BARS • Three-Pack
For your weekend consideration, three spots for a good drink — and, if you’re in the mood, a good meal while you’re at it.
→ The Wooly (Nolita). A list of things the recently reborn location of downtown favorite The Wooly has going for it: 1. fair pricing ($18 per drink now well below market), 2. nice compact disc collection (and related coaster design), 3. excellent people-watching (e.g., the gentleman with “club soda” tattooed across his knuckles), 4. well-developed drinks (even if pre-mixed). The menu also includes a not-insignificant raw bar, and a few bistro fare entrees (a burger, steak au poivre). –Drew Sussman
→ Chinato (Lower East Side, above). Most of the cocktails at the new bar Chinato — run by the former research and development head of Double Chicken Please, Ray Zhou — have a song pairing. I ordered the “Pancakes for Dinner,” an average tune, but a thoroughly enjoyable beverage — flavorful, strong, satisfying. Small plate offerings were developed by a Jung Sik chef. Chinato lacks the pageantry of DCP, but its cocktails live up to the hype. –Drew Sussman
→ C as in Charlie (Noho). It’s not the ideal place for an intimate date night or deep conversation, but for pregaming, the year-old C As In Charlie is letter-perfect. The complementary sake shots are delivered swiftly upon arrival. On the menu: an intriguing fusion of Southern and Korean cuisine, offered tapas-style. We stacked plates of all-American classics like popcorn chicken, Salisbury steak, and fries, each featuring contemporary and playful Korean twists. Many try to attract the social media set with shallow gimmicks, but C As In Charlie manages to thread the needle, mixing in a dose of sober self-awareness. And more shots. –Sara Sturges