ENTERTAINMENT/NIGHTLIFE

NEW YORK 12 BEST NIGHTLIFE SPOTS

By Maximillien de Lafayette

 

1- DON'T TELL MAMA .343 W 46th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues. Phone: 212-757-0788. Rating: 4 STARS. Genre: Cabaret-Lounge. Clientele age: 30 to 50. Dress code: Smart Casual.

One of the most captivating cabarets in New York City. Everybody seems to know about their cabaret acts. This spot regularly offers the best cabaret singers in the business. With its piano bar, two separate cabaret rooms, this establishment rotates around high definition stage techno, funky gadgets, light fixtures, dazzling spotlights, fancy 400-watt sound system, the whole nine yard. The Front Cabaret room seats about 65 and the Back Cabaret seats approximately 74 persons. But what counts here, is not the large projection screen, the state of the art audio-video system and technology stuff but, the faces and talents at Don't Tell Mama. And talents they put on stage. Perhaps, they have the best nightly cabarets acts and torch singers in town.

 

 

And everybody takes part in this musical feverish explosion and implosion beginning with the performers, going through the wait staff and wrapping it up with customers who are having the best time of their lives. This is a great place. A lot of fun. Don’t Tell Mama opens nightly from 4: 00 pm to 4: 00 am, and the piano music stars at 9: 00 pm. Two drinks minimum and a cover charge is "to be paid" even if you know the owners. A lot of boozing and schmoozing in this place, but no food is served. This is a super duper spot. You will love this place. Highly recommended. Two thumbs up!

 

2- FEINSTEIN'S AT THE REGENCY. 540 Park Avenue, The Regency Hotel. Phone: 212-339-4095.   Rating: 5 STARS. Genre: Cabaret-Lounge. Clientele age: 30 to 60.  Dress code: Jacket or Tie.  

A very classy and chic nightclub. The ambiance is intimate, elegant, refined and comfortable. The room accommodates 140 seated guests. If you are having important guests from out of town, you better take them to Feinstein's At The Regency. They would be impressed. Everything seems to be perfect at that establishment; the show, the music, the repertoire, the food, the service, the ambiance and the clientele in general. New York needs a live entertainment venue like the Feinstein's. The drinks prices and cover charge might scare some customers, but this is the whole deal!  High prices would help eliminate the undesirable riffraff. This is a world-class cabaret. La crème de la crème, all the way! The list of distinguished artists who performed at this super spot  includes:  Rita Rudner, Polly Bergen, Ann Hampton Callaway, Rosemary Clooney, Barbara Cook, Linda Eder, Cleo Laine, Melissa Manchester and Keely Smith.

 

3- OAK ROOM AT THE ALGONQUIN. 59 W 44th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues. Phone: 212-840-6800. Rating: 5 STARS.  Genre: Cabaret-Lounge. Clientele age: From 20 to 50. Dress code: Smart casual.

The Oak Room is a landmark in New York City with a rich tradition of cabaret music excellence and high caliber of stage performers. It is elegant, classy, imposing, yet very comfortable. The musical acts are first class. The artists are top of the line and the service is impeccable. Every single detail is well crafted and meticulously paid attention to, by the staff and personnel of  the Oak Room. This is, probably the finest cabaret in the United States. Everything is almost perfect. To many customers, the Oak is very expensive and the $50 cover charge is outrageous! Yes, they complain about the high prices but they keep on going to and coming back to the Oak Room. It seems that nobody in New York can compete with this venue. It appears that no entrepreneur in town is capable of coming up with a new cabaret concept or formula to compete with the Oak Room. Elegance dominates here, starting with the pricy hors d'oeuvre, magnificent appetizers,   yummy sandwiches, fancy drinks, rich decor and ending the elegance tour de force with the gowns and dresses of the performers themselves.  

4- DANNY'S SKYLIGHT ROOM. 346 W 46th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues. Phone: 212-265-8133.Rating: 4 STARS. Genre: Cabaret-Lounge. Clientele age: From 30 to 40. Dress code: Smart casual. Snob attire. Armani suits will do just fine.

A show-case cabaret. Attractive and stimulating establishment. The interior design is the "signature" of The Skylight Room. The cabaret acts are first class. Some big names perform regularly at this place. The music repertoire is varied and encompassed the traditional and the innovative. Very pleasant ambiance and the staff service is generally very amicable. Skylight Room is one of the best spots in New York city, for it offers an astonishing avalanches of different performers on a weekly basis. The food is delicious, the appetizers are highly recommended, the waiters, waitresses and bartenders really take care of their customers,  the prices are very reasonable, the general feeling you get from the ambiance and atmosphere is relaxing and intimate. Most definitely, Skylight Room is a terrific cabaret and live music venue.  Go early. The place is always packed.

 

5- FIREBIRD CAFE. 363 W 46th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues. Phone: 212-586-0244. Rating: 5 STARS. Genre: Cabaret.-Lounge, American and international music.  Clientele age: 30 to 40. Dress code: Elegant, trendy to smart casual.

Lorna Dallas (Photo left), Sally Mayes, Baby Jane Dexter, Steve Ross, Daryl Sherman, Betty Buckley and many big names in the entertainment and showbiz performed at the Firebird Cafe. This stunning place have three separate and delightful sections under one roof: 1-The dining room area which is dressed up with china, crystal chandeliers and ancient Russian icons, relics, manuscripts and fascinating rare books.  2- The parlor is furnished with antique European chairs and sofas of an eclectic style and taste.  The parlor is very welcoming and extremely comfortable. 3- The grand ballroom area is magnificently decorated and ornate with a refined taste.  It has a domed ceiling and skylight. The cuisine is Russian. The food is superb and delicious, particularly the mushroom Vareniki, the roasted breast of duck, the chicken Tabaka along with the Ukrainian white smoked pork loin.  Firebird Cafe is a fantastic, magnificent and captivating place. It has all the elements and characteristics of a world-class cabaret, boite, restaurant, pub, bar, show floor, all elegantly and magically combined under one roof; another great advantage. This place has some of the finest and most unusual international music repertoires from Europe and around the globe. Certainly, this musical wealth is a plus, a great plus, especially, when the overwhelming majority of cabarets and live entertainment venues in New York City offers exclusively American standards and traditional Broadway musical acts.  Once you visit the Firebird Cafe, you become addicted to it. This is a "must see" place. First class!!

6-CAFE CARLYLE. 35 E 76th Street. Phone: 212-744-1600.Rating: 5 STARS. Genre: Variete, Jazz, Cabaret. Clientele age: From 30 to 50. Dress code: Jacket and tie required.

Woody Allen with the Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band, Maria Friedman, Bobby Short (of course!) and top notch artists and entertainers performed at the majestic and spectacular Café Carlyle,  home to the legendary Bobby Short for more than  three decades and counting! The Café Carlyle symbolizes perfection in culinary arts. The cuisine is French. The menu is very clever. The food is absolutely out of this world. The interior decor is rich, harmonious, elegant, tasteful, imposing, yet very cozy and comfortable.  This is the premier high society cabaret venue in New York City.  Everything blends together in this place: The decor, the ambiance, the music repertoire, the cuisine, the service, the elegant presence of the  artists on stage, the dim lights, the colors of the walls...Everything blends  perfectly in utmost esthetical harmony, musical beauty,  charming and elegantly sensual cabaret ambiance, superb French cuisine  and impeccable wait staff service. The interior design is extremely elegant. The service at the bar and in the dining room is impeccable.  The entertainment is unsurpassed and unmatchable. The clientele? You guessed it! Top CEOs, big names in the high society, famous corporate executives, very-well known artists and performers who just pass by to visit and sometimes to jam, and of course international tourists who pump in because they have heard about the Cafe. Yes, the prices are high, but you get what you pay for. Nothing great is cheap in New York City

7-CAROLINE'S COMEDY CLUB ON BROADWAY. 1626 Broadway. Phone: 212-757-4100. Rating: 5 STARS. Genre: Comedy. Clientele age: From 25 to 50. Dress code: Smart casual.

New York’s most famous comedy club, for it hosts the top notch names in the comedy and satire entertainment business. This place launched the career of world famous performers. They started right there on the stage of the Caroline's!  Entertainers, comedians and performers like Eddie Murphy, Jerry Seinfeld, Kathy Griffin, Janeane Gorofalo and Chris Rock. The interiors and seating areas are comfortable. The food is all right. The drinks are reasonably priced. The club offers comedy entertainment for kids and children every Saturday and Sunday at 2: 00 pm. Admission fee is around $25 with two-drink minimum. A fun place! You will love it. It is hilarious!

8-COMEDY CELLAR, 117 MacDougal Street. Phone: 212-254-3480. Rating: 4 STARS.  Genre: Comedy. Clientele age: 25 to 50+. Dress code: Smart casual

Comedy Cellar crowns Greenwich Village. This is the New York's Mecca for funny stuff and funny people.  Expect to see sitting next to you some superstars, world famous comedians and motion pictures legends such as Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Shawn Wayans and John Stewart. By far, this is the most appealing and delightful comedy venue in New York City. Two drink minimum. The show schedules are:  9: 00 pm and 11: 00pm from Sunday to Thursday.  Friday:  8: 30pm, 10: 00pm, 11: 30pm and 1: 00am; Saturday 7: 00pm, 9: 00pm, 10: 45pm, and 12: 30am. Roster of previous performers included: Mark Curry,William Shatner, Wanda Sykes, Robin Williams, Ray Romano, George Wallace, Howie Mandel, Gabe Kaplan, Eddie Griffin.             Photo: Colin Queen, at the Comedy Cellar.

 

9-BIRDLAND. 315 W. 44th Street. Phone: 212-581-3080. Rating: 5 STARS.  Genre: Jazz. Clientele age: 30 to 50+. Dress code:  Get comfy.

One of the world's best spots to hear jazz. It is a real treat and a delight to be at the Birdland. Just before your very eyes, you will enjoy the performances of America's greatest jazz musicians, one after another. The shows begin around 9: 00 pm and God knows when the musicians stop playing. Sometimes, they got so excited and pumped up, they keep playing until sun-up. Big time musicians paraded and performed at the Birdland, to name a few: Count Basie, Thelonius Monk, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. In brief, this is your initial and final destination for world's jazz. Great show every single night.  And if you are hungry, try their delicious Southern cuisine and spicy specialties. This nightspot is fabulous! A lot of fun and good time.

10-METROPOLITAN OPERA COMPANY. 30 Lincoln Center Plaza. Phone: 212-799-3100 Rating: 5 STARS. Genre: Music-Hall. Opera, World Music, Symphonies. Clientele Age: 30 to 70. Dress Code: Look and act respectable.

The name says it all.  The Metropolitan Opera Company has been one of the world's greatest and leading opera companies since its creation in the 19th century.  More than 900,000 people have attended the Metropolitan Opera performances each year. Of course, this does not include the millions and millions of viewers and listeners who watched the Metropolitan Opera shows on television.

 

11-BITTER END. 147 Bleecker Street. Phone: 212-673-7030. Rating: 5 STARS. Genre: Music-Hall. Clientele age: 30 to 50+. Dress code: Smart casual.

One of the world's greatest music and entertainment establishments.  And most certainly, one of the world's most dynamic music centers since 1931. A considerable number of world famous performers, comedians, artists, singers, dancers, motion pictures icons and legends made their debuts and launched their spectacular career , right in front of the Bitter End's legendary brick wall stage. To name a few: Peter, Paul and Mary, Bette Midler, Patti Labelle, Billy Crystal, George Carlin, Les Paul and Cheech & Chong. The Bitter End shows are rich in their astonishing wide varieties of genres and styles which constantly change every single night!

And Number 12 IS? Well, we are going to leave it to our readers. Please write to us and tell us about your choice and your favorite spot.