Saint Patrick's Cathedral
Wednesday, 5pm
Public House
140 East 41st St. (Lexington Ave.), Manhattan
Did you ever wonder if anyone actually ever wins those prizes offered to those who drop their business card in a fishbowl? Did you have to read that sentence twice to make sense of it?
Fishbowl. Business Card. Prize.
Karina won one -- a 50-person one-hour happy hour at Public House. 50. The best part is that the bartenders hustled, making sure everyone ready for second and third drinks got one. Impressive. Bartender says the crowd is generally after-work-AA. We like the high high ceilings and the wings and how easy this place is for a midtown drink.
Michael Jordan's The Steak House NYC
North and West balconies, Grand Central Terminal
As we previously mentioned, if you're not a Metro North commuter or someone meeting a commuter, you likely have an impressive relationship with alcohol if you hang out in the bars at Grand Central. One such gentleman, someone who has been Age Appropriate since 1960, was head over heels for Karina.
This is a man who regularly delivers such zingers as "I was so ugly the doctor slapped my mother."
And "My mother was so protective she walked back and forth in front of me saying 'this is what it would look like if you were swinging.'"
And so forth.
Joe charmed us with one liners, stories of his professional hockey playing family, his love of skating, and his participation in the remodeling of Grand Central. He's an architect, you see, and he has eyes for blondes. In the hourish we spent with Joe, we met a handful of his drinking associates and watched numerous AA commuters quickly consume a beverage then bolt. Tourists lingered. We did not. We do, however, find Michael Jordan's to be a perfectly acceptable place for a drink. Or maybe two. But three is when you really should move along.
The city's activist health department is not known for backing down from a fight, particularly one involving restaurants, which it blames for an obesity epidemic in New York.Same everything, down to the blue neon sign. Well, the menu is slightly different but it's not well disguised. This is excellent, and we're totally in favor of the calorie counting. In fact, we look forward to the day when Nobu has to succumb to this law. You know they're like one restaurant away from being an official chain.
But the agency was forced last month to retreat from its stand against Houston's, an upscale California restaurant chain that fought to keep caloric information off its menus.
The health department reluctantly withdrew the violations against Houston's, which circumvented the calorie-posting rule by changing its menus and the name of its two New York eateries.
Anyway, here's what the Hillstone card (pictured) says:
Our new name recognizes the fact that Houston's in New York City has been a flagship restaurant for Hillstone Restaurant Group for over 12 years.
High entertainment. Read more by Lisa Fickenscher: Houston's restaurant outsmarts calorie cops; Changes name, menu to avoid posting rule
Grand Central Zócalo
Dining Concourse, Grand Central
Sara thinks she had a birthday once at the original Zócalo (174 E. 82nd St., Manhattan) which is now Flex Mussels. Things are always changing (though Flex uses Zócalo's old phone number: 212-717-7772). Anyway, we think this gloomy picture of a colorful Mexican restaurant will be pleasing to all. We've had dinner at Grand Central Zócalo. It's pretty good, especially if you've had a half-off margarita (4-6pm, M-F) before boarding a train to New Haven. The bar, however, is not so good, as mentioned in our GCT round-up. AA, yes. AQA, no.
The Grand Central Oyster Bar
Grand Central, Lower Level
E. 42nd Street, Manhattan
Cipriani Dolci
Grand Central, West Balcony
Vanderbilt Ave. (43rd St.), Mahattan
The bar here is great if you get a seat because the maître d' keeps the hoardes out of the narrow space, meaning you can sit and drink and snack in relative peace. And mostly everyone around you will be about your age. Excellent.
