Double Crown / Madam Geneva

Having read reviews for Double Crown all over, I had placed it high on my mental list of places to try so it was a great start to things when K suggested it for drinks a few Fridays ago. We arrived right at 8, which was perfect for grabbing two seats at the bar as the restaurant became progressively more packed all evening. Luckily the volume never became too loud to hear each other speak. Service was prompt and attentive without being cloying. The drinks were well mixed, although for the most part I stuck to vodka soda.

Most enchanting was the decor. I was especially fond of the gold chains with decorative elephants hanging right where you turned to go downstairs and the ornate wooden carved walls by the restrooms. Overall the space feels very open and the bathrooms while overpoweringly scented with cinnamon and too dim to touch up make-up are clean and private. The main restaurant's lighting was warm and flattering and the "speakeasy" Madam Geneva is appropriately dark with its lace decorated walls. British Colonial really is the perfect description.

It is rare that something meets my expectations, but Double Crown and Madam Geneva did so much so that I took Leslie for a drink there the next weekend. She tried Madam Geneva's signature Gin and Jam, which sounds confusing but literally is gin over crushed ice with a spoonful of jam. I don't like gin, but this was surprisingly good - less Christmas in my mouth and more Slurpee. I can't wait to eventually have dinner here.

Location: 316 Bowery (at Bleecker)
Hours: Double Crown Mon-Wed: 6:00p-11:00p, Thurs-Fri: 6:00p-12:00a, Sat 11:00a-3:30p, 6:00p-12:00a, Sun 11:00a-3:30p, 6:00p-11:00p Madam Geneva 6:00p-2:00a
Cost: $$ for drinks, probably $$$ for dinner

Fat Black Pussycat

I didn't find Fat Black Pussycat (FBPC) via Citysearch, although eventually I would have given its impeccable ratings, rather my friend Vika had her birthday outing there in August. I had so much fun that I insisted that all of my friends visiting from DC go there this past weekend; FBPC didn't disappoint. Word to the wise: go on the early side the line isn't any fun.

The DJ on the weekend is amazing and they play the videos along with the songs, even without being at the dance club portion it is hard to stay still upstairs. So much so that on my first trip we took over an alcove by the bar and had our own dance party. The staff doesn't approve of dancing on tabletops, by the way, but they don't scold you for cramming large parties in small spaces around tables, which more than makes up for it.

They also share secrets like you get more martini for your $ in the pint glass. Try the Absolut Sex one...it tastes a sweet tart and costs $9.50. I definitely plan to go back here again (and again). Sometime I might even go dancing where I'm supposed to - downstairs in its sister dance club, Village Underground.

Oh and they have a half price happy hour from 4-8 pm on weeknights that might be worth checking out as well.

Location: 130 West 3rd Street (Between 6th Avenue and Macdougal Street)
Hours: Sun-Mon 1:30p-4:30a
Cost: $ (no cover, around $5 for a rum & coke, & $9.50 for a 10 ounce martini!)

Vintage

While a little complicated to get to from my location in Queens, like all things not off of the NW, I enjoyed Vintage tonight. As soon as I walked in the waiter, John, decided he liked me and encouraged me to definitely go for it as my date "was cute!" He also later told my escort he was lucky to have me with him as I was more attractive than him, which was just wrong, amusing, and confidence boosting all at once.

Vintage has a HUGE drink menu, which was perfect since I love drink menus. Unfortunately, this slowed my decision making to a halt along with the getting to know you conversation. Don't worry me made up for it later and shared a drink "Lady and the Tramp" style. I ended up with Nadia's Perfect Ten as my first drink (a girlie martini of course). It was sweet without being too sweet; I highly recommend it. My other drinks weren't quite as good, but they still were interesting.

Vintage was very relaxed with comfy couches in the back, quiet yet good music, and sports on TV. It is a great location for meeting people that you actually want to hear, and I definitely would consider going back, especially if John was working. He even made sure I got home dry by giving me an umbrella!

Location: 753 9th Avenue (Between 50th Street and 51st Street)
Hours: Mon-Thurs: 5:00p-1:00a, Fri: 5:00p-2:00a, Sat 12:00p-2:00a, Sun 12:00p-12:00p
Cost: $$ (but I only had drinks)

Orchid Lounge

As I'm still clueless about NYC, I used Citysearch, which I've found very reliable for finding good event venues in unfamiliar cities, to find my 25th birthday celebration destination -- Orchid Lounge. Our 10:00 p arrival was perfect; we were just in time to snag the one unreserved bench. Orchid was filled with birthday parties, which I managed to poach some nice boys from!

The atmosphere was great, relaxed and elegant with an Asian aesthetic, and their drink list was very inventive and reasonably priced. Every time they ring the gong behind the bar you get free shots (in little glasses that look suspiciously like communion cups). After all the shots and drinks, I can't remember the names of my drinks, but I highly recommend the pineapple/vanilla vodka and coconut vodka/basil seed "sunscreen" martinis.

The DJ seemed to be playing a decent mix of music, however, I couldn't hear it often so this definitely isn't a venue for dancing. In spite of missing dancing, I really enjoyed Orchid Lounge and hope to go back for drinks again sometime soon.

Location: 500 E 11th St at Avenue A
Hours: Mon-Tue: 7:00p-3:00a, Wed-Fri: 5:00p-4:00a, Sat 7:00p-4:00a, Sun 8:00p-4:00a
Cost: $ ($8-10 for a martini)

OMG IT CLOSED BEFORE I COULD GO AGAIN. Boo.

KeyBar

Following dinner at Mogador Cafe, we went to KeyBar for a few drinks. As a birthday isn't a birthday without a shot, we all tried their signature Rolo shot. It's a unique idea, but I must admit that I prefer eating regular Rolo's.

KeyBar is small and reminds me of a dive bar. It's casual, has unique art on the walls, and plays good, non-pop music. While I wouldn't go for the atmosphere alone, I would go for the sweet happy hour deal. It is 2 for 1 drinks from opening until 10:00p.

Location: 432 East 13th Street (Between 1st Avenue and Avenue A)
Hours: Sun-Thurs 6p-4a; Fri & Sat 5p-4a
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)