ratings

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

The stretch of a Happy Hour - Verlaine Bar and Lounge


Verlaine Bar and Lounge
110 Rivington St, New York, NY 10002
(212) 614-2494
www.verlainenyc.com

Finding "Happy Hour" anywhere in the city is not a hard thing to do. There's sections of NYC such as Turtle Bay, LES, West Village, East Village and much more. Finding a happy hour place with great cocktails which last until 10pm may be a stretch. With a determined war path, we found it! 

Wait.. get this.. its happy hour til 10pm EVERYDAY OF THE WEEK!!

Verlaine Bar and Lounge is a gem in the Lower East Side (don't raise their rent damnit!) where they serve well drinks, lychee martinis, sangria (white or red) and even beers at happy hour prices. For one, I do not know how much the beers are because I am not a fan of beers but I know that $5.00 lychee martinis or sangrias will never go wrong (I like fruity drinks... well I like hard liquor too). Their well drinks are also good too! This was like an alcoholic's dream come true. 

Alright, some of you may think that, "oh, the quality must suck, there must be no liquor in these drinks"... but relax, there's plenty of liquor in it and I bet $10.00+tip (always tip) can get you at the very least, buzzed. 



Not a martini type of guy/gal, okay go to the sangria... delish! Same price, same buzz!

I simply cannot get enough of these drinks but with drinks, comes food. I personally love the calamari! I am not sure what kind of dipping sauce it was but damn the calamari was good. The picture below does not do it justice but I did not take any of these pictures. It's a must order!

Oh! there are sofas on one side, bar seats by the bar (duh) and tables for dates and get together by the wall. It's properly depicted in the picture below and I would recommend for bringing a date there. It gives off a good vibe but it does get loud. 

There are quiet days and there are packed days. Just like most bars/lounges, Monday or Tuesday will land you towards a more quiet scene. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday is always packed... and Sunday is a hit or miss...

Tip your host/hostess and bartenders well. It goes a long way!

Alright, now it's time for my infamous rating:

  • Drinks - 10/10 You should know why already after reading this article. Drinks are not weak at all.
  • Decor - 10/10 1 floor but the decor is very loungey, relaxed type vibe
  • Bouncers - 10/10 Just show your ID, duh! 
  • Service - 10/10 Fast enough but faster if you are a regular 
  • Cards - 10/10 They take all kinds of card and there is no minimum (well  I hope you don't charge $5.00 on your card...)
  • Would I go again? - Yes, I will recommend this to everyone! See ya there!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Was there liquor in that? @the DL


THE DL
95 Delancey St, New York, NY 10002
(212) 228-0909
The time now is about 2am in the morning on a Friday night by Delancey and Ludlow street (technically Saturday) and the line is kind of empty so we decided to get on line and check the place out (I have been there before and it was a fun place)! We stood on line for a few minutes and we were next... We saw a couple of girls on the side smoking and some were throwing up their balls... the night must have been great for them! The bouncer checked both our IDs and told us that there was a $75.00 bar tab that each person had to incur... (Alright, I understand the guy/girl ratio thing and obviously we were going to have a hard time getting in there but it's the DL.. not HIRO or Pacha...) We looked at each other and was like... umm... no... so we left and ended the night... 

The next day I went back to the DL (at about the same time as the day before with my friend) with my girlfriend and the line was 10 times longer (not a good ratio mix either, it was a sausage fest walking in...) and everyone got in without the need of a bar tab... We walked in and got to the first floor,needless to say, there were no girls so we traveled upwards toward the 2nd floor and that was the floor to be at if you wanted to get you shit grind on without anyone else looking at you... So I didn't want to start off ratchet so I had to go up to the third floor... the place has a great decor on the top, (remind me of miami) but the music was just not geared towards dancing and it was not EDM... I am not sure what to call this kind of music... bad? 


Anyway, the place was packed and we couldn't get anywhere. So we decided to swim in the swarm of people and get a drink... It took at least 20 minutes to get a drink from the bartender and it was two gin and tonics. They run about $13.00 a pop and they do not accept AMEX and there is a $30 minimum on cards... so I was forced to buy a third before closing my tab and yes the drinks tasted like tonic water... it was so weak that I ended up buying 6 drinks for each of us and 8 shots of Jameson to even get us tipsy... please keep in mind, I don't get tipsy easily but come on... 4 shots and 6 mixed cocktails per person... what was going on? So the night ended with a bar tab of well over $150.00 and drinks were weak... Do you think it was worth it?

I have to say that I did plan a birthday here and it was delightful to work with the admin staff but other than that...


  • Drinks - .5/10 Too weak, better off pre-gaming first or buy straight shots 
  • Decor - 10/10 3 floors, wooden, dark as hell/ratchet and I'm in Miami b**ch 
  • Bouncers - 5/10 Easy to get in with girls, get in before 12am or pay your "bar tab" 
  • Service - 1/10 Slow, not enough bartenders 
  • Cards - 5/10 NO AMEX, $30 minimum on cards
  • Would I go again? - No, unless  invited and am on a guest list, if there is even one...