New York City (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [130]
Jazz at Lincoln Center.
A Columbus Circle branch of Lincoln Center several blocks south of that iconic music complex, this jazz mecca hosts performances at either the Frederick P. Rose Hall or the more intimate Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, known for its late-night After Hours concerts. | Time Warner Center,Broadway at W. 60th St., Midtown West | 10023 | 212/258–9800 | www.jalc.org | Subway: A, B, C, D, 1 to 59th St.
UPPER EAST SIDE
Bars
American Trash.
You might tell from the name that this isn’t exactly your granddad’s UES drinking establishment. Bicycle tires, golf clubs, and other castoffs cover the walls and ceiling, ensuring that the 20-year-old Trash, a sanctum of sleaze, merits its descriptive name. Eight plasma TVs, three video games, a defiantly rock-and-roll jukebox, and a pool table keep the neighborhood crowd (as well as stray bikers who hate them) busy. Some nights local bands play classic rock. | 1471 1st Ave., between E. 76th and E. 77th Sts., Upper East Side | 10075 | 212/988–9008 | www.americantrashnyc.com | Subway: 6 to 77th St.
Auction House.
This Victorian lounge brings a touch of downtown chic to the sometimes suburban-feeling Upper East Side with its candlelighted tables, high tin ceilings, and velvet couches. Rap and hip-hop fans should look elsewhere (the only tunes coming out of this joint are alternative and rock), and baseball caps and sneakers are strictly forbidden here, as are—at the other end of the spectrum—fur coats. | 300 E. 89th St., between 1st and 2nd Aves., Upper East Side | 10028 | 212/427–4458 | Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 86th St.
Bar Pleiades.
The cocktail bar companion to Café Boulud, also in the Surrey Hotel, Bar Pleiades is a livelier alternative to the more staid atmosphere at the Carlyle’s Bemelmans. The decor is classic to a fault, employing a black-and-white theme that’s positively Audrey Hepburn–esque. Drinks rotate seasonally, and there are nibbles from the café kitchen to create a base layer. Though it doesn’t have the same drink menu, the rooftop bar is a cozy aerie good for people- (and skyscraper-) watching. | 20 E. 76th St. , between 5th and Madison Aves., Upper East Side | 10021 | 212/905–1477 | Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 77th St.
Merchants.
The epitome of a large Upper East Side lounge—sleek, shiny, low lighted, and sophisticated—the ever-popular Merchants packs them in mostly because of its splendid downstairs cigar bar, a spacious sultanate of smoke. | 1125 1st Ave., at E. 62nd St., Upper East Side | 10021 | 212/832–1551 | www.merchantsny.com | Subway: N, R to 59th St.
Opia.
The motto for this upscale-yet-unpretentious bar–restaurant—”If you like us, tell your friends, and if you don’t, tell your enemies!”—isn’t necessary, given its manifold charms: a drop-dead-gorgeous design, plenty of space for canoodling and cavorting, a romantic balcony (though 57th Street isn’t exactly a scenic beach), plus no cover or minimum for the live jazz on Monday night. Opia is ideal for couples in full-on infatuation or spouses hoping to remember the wine-and-roses days before the kids. | 130 E. 57th St., between Lexington and 3rd Aves., Upper East Side | 10022 | 212/688–3939 | www.opiarestaurant.com | Subway: N, R, 6, to 59th St.
Session 73.
Young patrons and live music (ranging from jazz to blues to funk) set this sizable restaurant and bar apart from others in the neighborhood. And if the youth and tunes aren’t sufficient, then the generously eclectic assortment of tequilas and beers on tap probably will be. | 1359 1st Ave., at E. 73rd St., Upper East Side | 10021 | 212/517–4445 | www.session73.com | Subway: 6 to 77th St.
Cabaret and Piano Bars
The Carlyle.
The hotel’s discreetly sophisticated Café Carlyle hosts such top cabaret and jazz performers as Christine Ebersole, John Pizzarelli, and Steve Tyrell. Stop by on a Monday night and take in Woody Allen, who swings on the clarinet with the Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band. The less fancy-schmancy (though still pricey) Bemelmans Bar, with a mural by the author of the Madeline books, features