I debated back and forth whether I wanted to write about this place. A part of me felt like its spark was the fact that it was so secret, but then another part of me felt like it was my duty as a future-food journalist to share my discovery.
My friend took me here on a whim last week and I have been thanking her everyday since. She kept repeating the words “secret”, “underground” and “hidden” so I was expecting some dodgy dive bar in the basement of a run down apartment building in the East Village. How wrong I was.
Just steps from Union Square on 17th Street, this sexy and mysterious lounge could easily go unnoticed. There is no sign outside that beckons you in, in fact there is no evidence whatsoever that you are steps away from one of New York’s most exciting bars. From the outside it is just steps down to what one could consider another apartment or office building service entrance. Upon going down the stairs you find you cannot open the door – instead, you must ring the doorbell and wait in the dark before you can enter.
A woman peers through the door crack and proceeds to open the door further. Immediately you are enticed by the warmth from the fire place, the velvet couches and chairs,the dark, intimate interior and the sounds of sophistication and charm. Already you know you are in the presence of an extraordinary place. You are truly transported back in time.
Once seated you can choose to pull the black, lace curtains around your individual seating area and really have a private gossip with your best friend or a romantic evening with your lover, without having to be embarrassed about a little bit of PDA. If you need your waitress to order one of many outstanding cocktails, simply pull the private buzzer by your table.
The drinks are all made in an open, marble and wood kitchen that you have to go through to find the eerie and candle-lit bathrooms. The whole experience is one-of-a kind. If you are looking for a place where you can have great conversation without screaming above the noise of other consumers and loud music – this is the place to go.
And for those of you who know The Raines Law Room well, and are shaking your fists at the screen at me for releasing the secret unto the world – don’t worry, the atmosphere there will not be ruined. If there are no seats for arriving guests, there will be sent away and called back when there is room! This is a no-standing lounge, which means no crowds and no interruptions…
WHERE:
Rains Law Room
48 West 17th Street (between 5th and 6th Ave)
New York, NY
reservations@rainslawroom.com
HOURS OF OPERATION:
Monday-Thursday: 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Friday-Saturday: 5 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Sunday: 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Reservations can only be made before 3 p.m. on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays ONLY. Other days are first come, first served.
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