Brandy Library

»Worst Bar I've Ever Been To; Nasty, Insulting Host; Overpriced

Trying for a sophisticated british inspired private gentlemen's club atomosphere for this public bar comes off as psuedo-sophisticated, pretentious and a little absurd, considering the wood paneling is not even wood, the leather couches are made of vinyl, and the logs in the fireplace are fake; staff is rude and undereducated (e.g. don't know how to pour wine-- its not brandy so you can pour more...+READ Trying for a sophisticated british inspired private gentlemen's club atomosphere for this public bar comes off as psuedo-sophisticated, pretentious and a little absurd, considering the wood paneling is not even wood, the leather couches are made of vinyl, and the logs in the fireplace are fake; staff is rude and undereducated (e.g. don't know how to pour wine-- its not brandy so you can pour more than an ounce for that $25 glass of wine) and the bar is filled with, lo and behold-- and God bless us-- vocal New Yorkers. Therefore after several overpriced brandys when the voices get a little louder, groups of well-behaved professional upscale New Yorkers are reprimanded as though they are rednecks by the gestapo host for speaking above a hushed tone (there's no limit on how much money you can drop or how buzzed you can get, but you best have a wooden leg to keep on whispering). Other bizarre rules are: no groups more than 6 people, and no standing up. So when my friend and I were talking quietly in a corner of the room we were told we had to sit down and told "if you don't like it you can go somewhere else"-- a phrase the host was fond of repeating when he would go around the room variously chastising different groups for speaking too loud and telling them to leave if they didn't like it (he turned a blind eye though to the lesbians' PDA when they were making out at the table-- personal preference I guess, or maybe because they were doing it sitting down). Another rule-- ladies take heed-- only one person in the bathroom at a time-- no going in to put on your makeup together-- and when my friend and I tried that, we were stopped from entering the bathroom. Moreover, when my friend, who went in alone, came out, the (male) host barged into the ladies room and inspected it from top to bottom, checking for evidence of unseemly activity. Would not recommend this place to anyone-- even my british friends who were there with me felt stifled by the atmosphere and the rules, were outraged at the behavior of the maitre'd and will never return.-COLLAPSE (by Alistar91, created January 31, 2010)