THIRD TIME’S A charm at this hardto-find Ludlow Street lair, which is tucked almost invisibly below its upstairs neighbor, the Jin Lin Trading Corp. After two failed visits to this quiet Lower East Side block—the bar is closed on Mondays and I ran into a private party on my second try—I finally finagled my way past the doorman and through the velvet drapes to make my underground escape into Chloe 81’s classy, tiled interior. At 10:30 the DJ was already pumping dance music as I settled in to the snug surroundings. No more than 10 patrons dotted the dark couches on the early Friday night, but one couple had already energetically lip-locked. Read more Read it in print

Open since November, the coffee and sandwich shop is named by owners Brad Baker and Megan Blackburn after the first bike ever made.The original Boneshaker was built of wood and steel in the 1800s, the front wheel was considerably larger then the back, and it was propelled by pegs instead of peddles. Read more Read it in print

This might not have been the year to launch the new rooftop lounge atop the Empire Hotel. Cocktails that exceed $13 are always a dicey proposition, but with the country in an official recession, they’re now downright terrifying. Still, there’s something to be said for singing along with the band while the Titanic is sinking. Maybe the best way to combat depression and fear over the current economic crisis is guzzling assorted cocktails while staring at the well-dressed audiences pouring out of Lincoln Center across the street. Boasting a winterized rooftop, the lounge atop the Empire Hotel is a surprisingly spacious place to unwind after a stint at Lincoln Center or a long day of sightseeing. My boyfriend and I dropped in on a recent Tuesday night, just missing the jazz group that have made that night their own, but in time for plenty of dark ’80s music over the sound system. Luckily, the lounge was so empty that we had no problem snagging a table near a roaring fire. Where the smoke actually goes, we have no idea, but it certainly took the edge off our chill. Read more Read it in print

Tonia Guffey, the mixologist at the East Village’s Counter, hands me a napkin while commenting on how the Italian Farmhouse Panini ($14) that I’m taking part in is not clean eating: at least, not the way I am tearing into it with a glee I generally reserve for dishes of the carnivorous variety. I reach for the napkin before I can think better of it. I shouldn’t be wiping my fingers on; they would be much better off in my mouth. Food this tasty isn’t to be wasted on napkins. “It’s one of the few things [on the menu] I have no desire to change,” says Chef Giles Siddons, who inherited the dish when he took the reigns at the East Village vegetarian bistro a few months ago. Read more Read it in print

On a recent Monday night, the frigid air on East 51st Street made the roaring fireplace of Haven’s inviting anteroom a welcome sight. Actually closer in size and character to a dining room than a waiting room, it proved to be the first in a quartet of softly lit, red-tinged spaces—each of which offered its own relaxing vibe. “This is a home away from home,” explains owner Jorge Peguero, of his new restaurant and lounge, where I’m tempted to take up residence. “It’s the eclectic townhouse of a world traveler,” continues his partner Bershan Shaw as she points out the statues from Bali, the Italian art and the trinkets from Hong Kong that punctuate this imaginary abode. Read more Read it in print

Draft Barn to the list of new bars and restaurants in Gowanus you probably havent noticed yet. Tucked into the industrial block of Third Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets, the BQE hovering in the distance, Draft Barn offers 250 beers ranging vastly in origin and price. Read more Read it in print

The Heady Smell of potpourri hit me unexpectedly when I walked into Lulu, a four-month-old restaurant on Mulberry Street.The next thing I noticed was the unpretentious space, accentuated by candlelight, low lamps and small vases of fresh flowers.These little decorations littered the two-seater tables pressed against the wall and the cozy, dark wood bar to the right of the entrance. Larger parties can be seated in the back, where family-style raw wood tables and charmingly curtained windows add a distinct vintage style to the eating experience. Lulu’s overall décor is reminiscent of a quaint French country home, the kind of place to spend a cool night wrapped around a glass of wine and a dish of pasta. Read more Read it in print

THE MEATPACKING DISTRICT. Those six syllables provoke a shuddering in almost any New Yorker who’s not into the mainstream club scene. Clickety heels. Hair gel. Streams of vomit flowing in the streets. So the question is, why in God’s name would anyone want to duplicate it? Ask the folks behind the Harlem Meatpacking District, also known as “ViVa,” or “Viaduct Valley.” It’s that area in the high 130s between 12th Avenue and the West Side Highway, just north of Fairway and Dinosaur BBQ. One of the newest locations on the strip is BODY Restaurant and Lounge, located at 701 W. 137th St. Just like a club in the real Meatpacking District farther downtown, it’s got sexy vibes, dimmed lights and plenty of places to make out. Read more Read it in print

If you’ve heard anything about Greenpoint’s Five Leaves, you’ve probably heard the late actor Heath Ledger was a financial backer. There, that’s out of the way. What’s more relevant at this point is that John McCormick (Moto, Smith and Mills) designed the place, and veterans of Prune and El Beit run the kitchen. With McCormick involved, you can expect Five Leaves to look good, and it does. On entering, the small, triangular space is comforting and somewhat familiar. This is a decent trick given the profusion of restaurants with the now-hackneyed trappings of New Brooklyn Cuisine decor: Burnished metals, weathered wood, old-timey-looking pendant lights. You’ll find all of these in Five Leaves but deployed well and freshly enough; a massive arcing mirror behind the bar, the blood-red wood banquette and the pale wooden planks of the vaulted ceiling are actually pretty and pleasant even if you’ve seen their like before. Read more

If you’re anything like me, you’ve walked past Indochine without ever going inside dozens or even hundreds of times during its 24 years. I came close, once, during the holiday blizzard of 1996, but my companion took one look at the menu and grumbled “Too expensive.” I looked at our snow-stained pant cuffs, weathered sweatshirts and runny noses and thought to myself, “And we’re not fabulous enough.” Over a decade later, I find myself sitting in Indochine in ripped jeans, a polo shirt and sneakers.While the crowd, myself included, might be not as fabulous as it once was in its table-top dancing glory days, everything else you may have heard about this downtown stalwart is true. Read more Read it in print