by Mike T. on The Box has been open for a little over two years now, and is probably about a year and a half past its prime. For a while the venue was viewed as one of New York's premiere nightlife venues, however in recent months, due to the recession and just a general lack of interest in the space there have been whispers about The Box looking at foreclosure. While I certainly hope this isn't the case, I do feel that the image that The Box has so carefully worked to craft over the years might be the cause of its own demise. As an arena that prides itself on exclusivity and its ability to cater to clientele of a higher profile, it should be noted that after two years most New Yorker's in this set have already frequented The Box numerous times and at this point are looking to take their money elsewhere. In order to keep people interested, The Box has enlisted a series of new nights, most notably this Wednesday Beach Party which while effective in the short term, most likely won't keep the place afloat in the long run. Not everything about this place is awful though. In fact, there are actually a number of good things about The Box, most notably the decor and music selection which are unique, even to New York-and at one point I'd argue to say the show itself was worth the cost of entry alone, however due to budget restraints I've heard that the quality just isn't the same. Either way, today The Box seems to cater to a smaller crowd and while you can still find hordes of tourists and social types hanging by the door on Friday nights, its not the same vibe as it was a couple years ago.
by Darin Boyack on I seem to be having this recurring nightmare - I walk into a beautiful, enormous restaurant with a high ceiling. It's decorated with lavish oriental motifs, statues and pottery - and I'm anticipating an exciting dinner filled with exotic flavors, but then... things get weird. Time slows down, or speeds up, servers lose their memory, the chefs forget how to cook, and suddenly I just want to run screaming for something simple and reliable, like a Skooby Dog. But wait, this recurring nightmare is real! Just when my friend and I were resolved to never set foot into RockSugar again, we got suckered into the dining room of The Kress! Appetizers, soup and entrees arrived in a mosh pit of terribly timed courses, while in all other ways, the service was slowwwww. The Lobster Bisque was bitter and unpleasant, though served in a thankfully tiny portion. Calamari? Kress had the misfortune of being our dinner choice on the night after we'd had some of the best fried calamari EVER at Farfalle on Hillhurst in Los Feliz - by comparison, the Kress' squid was rubbery and bland. It might be welcomed on Survivor Island, but in an overpriced eatery in Hollywood, I don't think so.... I can't believe my friend and I fell for the old "over the top asian decor, CLUELESS "asian fusion" kitchen" again! Kudos to the latino bus boys, who were very friendly and seemed to be compensating for the otherwise unpleasant experience. If I ever start having a similar recurring nightmare again, I hope someone will wake me before the food arrives!
by Kerry Goldklang on Loved it! Granted, it wasn't hard for 9 inebriated bachelorettes to have a good time anywhere at midnight on Saturday, but this place was super fun. Cool decor, great dancing music, not too much bridge and tunnel...and the slide. Fellow Rateclubers Jeremy S. and Michael S. definitely contributed to the fun factor. Those boys can dance! ;)
