Chelsea – Rays Picks NYC

K2 Lounge at The Rubin Museum of Arts

K2 Lounge at The Rubin Museum of Arts
150 West 17th St.
New York NY 10011
212 620 5000
Official Site

New York City Fridays nights are the jumpstart to the weekend where endless booze and partying is the culture of this vibrant city. What a better way to kick-off the weekend than to visit the K2 Lounge at the Rubin Museum of Art’s café (aka Café@RMA.) On Friday’s the café is transformed into a vibrant lounge with Chelsea’s chic and trendy art loving crowd who enjoy the art, the drinks and the soothing yet upbeat music from the DJ’s eclectic song list (reminiscent of the playlist at Buddha Bar.)

The mix of Himalayan artwork displayed at every corner and soft neon lights from the curved ceilings, supported by round beams wrapped in brown marble wall paper, gives the atmosphere a flare of sexiness. Uniformed gold wooden round tables and chairs set against hard wood floors enhance the artsy scene. The bamboo bar crafted with an Asian aesthetic serves some pretty expensive martinis at $17 a pop. There are only 2 in house concoctions on the menu and oddly enough I like them both. One is the “Pomarita,” made with tequila, POM juice and triple sec; a great blend of taste, you can taste the tequila but it is neutralized by the sweetness of the POM juice. The other drink is the “Buddha’s Eye,” made with Midori, Malibu rum, pineapple juice and lime; very fruity but the taste of rum remains. The food at K2 Lounge is as good as the drinks. The Asian inspired dishes served tapas style were tasty and flavorful, however I come for the drinks.

As an added incentive to enter the museum, fees are waived every Friday night so if one is not inclined toward drinking; there are 6 floors of Himalayan art to be explored. Spend $7 at the lounge and you will get a free a ticket for the museum theater.

K2 Lounge has become one of my favorite destinations for Friday evenings. I can meet up with friends and enjoy a nice drink before heading out elsewhere to party or I can just enjoy the lounge after work and turn in early for a quiet weekend. If you ever want to impress someone and show that you have culture this is it. Booze and the arts under one roof, what a combination.

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Matsuri

Matsuri
369 W 16th St
(between 8th Ave & 9th Ave)
New York, NY 10011
212 243 6400
Official Site

*This venue is now closed.

Housed in Chelsea’s Maritime Hotel along with similarly chic bar/lounge and dinning hot spots is Japanese restaurant Matsuri. I was both intrigued and delighted on my visit to this exquisite restaurant. This is one of the places that come to my mind when I have a craving for some Sake and exceptional Japanese food.

Upon arrival to Matsuri guests are greeted by a female hostess dressed in Geisha attire who then escorts them directly to their table or to the lounge area called the “Sake Room” for some pre-dinner drinks. The restaurant is dark, intimate, not too crowded and has a relaxed atmosphere. After the entrance the “Sake Room” (resembling a balcony hanging over the dining area) is the first section of the restaurant. Then from there guests make their way down a small staircase into a spacious and dim dining room that feels like a place where a Shogun calls home. Japanese aesthetics can be felt and seen throughout the space, hanging above are beautifully decorative paper lanterns inscribed with Japanese characters, wall panels are painted with Japanese motifs and bonsai trees sparsely placed throughout. The high ceiling’s curved wooden beams have been described by “Blackbook Mag” as “like the bowels of a samurai ship. ” Guests can sit at tables in the center or in wooden booths that line the sides and corners of the space and elevated on a platform. At the center of the dinner area is a sushi bar.

Acclaimed chef Tadashi Ono who has mastered the art of Japanese and French cuisine helms the kitchen at Matsuri. Dinner is incredible and the price tag is the average range for Japanese food and the location. A $69 five course tasting menu (with decent serving sizes) that can be paired with Sake is the way to go. Their Sake drink list maybe the most extensive collection in NYC. Among the appetizers I’ve tried: the Yellowtail Sashimi with yuzu green pepper sauce and the Crabmeat Shumai steamed dumpling with ginger. The sashimi was very good – fresh and clean, while the crab meat was not bad either. For entrées I’ve tasted: the Sake Black Cod, grilled and marinated with sake paste and the Short Rib of Beef, braised slowly with dark miso sauce. The Sake Black Cod has a perfect salty taste that was not overpowering; and Short Rib’s texture was smooth and delicate with an amazing taste. Finally of the desserts, I’ve tasted: the Green Tea tiramisu with red bean ice cream and the Chocolate Cake with raspberry sorbet. Both were very good considering deserts are not usually noteworthy among Japanese cuisine.

Overall Matsuri has a good vibe, friendly servers, good food and nice décor. With an extensive Sake list and great food, it’s a great place to start out for drinks or dinner before heading out to party in the neighboring Meatpacking District. I always have a great experience at Matsuri every time I come. “Matsuri” being the word for “festival” in Japanese, every meal at this exotic an exquisite restaurant is surely a festivity!!!

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Buddakan

Buddakan
75 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10011
(212) 989-6699
Official site

Located in the fashionable and hip area of Chelsea that borders the Meatpacking District is Buddakan, one of the trendiest, hottest and chicest of New York City’s restaurant scene.

The look of the restaurant alone is awesome. Buddakan’s interior is a brave new world – the fusion of French royalty and Chinese dynasty with a modern twist. Upon entering you are immediately blown away by a huge European styled painting behind the concierge wall. After the concierge experience you are directed to a cool and very impressive bar lounge/waiting area. The Asian themed space is full of beautiful and fashionable people waiting to be seated.

From the waiting area you are escorted like royalty to your table by a tall gorgeous and elegant hostess. While walking downstairs to the dining area, you can’t resist being impressed by the aerial views of the French 18th century styled Grand Dining Hall. At the hall’s center sits a very long communal table which can seat several guests. The table is complemented by 4 stunning chandeliers hovering directly above. My guest and I were seated in the dining section at the left of the grand hall called the “Golden Library.” Walls inlaid with bookshelves filled with glowing golden books, the Golden Library is also complete with its own small lounge. A third dining section, “The Buddha Room,” is situated directly opposite the Grand Dining Hall and near the restroom. This Asian inspired room is decorated with many pictures of various interpretations of the Buddha, a change in ambiance from the modern “Golden Library” and the French styled Grand Dining Hall. Buddakan is huge, dark and loud but that’s the beauty of this amazing restaurant.

The food is Asian fusion served family style. The last time I was here I started out with the deviled tuna tartare with chilli mayonnaise and scallion, one of my favorite Buddakan dishes. For my entrée I had the whole crispy fish with napa cabbage, apple and water chestnut; and my guest had the broken chilli chicken made with Chinese thai basil. Both entrées were very tasty. We also ordered a side order of vegetable fried rice with coconut foam, the best vegetable fried rice I’ve tasted so far. The food here is delicious and very savory. The average appetizer price is about $15, entrees are $25-$40 and drink prices are pretty average for New York City. I spent $65 (excluding gratuity) per person for a three course dinner and 2 glasses of wine.

Service was top notch from the concierge personnel, the hostess, our waitress and even the bus staff and security. Our waitress was very attentive, friendly and answered all of our questions. It seemed as though she knew how every meal was cooked and all the ingredients included.

Buddakan has a great look and feel and if that wasn’t enough the food is also great. The soft lighting and cool music added just the right finishing touches; a great place for a date or to just to have a night out with friends.

For individuals who are ordering medicines online, there are several significant factors that must be elaborate. Internet is an ideal practice to get medicaments. Several medicaments are antifungal medicines. There are at least some medicaments for each sicknesses. Levitra is a medication set to treat few ailments. What do you have to view about cialis vs viagra? When you buy remedies like Levitra you should ask your dispenser about viagra vs cialis. Many drugstores describe it as viagra or cialis. Many probably sure the forcefulness of Levitra is well documented. In addition, there are some of explanations and pharmacists are ordinarily able to pinpoint your problem through biological tests. Ordinarily the treatment options may include erectile disfunction medicaments or counseling. Your generic is for you only. Never give your drugs to other folk even if their state appears to be the same as yours.

Rare View Chelsea

Fashion 26 Wyndham Hotel

152 West 26th st.

New York NY 10001

212-858-5888

Official website

The Rare View has become one of my favorite roof top bars, it totally exceeded my expectations. Its very trendy, has a relaxed atmosphere and has a great view of the Empire State Building and surrounding skyscrapers. The red and yellow striped cushions on black wicker sofas gave the place a fashionable look. The size is very descent, it’s like a larger version of The Top of Strand. Also just like The Top of Strand, the Rare View has a retractable roof making the place available rain or shine.

The drinks are very reasonable for NYC rooftop bars: $12 specialty cocktails, $8 beers and $9 wines a bargain for place like this. The only knock I have on this place is you cannot order food, the bar is only for drinking. You can’t even order from the restaurant downstairs and bring the food up. Overall The Rare View is a great place and I highly recommend it. I came here with a couple of friends and had a great time.

For individuals who are ordering medicines online, there are several significant factors that must be considered. Internet is an ideal practice to get medicaments. Several medicaments are antifungal medicines. There are at least some medicaments for each sicknesses. Levitra is a curing preassigned to treat few ailments. What do you have to regard about cialis vs viagra? When you buy remedies like Levitra you have to ask your druggist about viagra vs cialis. Many drugstores describe it as viagra or cialis. Many probably sure the forcefulness of Levitra is well documented. In supplement, there are some of explanations and pharmacists are as a rule able to pinpoint your problem through biological tests. Ordinarily the treatment options may turn on erectile dysfunction medicaments or counseling. Your generic is for you only. Never give your drugs to other folk even if their condition appears to be the same as yours.