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I’m not usually
a huge fan of Rande Gerber bars. I mean Whiskey
Blue, the only other of his bars I’ve actually been to,
seemed too trendy and overblown for its own good. Granted the bar
itself was fine, it was more a matter of the crowd than anything else.
This place, on the other hand, is worthy of praise. Jesus, how could
it not be with its ginormous windows overlooking Columbus Circle,
its monstrously high ceilings and its theater in the round feel? This
place, unlike some of his other joints, feels airy and majestic and
expensive. A lot of that has to do with the scale of the thing, and
its place at the top of the shiny Time Warner Center, but also the
little details in the couches and artwork, lighting and the little
black dresses on the barmaids (who are obviously just slinging drinks
while awaiting a visit from Mr. Gerber, who they think will launch
their fledgling modeling careers into the stratosphere). I was here
on a Friday night prior to going out to dinner, and the place was
only about half-filled. It was a crappy night outside, and while it
kept the crowds away, the view out of the window wall onto Central
Park and the Columbus Circle fountain featured a beautiful rolling
bank of fog and clouds that was absolutely stunning. I must admit
that I felt a little fancy pants downing a beer in this joint, but
while it was probably one of the more expensive brews I’ve ever
downed (I didn’t actually see the bill), it seemed almost worth
it. The nicest part was the lack of attitude from the door dudes,
the hostess and the servers, who might as well have been serving some
celeb as a bunch of average nobodies. I almost felt like my money
was just as welcome as theirs--albeit I wasn’t about to be ordering
a bottle of $700 bubbly or anything. Whatever the case, this is the
one that Rande got 100% right. Now he and his beautiful wife and children
can enjoy their perfect lives secure in the fact that they’ve
satisfied some dork with a Website. [MF]
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