Will I Am and the other Black Eyed Peas must have known what was coming to New York. Boom Boom Pow. That’s the sound of whispers and gossip flying around New York city since the launch of the new Boom Boom Room in the Standard Hotel. As the dust settles around what has been billed as possibly the greatest launch since Studio 54, the question remains – what can we expect? Not only from Andre Balazs’ new project, but also for the future of the New York nightlife.
There are a few words that elicit Pavlovian responses in me, such as Meatpacking (that’s the district mind you), cocktail, bar, and, I will happily admit it – Gansevoort. Plunge, on the rooftop, has been one of my favorite bars in the city for years. Some say it’s over-priced, some say it’s worn thin, and others argue it hosts an unnecessarily pretentious crowd. I reject all these notions, and remind people that there are few places where one can get good cocktails, find a table at which conversation can be heard, AND enjoy one of the most beautiful skylines around.
A little known fact. It’s not a fact so much as convincing folklore. Sinatra et al were named the Rat Pack by the tabloids of the day, while their own preferred title was ‘The Summit’. The Summit Bar then, at 133 Avenue C, has some big boots to fill. Can you use such a name without being worthy of it? Only time will tell for this new establishment; but with veterans from The Mercer Kitchen, the Miami Standard and the Minetta Tavern at the helm, expect greatness. The bar menu is simple and under-stated - and, as the esteemed gentlemen of The Summit were - also stylish and contemporary. It’s nice to see that the classics are coming back in style, with the use of egg whites in pisco sours, or a vesper martini which simply and absolutely refutes the notion that the martini is now merely chilled vodka in a pretty glass.