Best of Lounge 2013 - Winners

And the 2013 Brian Paynter Award for Lounger Number One goes to ....
J. WALTER HAWKES,  Jazz Giant, Trombone man, and Ukulele Aficionado

The Loungerati readers have voted via Survey Monkey for the 2013 Best of Lounge Awards and the results are in:

Lounge Scene Awards 

Best Burlesque Act or Performer: DRUNKEN DRAGON FESTIVAL at MACAO (Calamity Chang, Minx Arcana, Gal Friday, and Perle Noire) 
Honorable Mention: Gotham Burlesque at the Triad Theatre, Nuit Blanche: Dolls After Dark at Beaumarchais, Take Back the 80s Burlesque (Francine The Lucid Dream and Minnie the Moocha), Coney Island's Enchanted Tiki Room (Left Lucy & Co.)

Diane L. Naegel Award for Best Lounge or Vintage Event: JAZZ AGE LAWN PARTY AT GOVERNOR'S ISLAND
Honorable Mention: Club Wit's End 5th Annual Black Cat Masquerade, Loungerati Staff Beefsteak Dinner, The Salon: New Year's Eve Eve Party at DL Lounge, Manhattan Cocktail Classic Gala at NY Public Library

Viva La Musica Award for Best Jazz, Lounge, or Swing Band: TERRY WALDO, PIANO MAN
Honorable Mention: Michael Arenella & Dreamland orchestra, Dandy Wellington & His Band, JC Hopkins Biggish Band, Gelber & Manning

Most Sought After Ingredient for the Home Bar: DEAD RABBIT ORINOCO BITTERS by Dr. Adam Elmegirab

Honorable Mention: Leather Work Apron from Moore & Giles, Dale DeGroff's Pimento Aromatic Bitters, Home Bar Basics (and not so basics) manual by Dave Stolte, Tuthiltown Distillery Barrel Aging Kit

Best Dressed Lounger: EFF BLANGIARDO of Loungerati
Honorable Mention: Robert Kennedy (Tie Man), Michael Haar (Barber Extraordinaire), Dandy Wellington (Song and Dance man), Grace Gotham (Scintillating Chanteuse)

Cocktail Bars and Lounges

Best New Cocktail Bar or Lounge: THE DEAD RABBIT GROCERY & GROG (New York)
Honorable mention:  Attaboy (New York), Golden Cadillac (New York), Sweet Leaf (Queens), Long Island Bar (Brooklyn)

Best New York Cocktail Bar or Lounge: CLOVER CLUB (Brooklyn)
Honorable Mention: Employees Only (New York), Death & Company (New York), Dutch Kills (Queens)

Best Barfood: Oyster Happy Hour - MAISON PREMIERE (Brooklyn)
Honorable Mention: Charcuterie - Employees Only (New York),  Bill's Burger - Bill's Food & Drink (New York), Scotch Egg - Dead Rabbit (New York)

Best of the NY Hotel Bars: THE RUM HOUSE at EDISON HOTEL (New York)

Honorable Mention: Library Bar at NoMad Hotel (New York), Lantern's Keep at the Iroquois Hotel (New York), Bemelmans Bar at Carlyle Hotel (New York)

David A. Embury Award for Best Cocktail of 2013: THE MIDTOWN, Bryan Schneider for Quality Italian (New York)

Honorable Mention: Brancolada by Jeremy Ortel for Donna Cocktail Lounge (Brooklyn), Spanish Crown by Maxwell Britten for Maison Premiere (Brooklyn)

Editor and Staff Picks:
Best Seat in the House: Parlour Bar Seat at THE DEAD RABBIT (New York)
Honorable mention: Standing room at the bar - Prime Meats (Brooklyn), Seat F14 at Clover Club (Brooklyn), Corner bar seat at Attaboy (New York)

Best Cocktail for the Road: Toronto Cocktail from Jillian Vose of DEATH & COMPANY (New York)
Honorable Mention: Manhattan on Tap at Saxon & Parole (New York), Cynar Julep, Sable Kitchen & Bar (Chicago), Daiquiri shots at Berkshire Room (Chicago)

Best Saloon: BAR X (Salt Lake City)
Honorable Mention: Daddy-O(New York), Grace 365 (New York), Ward III (New York), Alewife (Queens)

Best of the Internationals: ARTESIAN BAR at LANGHAM HOTEL (London)
Honorable Mention:  American Bar at the Savoy Hotel (London), Kelvin Grove Cafe (Edinburgh),White Lyan (London), Night Jar (London)

Best Dive aka "The Gutter Award": TRACKS in Penn Station (New York)

Honorable Mention: Jimmy's Corner (New York), Montero Bar & Grill (Brooklyn), Arthur's Tavern (New York)

Don't Bruise the Ice Award for Best Ice Program: SAXON & PAROLE (New York)

Honorable Mention: Dutch Kills Bar (Queens), Booker & Dax (New York), Little Branch (New York), Violet Hour (Chicago)

Brian F. Paynter Award for Lounger Number One: J. WALTER HAWKES - Jazz Giant
Honorable Mention: Robert Kennedy (OcTIEBer), Patrick Soluri (The Salon), Fredo Ceraso (Loungerati)

This Week in Lounge: April 23rd - 29th

J Walter Hawkes at Clover Club Wednesday

Tuesday April 24th 

Primativa in Hi-Fi at PK-NY

Make an escape to your own private paradise with Primativa in Hi-Fi every Tuesday from 6-11 at PKNY.  DJ duo Jack Fetterman and Gina of the Jungle's signature blend of old, new, popular and obscure music is guaranteed to invoke relaxing visions of locales southward, so head down to the lower east side, order of the many excellent cocktails and let the tropical sounds wash your cares away. In Tiki Veritas!

PKNY - 49 Essex St (at Grand St.), NYC

www.pk-ny.com

Broad Appeal at Macao Trading Co.

Join LUPEC NYC founding member Francine Cohen, Co-chair of Taste of the Nation at the intimate downstairs bar from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Francine and her celebrity barback Michael Neff of Ward 3 will shake up $10 cocktails to support the Taste of the Nation and Soaring Spirits. Great causes and even better company!


Macao Trading Company - 311 Church Street, NYC

www.macaonyc.com/

Wednesday April 25th

J.Walter Hawkes at Clover Club 

Our pal the Blatboy is teaming up with bassist Andrew Hall, Dan Levinson on clarinet, and Alan Carey on banjo/guitar for a night of jazz an cocktails at Brooklyn's Clover Club. Grab seat F14 and sample Julie Reiner's spring menu while Walt and his "syncopators" set the mood. 8:30pm - 11:30pm. Free.

Clover Club - 210 Smith Street, Brooklyn

www.cloverclubny.com

Friday April 27th

Late Night with Kevin Dorn and The Big 72 at the Garage

Missed J.Walter Hawkes at Clover Club? Close out your evening with jazz drummer Kevin Dorn and his Big 72 jazz collective at the Garage in the West Village. Walt will be on tailgate trombone and a gin and tonic diet. This shall rock. 10:30pm  - 2:00am.

The Garage - 99 7th Avenue South, NYC

Destinations: Raven Page and JC Hopkins Quintet at China 1 June 11th

Newsflash: Biggish Band leader JC Hopkins teams up with songbird Raven Page and blat boy J.Walter Hawkes for a special performance! The place to be this Friday night is the China 1 Restaurant in Alphabet City.

Picture a Shanghai circa 1930s vibe, delicious Chinese food, a crowd in vintage attire, and strong drinks! So gals, put on that sexy Cheongsam silk number and fellas dust off your linen dinner jacket, dimsum and Raven Page are being served.

Doors at 6pm
Show from 7-10pm
$5 or FREE w/ dinner reservation (Call 212-375-0665)
Tables are limited, advance reservations strongly recommended
Dine before the show and enjoy delicious cocktails and dimsum to live music all night!

China 1
50 Avenue B @4th Street
East Village, NYC

J Walter Hawkes wins second Emmy!

We would like to congratulate our pal J. Walter Hawkes on his second Emmy Award for his work on the Nickolodeon's Wonder Pets. The award is for "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition" and it's the same award his team won last year.



(Music Director Jeffrey Lesser on the right, Composer Martin Erskine in the middle, Walt on the left, Larry Hochman, the lead composer who also won, isn't pictured)

Destinations: Weekend of June 13-14

Painting the town red this weekend? Why not try these events for the weekend of June 13-14:

STAUNCH! The Ultimate Grey Gardens Festival
Friday, June 12, 2009 through Sunday, June 14, 2009

"But you see, in dealing with me - the relatives didn't know that they were dealing with a Staunch Character. And I tell you - if there's anything worse than a Staunch Woman. S-T-A-U-N-C-H There's nothing worse, I'm telling you. They don't weaken! No matter what." -Little Edie

We decided to get in the act and bring it all back to the house that Grey Gardens built. STAUNCH! is going to be a tribute to the film that spawned it all and to its many, many fans. Come hang out in our living, breathing diorama of Big and Little Edie's bedroom as recreated by artists and designers, with ephemera, specialty foods and sound booths with rarely heard audio of the Beales and their friends.

Friday June 12
@8pm Grey Gardens, Dir. Albert and David Maysles (1976) 94 min.
Unpacking Grey Gardens: Panel with fashion, gender, sexuality and film personalities and director Albert Maysles.

Saturday, June 13th
@1pm: Grey Gardens, Dir. Albert and David Maysles (1976) 94 min.
@4pm: Book signing of the new Grey Gardens book - authors Rebekah and Sara Maysles, with the one and only Albert Maysles!
@8pm Live Grey Gardens inspired cabaret and burlesque, sing alongs, contests, prizes! Come perform, join in, or if need be sit on the side lines! Grey-Gardens-revolutionary outfits optional but highly suggested.

Sunday, June 14th
@2pm: The Beales of Grey Gardens, Dir. Albert and David Maysles (2006) 91 min.
@5pm: Grey Gardens, Dir. Albert and David Maysles (1976) 94 min.

*a limited number of early reservations are available. Call or email to reserve.

more info: www.mayslesinstitute.org
Maysles Cinema
343 Malcolm X Blvd
New York, NY


The Mode Merr Fashion Show Spectacular!
Witness the premiere of designer ANGELA ZAMPELL’S newest collection at BROOKLYN’S BELL HOUSE with a show that promises to be bigger and better then ever! Merging a runway fashion show, live music, hot rods, a full shopping boutique and cavalcade of performances from NYC’s A-List burlesque performers, this will be one sizzling Sunday afternoon you won’t want to miss.

Settling into it’s new home at Brooklyn’s indie hip and hot spot, THE BELL HOUSE, this years fashion spectacular will expand to new heights with live music from THE FISHERMANS XYLOPHONIC ORHESTRA plus performances from the MISS EXOTIC WORLD 08 ANGIE PONTANI, THE WORLD FAMOUS BOB, DIRTY MARTINI, HELEN PONTANI, DELIRIUM TREMENS, LITTLE BROOKLYN, PEEKABOO POINTE, THE LADY AYE, GIGI LAFEMME and THE WORLD FAMOUS PONTANI SISTERS. As if it couldn’t get any better, THE RUMBLERS CAR CLUB will decorate 7th Street with a dazzling array of ultra hot hot-rods!

The Bell House
149 7th St
Brooklyn, NY


Hopkins and Hawkes at Duane Park
Biggish Band leader JC Hopkins and Trombone Blat boy J.Walter Hawkes wow the supper club crowd in Tribeca.
7-9pm on Sunday June 14th
3 course prix fixe $25 and jazz only on Sunday evenings!

Duane Park
157 Duane Street
New York, NY
map

Destinations: The Salon at Galapagos Art Space

Join us at The Salon at Galapagos Art Space

Featuring 2 sets of the one and only
J. WALTER HAWKES QUINTET
w/ special guest TODD LONDAGIN

the sax and strings hard rock ensemble
FREEDOM HATERS

MONIKER : RED
Indian rhythms, electric violin & improvisation with live, multi-channel electronics with guest vocalist Zahra Hashemian.

BURLESQUE DANCING
RUBY VALENTINE and WEIRDEE GIRL
courtesy of Sugar Shack Burlesque

BELLY DANCING
Fresh off the stage from the Metropolitan Opera's
production of Thais - ZAHRA HASHEMIAN.

Guest Mixologist & Specialty cocktail menu by
FREDO from LOUNGERATI

--------------

Saturday January 17, 2009
7:30pm doors open.
Live Music starts at 8pm

Galapagos Art Space
16 Main St, DUMBO Brooklyn

$15 - Cash at door or with credit cards online, in advance.

for more info and advance tickets go to:
http://www.thesalon.biz

(Photo courtesy of Michael Soluri)

J.Walter Hawkes wins Emmy

On June 14th, musician, friend, and Loungerati contributor J. Walter Hawkes received an Emmy Award as part of the musical team behind Nickelodeon's Nick, Jr program - the Wonder Pets. The Emmy was for "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition."

Catch up with the award winning master of trombone and his trio tonight at the Ear Inn - 326 Spring Street between Greenwich & Washington Streets - they go on at midnight!

Congrats Walt on quite an achievement!!!