high ceilings, dramatic red $$$$ Drink Prices SoHo Grand lobby, and instead embraces walls and black velvet curtains attracts a $$$ Food wood, warm earth tones, and neutral colors. high-energy crowd, young professionals Appetizers Food With the exception of the tables with beauti- from the neighborhood and older folks who Continental Nearest ful elephant tusk-shaped legs, there’s noth- enjoy the good continental food. The sump- Subway Nearest A,C,E,N,R to ing too grand about this place. tuous upstairs lounge accommodates large Subway Canal Street Nevertheless, it’s a popular night spot fre- groups on its reupholstered, nouveau-aristo- 6 to S pring S treet Credit Cards quented by the likes of Naomi Campbell and cratic couches, and features live jazz on All Major Al Pacino. What the bar’s decor lacks in per- Wednesdays, French chansons on Thurs- Credit Cards sonality, it more than makes up for in drinks days and Latin/Cuban tunes on Fridays. All MC,V,AmEx like the Grand Margarita ($11) and its signa- this for no cover charge — check it out! ture Tartini (Stoli raspberry, chambord, cran- berry juice, and a splash of sour mix, $9). Veruka T ype of 525 Broome Street Establishment Restaurant/ SoHo Kitchen & Bar Between Thompson & 6th Avenue Lounge T ype of 103 Greene Street (212) 625-1717 Establishment Hours Bar/Restaurant Between Spring & Prince Daily 6pm- (212) 925-1866 Veruka is the new kid on the ‘place to be 4am Hours seen’ block. This cavernous industrial-styled M-Th Drink Prices 11:30am With over 100 different wines, three 32- restaurant/lounge has a definite ‘don’t hate $$$$ spigot cruvinets, and 24 different ‘flights’ me because I’m beautiful and dress better - Food 11:30pm (1 1/2 oz. samples from a group of different than thou’ vibe. Consider yourself lucky — Nouveau Elite F-Sa 11:30am- wines) SoHo Kitchen & Bar is much more or gorgeous and female — if you get past 1:30am Nearest Su 12pm- bar than it is kitchen. One of only a few the doorman. They call it discretion, we call Subway 10pm wine bars left in the city, its owner, real it plain old snobbery; but you can’t be ‘the A,C,E to Canal S treet Drink Prices estate developer Tony Goldman, likes to place to be’ without having a high set of $$$ think of his downtown diner as the “public standards: long legs, chiseled chins, Credit Cards All Major Food library of wine.” Check out Flight #9 — designer clothes …you know, all the impor- American destination Southern Hemisphere ($14.75) tant things that fashion magazines are made Nearest and try wines from South Africa, Southern of. Okay, Subway Australia and New Zealand. Flight #17 so we’re being a bit catty, but let’s hope this N,R to Prince World Class Reds ($42.50) features wines place is still in by uhhh …next week. S treet from France and California. Credit Cards All Major Void T ype of Establishment Spy Bar 16 Mercer Street @ Howard Lounge 101 Greene Street (212) 941-6492 Hours Between Spring & Prince T-Th 8pm-2am T ype of (212) 343-9000 Surf the net while sipping on Cosmopolitans F-Sa 8pm-3am and check your e-mail while chugging down Drink Prices Spy Bar is notorious for its unwrit- beers. Void, a multimedia video lounge, has $$ ten, but strictly enforced door everything from television screens embed- Food policy: if you don’t look good ded in the banquettes to a computer that N/A and dress even better, you’re not features power pellet-gobbling Pac Man. Nearest getting in here. The new manage- Independent film and video producers, Subway Establishment ment insists however, that the glam artists and Web designers are welcome to N,R to Canal Bar guards and $20 sandwiches are a thing of use the giant movie screen to display their S treet Hours the past. The huge bar still has traces of its work. Check out ‘oldie but goodie’ movies Credit Cards Daily 7pm- Cash Only 4am old cabaret days — even the stage is intact. from the 60s and 70s shown every Wednes- Despite the changing attitude, the crowd day night. “This is not for the mainstream. Drink Prices $$$$ remains extremely attractive, and the binoc- This place attracts people really interested in ular-like machines positioned in the balcony creativity,” said Taro, a 30-year-old parale- still make for great people watching. gal. Bill Gates would definitely be proud.

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T ype of Wax Bar Establishment 113 Mercer Street Bar/Lounge Between Spring & Prince Hours (212) 226-6082 Daily 5pm- 4am Wax Bar is suffused with a Drink Prices sexy, sinister energy that is $$$$ absolutely infectious. Could it Food be -length mural that N/A depicts a virile, dark-haired Fabio-type laying Nearest on a king-size bed awaiting the pleasure of Subway N,R to Prince one of his many concubines? Or could it be S treet the gargoyles hovering over the bar, cande- Credit Cards labras illuminating the back area, and blood- All Major purple drapes that all come together to create an ominous lounge that invites you to do and think bad things? Well, let’s not get carried away. Anyway, the plush burgundy banquettes in the back are prime for some private ‘conversation’.

Zinc Bar T ype of 90 West Houston Street Establishment Bar/Live Music Between West Broadway & Thompson (212) 477-8337 Hours Daily 6pm- 4am In this live music venue you have no choice but to be at one with the music; the nook in Drink Prices $$$ the corner where the bands perform is within arm’s length of the audience, but the Food N/A tight quarters don’t stop the jazz bands from jamming every night. Zinc features Ameri- Nearest Subway can and African bands, but the clear 1,9 to Houston favorite among the Mojito drinking patrons S treet are the Latin nights on Thursday, Saturday, Credit Cards and Sunday — $5 cover and a one drink Cash Only minimum if you opt for a table. If the music’s too in your face, follow frisky felines Ella and Holiday (they’re cats) into the back room and stretch out.

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