Death and Company

433 E. 6^th Street
New York, NY 10009
(212) 338-0882

http://www.deathandcompany.com

Hours:\
Daily 6:00 p.m. to Midnight

    The official haunt of The Cad, New York, and after hundreds of cocktails, we're still wondering how owners David and Ravi managed to build a lounge far exceeding our 21st Century expectations.  Dim lighting, candlelit tables, nothing but jazz, swing, and soul gently spilling from the hi-fi; even the napkins are top-notch.  The waitstaff, always professional and professionally dressed (we thought those days were long over in New York), is as knowledgeable of spirits  as the crackerjack team of mixologists behind the bar, all ready with a helpful suggestion should the cocktail neophyte be looking for 'er...something with vodka. ' (That, we should say,  is like ordering hot dogs in a steakhouse.)
 
     Mating well with the extensive cocktail menu is the selection of tidbits - duck quesadilla, short ribs, bite-size fish and chips and the like - all priced within the $12 - $16 range and each as subtly and ingeniously complementary to your drink as the next, for at Death and Co. , the cocktail is never to be overpowered by the comestible.

     Currently, Death and Co. is open every day from 6 p.m. to midnight. Standing is not an option, and they do not take reservations, so patrons must  therefore check in with the doorman who will take a telephone number and dial when a table is ready.  Once inside, mind your manners, don't expect to take flash photography, and, in a nod to the nightclub laws of old New York, don't expect to table-hop.

Subways

Close:     to Astor Place
Closer:    to 1st Avenue
Closest:  to Second Avenue (Allen St. Exit)

Check Hopstop for exact subway directions.

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Back-up Plan

Agreeable joints nearby:

International Bar - 120 1st Ave. between St. Mark's and E. 7th.
Recently re-opened staple of the Lower East Side is good for a quick one.   Friendly bartenders and the, now, middle aged punk crowd celebrate the grimy pre-NYU/Bridge and Tunnel days of the neighborhood.

The Clover Club

210 Smith Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 885-7939

http://www.cloverclubny.com

Hours:
Monday to Thursday: 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.
Friday: 5:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.
Saturday: 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.
Sunday: 2:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

    Brooklyn Cads don’t have to schlep across the East River anymore to enjoy a classic or specialty cocktail. Flatiron Lounge cocktail vixen Julie Reiner has opened up a gin-u-ine cocktail lounge on Smith Street in Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn.

      The Clover Club is a 78-seat lounge and private (as in no standing) back parlor which can hold 30 patrons. The decor is Victorian influenced but feels like Brooklyn, with rich dark wood interior, mosaic tiles, maroon leather banquettes, and elegant antique lighting. The bar, where the Loungerati set spend most of our time, is 19th century restored mahogany wood bar, which according to Reiner "was hand-salvaged from a house in an old coal mining town in Sugar Notch, Pennsylvania."

     The artisanal cocktail menu is divided into nine categories of both classic and innovative mixed drinks, including Bucks & Mules, Juleps & Smashes, Sours & Daises, and Punches. Here are some of the highlights: The Clover Club based on the 1909 recipe from the original Bellevue-Stratford bar in Philadelphia (Gin, Dry Vermouth, Lemon, Raspberry syrup, egg white), the Bramble (a Dick Bradsell invention, Gin, Lemon, Sugar, fresh blackberry puree), the Bohemian Fizz (Gin, Elderflower, Lemon, Soda) and the Jersey Julep (Applejack, Mint, Maple Syrup). Also, they whip up your classic Gin Martini, Manhattan, Sloe Gin Fizz, Sazarac, and countless more standards with gusto. Add in some small plates like the Deviled Eggs of “lick your plate good” steak tartar and you are staying for a while!

     The cocktail pedigree behind the bar is impressive as the menu. The Lonsdale in London. Pegu Club and Flatiron Lounge in New York. These are some of the names on the resumes of the talented team of bartenders. Flatiron alum Giuseppe Gonzalez assumes the role of head of the class. Despite being an award winning mixologist (last year he won the 2007 Vinos De Jerez Cocktail Competition), Giuseppe prefers to be called a bartender. See the profession runs in the family and he is his father's son. Gonzalez helped design the menu and delivers his hand crafted cocktails with a smile and without pretension. He represents the vision of the club which is refinement and style without being contrived.

     The jewel in the crown is the back parlor room which seats up to 30 guests. This semi-private area is separated from the front of the house by heavy tapestries and a smiling hostess. The room is decorated with velvety Victorian parlor furniture and I'm sure come winter time, it gets real cozy by the elegant marble fireplace. The objective of the parlor is to allow patrons to enjoy a more intimate experience – sort of a speakeasy in the back room of a lounge...now that is a curtain I can get behind!

Subways

Closest:  to Bergen Street

Check Hopstop for exact subway directions.

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Top of the Tower

3 Mitchell Place 
New York, NY 10017
(212) 355-7300
http://www.thebeekmanhotel.com

     Located on the 26th Floor of the 1928 art deco Beekman Tower Hotel, romantic types will be extremely tempted to dine in this room overlooking the East River: don't, and that's all we have to say about it.  Instead, on perfect nights spring through autumn, go for passable cocktails,  listen to the lounge pianist,  and  simply enjoy the quiet view from the patio.  As of this writing, several outdoor tables were available on a Friday night, indicating that a Turtle Bay 1st Avenue is still a bit off the beaten path for tourists and natives alike.  
 
     Hours are:

     Sunday - Thursday: till 1:00 a.m.
     Friday/Saturyd: till 2:00 a.m.

 

Subways

Closest:     to Grand Central Station.  Fifteen minute walk from station.


Check Hopstop for exact subway directions.

Hoof it or Cab

Back-up Plan

Agreeable joints nearby:

The Back Room

102 Norfolk Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 228-5098

Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 7:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. 
(But don't expect to be admitted after 2 a.m.  Actual closing time varies.)

     It's been long rumored that getting past the doormen of this popular celebrity-sighting spot could prove difficult, and doubly so on weekends, but for sharp-suited men and ladies in dresses, (i.e. Cad readers) there never seems to be a wait, and quite conversely, their patronage is wholly encouraged.  The question is: is it worth the trip?  

     We, ourselves, hadn't been to the former 1920s speakeasy and hangout of mobster Meyer Lansky in over a year, but a recent revelry had us back at the gate of 'The Lower East Side Toy Company'.  This is the not so secret entrance to The Back Room, and once allowed access, one is led down an alley, up a staircase, through a side door and then a red-velvet curtain to a two tier posh club that, we have to admit, deserves far better than the clientele it currently serves; thus, the ease of access by anyone who has put more than thirty seconds thought into the evening's attire.  True, The Cad abhors superciliousness, so in defense we say that it simply saddens us to see this glamourous and historical lounge, with its cocktails served in teacups, utilized as another meat-market by the twenty-something crowd that frequents.   Sure, many of the womanly patronage don a cocktail dress, and while we've been told  that flip-flopped or sandaled men aren't allowed, Dockers and untucked shirts still abound, offsetting the elegance of the room by a fair degree.  Similarly mismatched is the music to the room: rock and roll (and usually of the not very good variety), but at least the volume is kept to a conversational minimum.

    Despite the minuses, The Back Room is still worth a visit early in the evening.  Bring a small group of friends to enjoy a preprandial and the atmosphere conducive to light frivolity; then leave before the crowd and d.j. arrive.  In fact, it's best to leave the entire area before nine, as this part of the Lower East Side has become a nighttime haven for cackling young women and their dunderheaded consorts.

Subways

Closest:  to Delancey Street or  to Essex Street

Check Hopstop for exact subway directions.

Hoof it or Cab