Opened just over a week ago in midtown east, Noir is a swank new American/French lounge and restaurant headed by Michelin Star Chef Jean-Yves Schillinger. The extensive menu is French inspired, but with some American twists. There's an appetizer of fried lamb chops with fresh mint and ricotta, the jumbo shrimp entree with creamy risotto black rice, and the fresh salmon and homemade pesto with arugula thin Alsatian pizza. Dinner is served in the luxuriant dining room under a spectacular chandelier, while upstairs there's a lavish lounge and punch bar.
Say the word "fidelio" and ascend the winding marble staircase to the second level, where you'll find another bar and a gaggle of cocktail waitresses in fishnet stockings waiting to fill your cup from one of the communal punch bowls. Noir's owners hope the punch bowls will cultivate a more communal atmosphere, but NOBODY PANIC—you can still spend hundreds of dollars on bottle service, served from a premium spirit cart stocked with top shelf Scotches, Whiskeys, and Cognacs, which can all be weighed and purchased tableside by the ounce.
Customized cocktails including a refreshing Pimm's Cup; a Manhattan En Noir with rye whiskey, Italian Vermouth, Port, Grand Marnier, and bitters served with a brandied cherry and an orange twist; or a Five Point Sour with Lavender aviation, gin, fresh lemon juice, homemade lavender syrup, Maraschino liqueur served with a float of dry red wine. Cocktails will cost you between $14-$16, which is about what you'd expect from a place like this in midtown.
151 East 50th Street; (212) 753-1144
