I went to a friend's birthday party last night and had really wonderful time!! It was at Cafe Gitane in The Jane Hotel.
I suppose I must tell you that first my glam BF and I met some other friends at a dreadful midtown frat boy bar, only because one of the friends had won a free happy hour. When they tried to make me give my business card to get in I refused, I really did not wish to win a happy hour there nor did I want The Public House to have my email address. It was boring, loud, and pushy and I couldn't wait to leave. After 45 LONG minutes we did, as the real event of the evening was the 8 pm birthday dinner. The taxi driver ran up the bill by going from Grand Central (facing west) down 7th Ave (one of the worst trafficed areas in the city) which really really annoyed me! We also got stuck dropping off one of the happy hour people which seemed like it was on the way but it took us out of the way and then we had to go further out of the way to get where we needed to go.
We finally arrived and I fell in love with the Jane Hotel on the front steps. There was a charming doorman in a cranberry uniform with gold braid and buttons and a perky pillbox hat!!!!! It was immediately 1925!!!!! The lobby is an art nouveau masterpiece complete with palm trees and dark hand made tiles. The restaurant has a very 20's bistro feel but they served the cocktails in vintage glasses!!!!! I had to have one and it was magic, I chose my signature Negroni, which is a delicious little mix of gin, campari, and lemon, and a very mid-century choice that I always enjoy. The food was pre-chosen, but nicely done-the salads and desserts served for the table with a choice of entree. We started with a salad of greens, tomato, endive, and toasted aioli croutons; they also offered avocado, lemon juice, chili flakes, and olive oil served on seven grain toast AND gorgonzola, walnuts, and honey over baguette slices.
We could then choose from Moroccan couscous with red pepper, potato, raisins, pine nuts, hummus, and eggplant or smoked trout salad with arugula, cranberries, black lentils, goat cheese, tomato and avocado (that's what I had, I adore smoked trout) or baked pasta with gorgonzola, roasted tomatoes, and breadcrumbs (what my glam BF had, added prosciutto and he loved it). For dessert there was caramelized banana tart, chocolate bread pudding, and warm chocolate cake (guess what I had).
There was banter and laughter and reminiscing...I was sitting across from a man who went to college near where I went to high school and we remembered the shopping of the 80's together including the very long gone Bonwit Teller (where I met my husband) and reminisced about Short Hills mall and 1980's fragrances. I really had a wonderful evening. I was only missing my cigarette holder-I really should bring it with me to all events I go to with my glam BF.
The only negative was paying the bill...you know how these things go... 13 people splitting a bill is a nightmare of lies and people being cheap or poor and the rest of us taking up the slack. My BF and I figured it all about but one person was $8 short and another left early and only left $60 when he should have left $85. I was told it was going to be $50 and I ended up spending $89 which is very very frustrating and takes much of the joy away from the evening. But it's done now and I will remember only the parts that were too too and the bees knees and that my glam BF and I could have gotten up on the table and shimmied the Charleston at any point in the evening! :)
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