Discreet is back for many chi-chi New York clubs and restos.
An excerpt from the NYT story:
IF the owners of the Anchor, a lounge on Spring Street in the West Village that opened two weeks ago, were hoping to create something other than a downtown hot spot, they seem to have taken all the necessary precautions.
The Anchor, a moodily lit cubbyhole with an Americana theme, has no sign, no bouncer, no bottle service and no velvet rope. The point, the owners say, is to avoid growing too popular too soon. But if last weekend was any indication, they may be falling short of the mission.
“Last Saturday was a little crowded,” said Chrissie Miller, 30, a fashion designer who is one of the owners, recalling the crush at the bar around 1:30 a.m. “I was a little freaked out. I don’t want it to get to the point where our friends can’t get in.”
If you haven’t cracked the code of the newest night spots in Manhattan, there might be a reason: like the Anchor, they are discreet to the point of invisible, quiet to the point of skittish, intimate to the point of anonymous.
There is Graydon Carter’s out-of-the-way restaurant, the Waverly Inn, which has become a most-talked-about table without even being officially open (the latest word is February). Or the Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel, which requires reservations just for drinks after 10 p.m.
These cozy bars and clubby restaurants signal a retreat from the night-life largess of the meatpacking district and West Chelsea. Instead of V.I.P. seating, they rely on techniques, some from the speak-easy era, like obscure locations, secret (and oft-changed) reservation numbers and “soft openings” that cater to insiders, to create the perception of exclusivity. While these are well-worn sleights of hand, a flurry of subtle arrivals suggests that small and quiet is back in vogue.
This seems to be back to the future in some ways. On a 1996 visit to Manhattan, many nightclubs seemed to be just there, with no particular signage. If you knew about it, great. If you didn't, even better! :)