Cuba

After attending two birthday celebrations within a month at Cuba, I determined that it was a great venue for group outings. On both occasions the staff knew exactly where to direct everyone, made sure we had room, and were pleasant when we pulled out cards to split the bill. They also gave the birthday girls a complimentary custard dessert with a giant sparkler.

Cuba welcomes you right as you walk in with its romantic, dim lighting and live Latin music. On the left there is a gentleman rolling complimentary cigars, if you smoke or know someone who does be sure to say "hi" and get one. The menu features numerous options including, appetizers of Empanadas and Meatballs with Saffron that could suffice as a meal, entrees with almost every kind of meat, and desserts. I had the fork tender Salmon Rio Miel glazed in sugar cane, which was excellent and much sweeter than I expected (I'm not sure how sugar glazed didn't give me the impression of super sweet, but whatever). On the other hand the mashed plantains, ordered a la carte, were surprisingly bland and not sweet; stick to the regular plantains.

So, basically, to reiterate if you need to dine in a group or want a mid-priced Cuban meal with a fairly romantic atmosphere go here. And, if you are in a group, be sure to investigate the pitchers of sangria and mojitos.

Location: 224 Thompson Street @ Bleecker Street
Hours: Mon-Wed: 12:00p-12:00a, Thurs-Sat: 12:00p-12:30a
Cost: $$

Roxy NYC

As part of Vika's birthday celebration, I had relived elementary and middle school (in much better clothing) at Roxy's Skate Night. The rink seemed much smaller than it did back then and there weren't nearly enough glow in the dark accessories visible on the skaters, myself included.

Skating was still fun, although more tiring than I remembered, and we stayed until midnight. The music had just started heating up, perhaps they played limbo after I left, but between sore ankles and the floor being too packed to skate smoothly in a circle it was time to go. One of the coolest things to do at Roxy's Skate Night is watching the regulars show their stuff. These people can move on skates better than I can without them!

The bad thing about Roxy is they know they are THE roller skating venue in the city. You pay $15 to get in, $5 for skates, and another $3 to check your bags and shoes. In my opinion this makes going there prohibitively expensive, so I'm not likely to go there again for skating.

Location: 515 West 18th Street (Cross Street: Between 10th Avenue and 11th Avenue)
Hours: Wed 8:00p-2:00a, Fri-Sat 11:00p-4:00a
Cost: $$ (and I didn't even have a drink)