I have a new favorite venue in Hell’s Kitchen: Bamboo 52, a sleek sushi bar that opened in June but I have only just discovered. It features a 40-foot bar, two flat-screen TVs, a DJ and an outdoor patio. Like so many of the new bars opening up, there’s a huge focus on aesthetics, the interior is very stylized. 1 The sushi is very good and pretty reasonably priced. Best of all: an extra-long happy hour that lasts until 9 p.m.! Half-priced happy hour drinks! Can you say $4 sakejito? Mmmm delish. 344 W. 52nd St., between 8th and 9th.
I decided to do some research to find other HK bars with good drink specials so went for a run around the ‘hood last night. There is Cosmo at 359 W. 54th St. (just east of Ninth Ave.), I am actually renting this bar out this weekend for a party with my best friend. They also have a happy hour that lasts until 9 p.m., with $4 cosmos. Mmm.
Of course there is Rudy’s, the classic dive on Ninth Ave. between 44th and 45th. I think their beer is about $3 or less, with free hotdogs, but whenever I go it’s always very crowded.
At Blue Point, a chic French restaurant at 46th and Ninth, there is $6 cosmos and other cocktails all night if you sit at the bar.
Over on Eight Ave., Charley O’s restaurant at W. 45th has an after-theater happy hour that starts at 10 p.m. with drink specials for those who sit at the bar. I believe the Kevin St. James bar and Scruffy Duffy’s have pretty good happy hours as well, but can’t quite remember what they are.
Coppersmith’s has nightly specials, including three wings for $1 on Mondays and $12 pitchers of Bud and Coors until 10 p.m. on Wednesdays. 793 Ninth Ave. at 53rd St.
Those were all the specials that jumped out at me. (Of course there are many others with happy hours that end at 7, but who is out drinking that early?)
Also, I finally made it to 230 Fifth last night. What an amazing venue! Absolutely enormous roofdeck with 360 degree views of the city skyline. Of course it’s not cheap, and there were a good deal more guys than girls, but it’s still ultra-impressive.
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1 (I have to finish reading Virginia Postrel’s excellent book “The Substance of Style” but she talks about how there’s been this huge shift in valuing appearance over the past decade or so. Think the W. Hotel, Starbucks, Apple, Pottery Barn, Design With Reach, cosmetic surgery, fitness culture, “metrosexuals,” sleek toilet brushes. And, come to think about it, guys obsessed with pretty girls).
That is definitely true in NZ, and in bars in particular. You should see the one I am working on at the moment. It is pretty ridiculous, really plush fittings, chairs and stools and even the toilets we’re using are designed by philippe starck. Can you post photos of the interiors of some of your favourites? What’s in a Sakejito?
Is it like a mojito with sake? Kinda strange… Mint, limes, sake… does it still have rum in it?
I think it has saké instead of rum. There was definitely mint and limes in it. It was very good. They also have regular mojitos for the same price.
I still haven’t bought myself a new digital camera, my old one died awhile back. So for right now I just have a cameraphone that doesn’t take great low-light pictures. So here is a not-so-great picture of the interior of Bamboo 52. There are also some pics here of Perdition, my favorite bar in within easy stumbling distance. (Bamboo 52 is like a 5-10 minute walk).