There’s a reason why the wait is 1.5+ hours without a reservation on the weekend. Go. Jane is by far the best venture from Corner Table Restaurants (and about a thousand times better than The Smith).
Reserve online at OpenTable.com.
Dinner at Hakkasan New York
In my opinion, dinner at Hakkasan is worth experiencing. And it is an experience, likely not something you’d want to do every week, month, or even every six months.
Pre-entrées, I drank two Golden Emperor cocktails (Kraken Black Spiced rum, ginger, pineapple, cinnamon, lemon juice and agave nectar) from the signature cocktail menu. They were very good but the flavors are definitely wintry and I would suggest something different in the spring or summer. …
Happy Hour at ilili
ilili is one of the best happy hour experiences in New York. With $7 cocktails and $5 bottles of beer, happy hour is an amazingly priced alternative to a full dinner (the first entree on the menu will set you back $90, although it is for two). It’s also one of the longer happy hours I’ve seen at a restaurant of this caliber: Monday through Friday from 4-7:30pm. The small bites offered during happy hour can easily serve as dinner, but the regular menu is also offered in the bar area after 5:30pm. …
Flûte Midtown
Saturday night at Flûte Midtown is dark, intimate, and low-key.
We were more intrigued by the signature cocktails than the tasting flights and bottles. Several Champagne Mojitos were ordered on the glowing recommendation from our server. The verdict was split– two of the party loved the Champagne Mojito, two felt it tasted oddly of tonic water. I was puzzled by the $15 half-full sherry glass of Antoinette, a champagne cocktail made with grapefruit-strawberry puree. The presentation threw me, but it tasted as expected, like a drier version of a Bellini. The gin-based, mint, cucumber and champagne Gabriel (also $15) was deemed solid. However, Flûte’s version of the Dark and Stormy ($16) was the clear favorite of the night. The right combination of sweet and savory, lighter than an classic Dark and Stormy but just as enjoyable.
Seating-wise, the couches with plush pillows are comfortable and avoid getting stuck on an ottoman. The choice of music for the night was unexpected, but not bad. I almost felt like I was listening to my Ellie Goulding Pandora station. I did note a surprising lack of Moët & Chandon Impérial on the menu, so the die-hard Moët fan readers (you know who you are) should seek their lifeblood elsewhere.
Flûte Midtown is located at 205 W 54th St between 7th & Broadway. Reserve a table at flutebar.com.
