Best of Lounge 2024

Veteran Loungers J. Walter Hawkes & David "GOH" Talaga at the Beefsteak Dinner.

2024, au revoir! Truth be told, was a mixed bag of a year. The Loungerati only visited a few new cocktail and food destinations like the outstanding Cafe Spaghetti in Brooklyn and Bartley Dunnes in NYC; however, more often, we tended to stick to classic New York City stalwarts like Walkers, Tom & Jerry's, Milano's Bar, Dutch Kills, Minetta Tavern, Clover Club, Bemelmans Bar, The Grand Central Oyster Bar, The Rum House, Jimmy's Corner, and without question, legit red sauce destinations like Sam's, Noodle Pudding, and Bamonte's. 

During our journey, we discovered plenty of new lounge worthy musicians, enjoyed sublime libations and food, dressed to impress, and met fellow travelers. On a somber note, we unfortunately had to say good bye to two wonderful people and bona fide lounge/bar scene all-stars - Cindy Rolenc-Worell and Francine Cohen - who passed away. They are truly missed and the Lounge remembers.

Please raise a glass of bubbles to Loungerati's 2024 Best of Lounge Awards:

Lounge Scene Awards 

Best Burlesque Act or Performer: PEARLS DAILY

Honorable Mention: Murray "The hardest-working middle-aged man in show business" Hill

Diane L. Naegel Award for Best Lounge or Vintage Event: LOUNGERATI 3RD ANNUAL RED SAUCE DINNER at BAMONTE'S, Williamsburg 

Honorable Mention:  Dandy Wellington's EASTER EGG STROLL 

Loungerati Annual Red Sauce Dinner at Bamonte's

Viva La Musica Award for Best Jazz, Lounge, or Swing Band: HARLEM SLIM at THE RUM HOUSE

Honorable Mention: CHARLIE ROMAN HOT CLUB

Viva La Musica Award winner Harlem Slim

Most Sought After Ingredient or Bar Tool for the Home Bar: HEAVEN HILL GRAIN TO GLASS KENTUCKY STRAIGHT WHISKEY

Honorable Mention: Haymans London Dry Gin  

Heaven Hill pulled out all the stops for this gem!

Best Dressed Lounger: MARLO GAMORA, Aperitivo Guy     

Honorable Mention: Tiki Adam Kolesar, Jungle Bird Extraordinaire

Marlo Gamora, Best Dressed Lounger 2024

Cocktail Bars and Lounges

Best New NYC Cocktail Bar or Lounge: MIDNIGHT BLUE, Gramercy 

Honorable mention: Dante West Village, West Village

Best NYC Cocktail Bar or Lounge: INGAS, Brooklyn Heights

Honorable Mention: Milady's, SoHo

Best Barfood: PORK BELLY BAO BUNS at BARTLEY DUNNES, Midtown

Honorable Mention: The Cheeseburger at WALKERS, Tribeca

Bartley Dunnes gets bar food and hospitality RIGHT!

Best of the NYC Hotel Bars: THE RUM HOUSE at HOTEL EDISON, Time Sq.

Honorable Mention: Bemelmans at the Carlyle Hotel, UES

Dale "King Cocktail" DeGroff hosted a special night of cocktails at the venerable Bemelmans

Best NYC Restaurant Bars: CAFE SPAGHETTI, Brooklyn

Honorable Mention: M. Wells (RIP), Long Island City (thanks for the memories!)

Best Cocktail of 2024:  OLIVE OIL MARTINI (EVOO washed gin, Cocchi extra dry vermouth, olives) at Cafe Spaghetti, Brooklyn

Honorable Mention: The Spaghett' (Miller High Life pony with an Aperol/lemon shakeratu back) at Bar Primi, Midtown

Editors and Staff Picks:

Best Seat in the House: "REGULAR" SEAT at THE RUM HOUSE, Times Square

Honorable mention: Any bar seat at Walkers, Tribeca

Best Drink for the Road: GUINNESS + POWERS at IRISH EXIT, Midtown

Honorable mention: 52nd Street Old Fashioned at Gallagher's Steak House, Midtown

Split the G at the Irish Exit!

Best Dive Bar aka "The Gutter Award": MILANO'S BAR, SoHo

Honorable Mention: Jimmy's Corner, Times Square

For 2025, the Loungerati continue our focus on quality over quantity and supporting establishments that are not a flash in the pan. 

The Loungerati non-negotiables: 

- We will not frequent any bar, restaurant, or lounge that requires reservations for bar seats or imposes a time limit on occupying a bar seat. Bar seats should always be for walk-ins and as long as we are paying, we can sit there. 

- We will keep supporting establishments that get hospitality right and treat their customers like actual guests.

- We will embrace the fellowship of true friends and invest our time wisely with them. 

- We will be on the lookout for individuals displaying outstanding hospitality at authentic establishments. The gold pineapple pin is awarded to the best of the best.

Til' the next Manhattans!

- The Loungerati

 Loungerati Capos Fredo & Eff.

Destinations: Champagne Riot at Duane Park on Jan 29th

Delovely Jen Minsky of the Minksy Sisters sends us the skinny on a new monthly party. There will be burlesque. There will be Champers. There will be a good old tyme to be had by all. TGIF!

"Come to Duane Park this month for the spectacular sensation and tantalizing temptation of Hot Jazz, Scintillating Burlesque, & Vaudevillian Frivolity!! A night of MUSIC, MERRIMENT & BEAUTIFUL WOMEN!!!

Meet The Rioteers...

Master of Ceremonies: Dandy Wellington
Musical Senations: Gelber & Manning
Resident Ecdysiast: Miss Jezebel Express
Vaudeville Personality: The Minsky Sisters
Captivating Contortionist: Ekaterina
Sexy Stage Kitten: Magdalena Fox

Join this raucous bunch, and bring sex, song and scandal to the Duane Park Stage.

FREE ADMISSION! Duane Park's delicious late night menu will be served, so you can come for dinner (or just a drink) and see what the Riot is all about!

Come on... what's wrong with a little bubbly now and then?"

Duane Park
157 Duane Street,
between West Broadway & Hudson
212.732.5555

Destinations: The Sunday Night Show - The October Edition

New York City - OCTOBER 25th, 8pm

Our friend Kiki Valentine is throwing her monthly underground burlesque show at the Slipper Room. It is called "The Sunday Show" and it is "censorship free." Their website reveals:

THE SUNDAY SHOW is a censorship-free monthly exposition of performance artists which aims to sharpen the lost edge of Lower Manhattan’s underground art and music scene in the form of an unpredictable variety show. Never the same show twice, the production guarantees guests a night of world-class entertainers delivering racy antics, grace, music, beauty, humor, fanfare and scandal including the now-infamous “Risque Raffle” held at each show. The production also provides artists from all backgrounds and disciplines an arena to showcase their unique talents in a creative, collective environment.

Tonight's show will be enlightening to say the least especially after a few Rob Roys from the crew at the Slipper Room bar. But don't get too glassy eyed or you will miss the performances by world-renowned extreme(ly hot) juggler Marcus Monroe, the fire-hooping “razor blade in your apple” Justina Flash and bad-to-the-bone, original burlesque pieces by the ghoulish, gorgeous and incredibly talented B.B. Heart, Misty Lux and Leta Le Noir.

What exactly do they mean by "censorship free?" That is the ... ahem ... question. Then head over to the Zombie themed after party at Beauty Bar. This month's party, with a "host bar" sponsored by Domaine de Canton, ginger infused cordial, begins at 10pm and goes on until the wee hours.

"The Sunday Night Show"
Slipper Room
167 Orchard Street
New York, NY
8:30 pm - $10

Beauty Bar
231 E 14th St
(between 2nd Ave & 3rd Ave)
New York, NY
10pm - 11pm for the Canton bar

(photo courtesy of Kiki Valentine)

A Girl’s Gotta Make a Living…

by Jack Ruby Murray


When did nudity get so professional? The first Burlesque show I saw was in 2000 in an East Village bar with homemade costumes and a tongue-in-cheek enthusiasm that more than compensated the $5 cover charge. The Fifth annual New York Burlesque Festival held over four days and culminating in the “Saturday Spectacular” at the Highline Ballroom in Manhattan was more Vegas than Village. It was seamless and seriously spectacular.

Surreal too, with acts like ‘Trixie and the Evil Hate Monkey’ a couple from Baltimore presented an high energy dance investigation of monkey on girl love was trumped only by the obscene Tigger with a frightening recreation of Little Orphan Annie. This included a ball swinging rendition of “Tomorrow” interupted by Annie’s sodomisation by Daddy Warbucks and culminated in Tigger plucking a condom from his stubbly arsehole.

The slick ‘Gravity Plays Favorites’ blew me away too with their mix of circus and new Burlesque: an acrobatic pole dance - two girls spinning on a steel pole and neither lost their pasties. Very classy.

The 'World Famous Bob' pinned today’s Burlesque to it’s roots with a recreation of a famous mother/daughter act from the 1950’s and this threw me slightly. The act in question was a tribute to Liz Renay who died in January – she claimed to have the first mother/daughter striptease act (the daughter here played by Ruby Valentine) and I guess she nailed it – Bob certainly bears an uncanny resemblance to the late Ms. Renay but the act in comparison to a set of original modern funny acts left me cold. It didn’t hold up. As important as this act might have been historically I’ll take Australia’s Imogen Kelly hilarous cream-smothered Marie Antoinette any day and honestly if I see another fan dance I’m going to start spitting feathers. This stuff is cute but Burlesque needs to keep reinventing itself.

Burlesque has moved to a level now where the performers can make a living (pretending) to take their clothes off. Ivan Kane is about to open New York branch of Forty Deuce and Dita Von Teese just launched her own perfume And with that sort of investment’s it’s going to have to keep up with the competition. These days that means XBox,Tivo,Blackberrys and Blockbuster. Burlesque is set to be an industry again and the money is definetly not ironic.

View The Fifth Annual New York Burlesque Festival slide show

Lead photo "Diamond Back Annie performing at the New York Burlesque Festival"
photo: Neville Elder