BLACKBURN AND SWEETZER

So, I didn’t actually stay at the Royalton Hotel while I was in NYC, but I spent some time there - one night wandering in there for a drink with my cohorts, having had a delicious dinner across the street at French-American DB Bistro Moderne (there were lots of French people, which seemed like a good sign), and then dinner and drinks at the Royalton two nights later. Clearly, we must have liked it to come back again. We particularly liked Bar 44, the expansive lounge that takes up a good portion of the lobby with sunken-in couches and tables, a massive fireplace, sleek bar, and this awesome floor-to-ceiling wooden abacus-like room separator. The restaurant is Brasserie 44, an American spot despite the ‘brasserie’ in the name with lots of tasty fish options. I had foie gras stuffed skate over spinach which I devoured. We heard from the bar staff that rooms start at $500-plus.

On the last day, we hit Nolita and the boutiques, ending up at BarBossa, an incredibly reasonable Brazilian place on Elizabeth Street. Everything seemed to be no more than $9-$12. I had a really refreshing pineapple and mint juice and a pressed sandwich with pork, roasted shallots, roasted red pepper, and pickled jalapeno. I just wish I could’ve tried one of the caipirinhas from the bar. If only I could have bundled BarBossa up like a pressed sandwich and taken it back to BLACKBURN AND SWEETZER.

Bar 44

The abacus

Brasserie 44

Fancy dessert at Brasserie 44

BarBossa exterior

BarBossa interior

Yummy pressed sandwich

The salad looks massive, but the greens were incredibly light