by Nikolai K. on I was not paying the bill, thankfully. And I had never been before (this was a few nights ago), so I was happy enough to try it out. And, all in all, it's a decent place. I had the rib-eye special of the night, which consisted of taking a more or less respectable piece of beef and heaping, and I mean friggin heaping Roquefort on top. I could have done with a nice pat of blue cheese, but I never imagined it would be a blanket that would be suffocating the poor old thing. At least the temperature was correct. Creamed spinach (always a telling side, IMHO) was meh, potatoes were meh, the mushrooms were great. But then, you would have to be really fuckin stupid to fuck up mushrooms. I'm giving the place two stars because of the service, which in this case was great, but it probably didn't hurt that I requested a specific server I knew would be great when I made the reservation. Now, I don't want to knock anyone, by which I mean I do, but STK is not any of the following: cool, upscale, great, awesome, classy, amazing, or a great place to go with a group of friends. I give it trendy, but in no way is that a compliment. Trendy as in, "Oh look, a wall covered with ivory tusks above the bar -- I've never seen _that_ in New Jersey!" (I hope they would at least have that modicum of taste to use fake tusks.) Seriously people, you are in New York. You won't lose cool points by going to an actual steakhouse. Granted you won't be able to stumble across the street to some other terribly hip, awfully trendy, so very chic club to hit on (pick one or as many as you like): Eurotrash, Bridge and Tunnels idiots, morons who "never go above 14th St," banker/Wall Streeter types, loose women, men with herpes, or floozies. I mean have some dignity, eat at a real meat-serving joint in midtown, and spring for the cab downtown afterwards.
by Jewel Faries on Go for drinks in the early part of the week, sit by the bar in one of the many secluded nooks, or perhaps on one of the tables facing the bar, and marvel at the atmosphere of this place. The drinks are expensive ($15 is the norm) and inconsistent ("Buddha Scroll" with mint, red grapes, and lemon was an unsuccessful take on the mojito; "Pink Angel" with muddled raspberries was much better) but served in a large glass, so at least you are getting some of your money's worth. But to sip in such an oppulent, sexy, dim-lit cavern, the price of the drink is absolutely worth it. Consider it the price of admission to see something as unreal as Buddha Bar. You will no longer be in NYC; especially if you go mid or early week and it's not that crowded, you can be lulled into another state of mind, and that, my friends, is worth a $15 cocktail with a fancy name. The first thing you'll notice once you find the place (it has very discrete signage and you could totally walk by it) is the incense. It's a distinct scent that fills the place but doesn't overwhelm. Then the hallway lined with buddhas. The dim lighting. The warm red glow around everything. The dining room to the center, dark, secluded despite the size of the place. The lounge to the left: visions of "Raise the Red Lantern," silk fabrics, robes, lounges, settees, an opium den of the highest magnitude...red fabrics covering low chairs arranged in intimate little settings. And the bar! The magnificent, long bar with stools that look like mushrooms, covered in more red silks. Candles everywhere. The music, of course, is very good: global sounds that are the tempo for flirting, seducing, and relaxing. The Buddha Bar mix CDs of sexy, downtempo world beats have been famous for sometime, and this bar is based on the French original by the same name. I only sampled a sushi roll, BBQ Chilean Sea Bass, and it was ok. I paid over $80 for 4 drinks and a roll. Expensive, yes. Worth it when you want a completely different experience that stimulates ALL your senses? Yes. But I would dare not go on a weekend.
