PX This presents THE F&F REVIEW
Hey, sorry we couldn’t make it to "Friends&Family," we were out of town/ had to work/ not invited. We’re really glad we finally managed to come by, though— it’s so nice to see you!
What’s that? You would still like us to take the time to fill out the F&F survey, because you’d love to take advantage of all our vast experience, knowledge, insight, and expertise as long as we’re already here? Because you invited 75 people to F&F, and afterward all you got was 41 "Congrats[es]!" 22 "Awesome[s]!" 3 "Ciao[s]!" and 9 "Best of lucks[s]!" ?
Of course, we’d be honored. Oh ha, yesss, we’ll be honest— brutally honest even, ha ha! After all, that’s what friends & family are for!
No no please, don’t send anything more, we’re stuffed, we can’t breathe, you’ll have to roll us out of here, ha ha ha… !
The “Boom Boom” [ the early hours ]
What was your first impression?
wow did i just waltz right into an andre-balazs hotspot without having to submit my credentials (see: MercerLobby, subMercer, SunsetBeach, Chateau/BarMarmont, theRaleighPool, TheBoomBoom[late night], MK)? huh. that’s weird, i almost feel a little displaced or something. where am i?
Please rate the Bar:
love it. what more can i say. it’s got it alllll goin on, and my bartender this evening (aaron, was it?) is a total sweetie pie.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
oh crap. okay i messed up, this is my 5th or 6th visit here already, and i’ve never once looked at the wine list. the liquor list is extensive, worldly, and impressive, and the cocktails are expertly prepared (albeit a tad slow at times). it’s expensive, but that’s okay (see: below).
Please rate the Dining Room:
with views like this, who cares? oh okay, obviously, it’s designed more for drinking/lounging than dining, but there isn’t a single "bad table" in the whole place. and the room itself is spectacular of course. but i fear those pompous contrived uniforms on all those beautiful ladies are going to get tired/dated reeeeeal quick. this is downtown, it aint times square, bitches— i’d get rid of those awful things if you ask me.
Please rate the BOH:
uhhh… well
personally i think the menu is PERFECT. if it was INTENTIONALLY created to spare theBoomBoom from the most irritating people in new york, it’s GENIUS. pedestrian enough to keep away the foodies/foodists, expensive enough to thwart the trite but opinionated bloggers, and intimidating enough to hinder the hipsters— it’s GOLDEN.
i have finally found the perfect place for me. i have come HOME.
How was the staff?
i love the staff. it’s everybody i’ve met and/or worked with over my entire 20+ year career, and i adore them all. their collective résumés span centuries of service in the most renowned establishments in the very best cities all over this country.
they’re perfectly nice to me. i can’t speak for you.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
at this point, over several visits, i’ve had pretty much everything on the "preview" supper menu except maybe the caviar sandwich. so far, my favorites are the burger, the croque monsieur, the english tea sandwiches, and the french fries (which, by the way, are $10. ha ha ahaa i LOVE it).
but frankly, who gives a shit. let’s be honest already— you’re not here for the food. and if you’re here just because you could finally get in, and all you want to do afterward is tell everybody how "overrated" or "not any big deal" it is, stay home or go someplace else. feel free to experience it from the comfort of your living room sofa when it inevitably shows up in an episode of Entourage or Gossip Girl or Sex and the City The Movie2 or whatever.
What did you like?
everything. everybody.
What did you dislike?
that it was so damned easy to get in here.
that one girl with the unwashed hair in the too-tight jeans and the too-tight/too-short teeshirt with the cheap shoes and the ugly handbag completely ruining the aesthetics for a moment when she lamentably crossed my line of vision.
and what the fuck is with the baby strollers all of a sudden?
What was your last impression?
as soon as i can charm a WiFi password out of somebody with some juice (and i will) i’m moving in here.
Would you come back?
i’m on my way over…
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
sure, you say that now. wait til you’re sick of seeing my face.
Tags: ANDRE BALAZS, BOOMBOOM ROOM, COOL PEOPLE, F&F REVIEWS, HOTELS, THE RALEIGH
November 6th, 2009 at 1:15 PM
the early crowd is actually pretty good. a few random tourists and b&t’s, but for the most part the same cool crowd that comes later…..
November 6th, 2009 at 2:31 PM
From what I’ve seen, the early hours work. It gives them a chance to make extra $$ with the hotel guests, but the typical rowdy Happy Hour crowd won’t go there because the prices are too prohibitive, and they won’t go for things like the mandatory coat check. The fabulous people are there because they still get better treatment and do whatever they want, even if it is just sitting for hours with a glass of water. Eventually the baby strollers will disappear once it’s no longer a novelty and it sinks in how expensive it is. Eventually it will end up being alot like the lobby at Mercer.
November 6th, 2009 at 2:34 PM
Unfortunately, there will be that occasional customer that doesn’t know how to dress or looks like sh*t, but at least they can be hidden away at a far-off corner banquette, lol.