December 20, 2007
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With the holiday season in full swing, I’m sure by the time you’re reading this you’ve already been to a few cocktail parties, a couple of festive dinners, and at least one lunch that lasted till evening. (Those are the best.)
Last post, I took you through some of my beloved classic spots for ringing in the holidays, this time, I want to share some of my new favorite New York City restaurants that I think should make your list if whether you live in the Big Apple or are planning a visit in the near future.
Tailor
Sam Mason, the chef and owner of this super-stylish new cocktail lounge and restaurant on the edge of Soho, has never played it safe. If Top Chef had been on the air four years ago, I could see him quite easily schooling many a contender. Considered one of the most envelope-pushing (and sexy) chefs in New York City, Mason is a badass with a great spirit for adventure who first hit the A-List scene as Wylie Dufresne’s pastry chef at WD-50. There he made a name for himself while toiling in the netherworld between sweet and savory, introducing beets, parsnips, yams, chiles, mustard, and something called coffee soil, to the previously buttery world of the last course. Desserts have never been the same.
Mason’s newly opened Tailor showcases his shamelessly wild and wacky side in a duplex space with a super-chic restaurant at street level and a swanky cocktail den down below where barman Eben Freeman serves daring cocktails like Bohemio -- a mix of tequila, Becherovka (a traditional Czech herbal liquor with cinnamon notes), and Naranja Agria (sour orange), The Waylon -- a highball mixed with house-smoked coke (tastes sort of like root beer) and bourbon, and the Blood and Sand -- scotch and sweet vermouth shaken with orange head and Redbach (a Belgian Flemish red ale brewed with cherries) served with an impressive frothy head in a nice fat old-fashioned glass. These are serious cocktails that should be sipped and savored. Luckily its lounge is very comfortable with plenty of room at the bar to sit and mingle. If you’re not up for socializing, and would rather keep it between just two, retreat to one of the couches where you can get cozy and talk amongst yourselves.
