CityBreak: One (glamorous) Night in Soho: Part II
Posted by Guest Author - 26/02/10 at 12:02 pm
Thom Bar at Hotel 60 Thompson
Our road trip from Philly to NYC went smoothly with blissfully little traffic and ended as all dream trips to NYC should —-with valet parking.
The hotel was 60 Thompson, a swanky boutique hotel with all the aloof-chic details that somehow let you know that everyone inside is just a little bit cooler than you are. Or maybe that’s all of New York?
The attention to detail there was evident. After a free room upgrade, we noted a vague and mildy annoying smoke smell in our room. A gentle call to the front desk resulted in a staff member knocking at the door with a new room key in a matter of minutes. My GC was very disappointed later when we learned that the uber-swanky Thom Bar was closed for a private party but we did manage to sneak in a few drinks before they shut down. I had something with lemongrass and lime which sounded good in theory but was way too sour. Next time I will stick with wine. If you’re paying $15 dollars a drink (ok, well I wasn’t paying but that’s not the point), you might as well get something reliable.
After that, we met up with some college friends-turned-Manhattanites for dinner at Lupa’s. My GC was abuzz with excitement about their signature dish which had been featured on the Food Network (or Iron Chef or something like that) and involved a cracked egg over a large ravioli. Myself, being a fan of both ravioli and eggs, I was also pretty curious.
Unfortunately our experience at Lupa’s left us underimpressed, egg-less, and pretty drunk. The place is tiny, cramped, loud and frenetic. We crammed into the bar while waiting for our table and sipped (ok, gulped) wine in between purse slaps and “excuse me”s of the passerbys and waiters continuously trying to get around us.
When we finally got a table, it was a relief to be seated in a corner so that we weren’t in the direct line of traffic. But the good feeling ended too soon when the waiter told us that there was no such egg and ravioli plate featured on the menu (or apparently available to those who just happened to ask nicely). Nevermind that it’s one of the main photos on the restaurant’s website.
*sigh*
Nonetheless, we ate well so that at least a little of the alcohol could be soaked up by pasta. The pasta was soft and delicious but no match for our unfulfilled expectations. I’m thinking next time we’ll avoid famous chefs and maybe just take our chances with something unknown.
We capped off the weekend with breakfast at the hotel restaurant, Kittichai, which was delightful. Then we strolled through SoHo, grabbed a forever-memorable cafe mocha (perfect coffee to chocolate ratio that wasn’t too sweet) at a no-name cafe and made the long, relaxing drive back down the highway.
