Monkey Bar

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The highly anticipated Monkey Bar owned by Graydon Carter (editor of Vanity Fair) has now opened in the Hotel Elysee. Well it actually was just re-opened by Carter as the Monkey Bar used to be a a very "in" steak-house about 30 years back. And of course we all knew Carter was the perfect person to reopen Monkey Bar after his great success with the Waverly Inn. Before Cater purchased the space, in around 2007 someone purchased Monkey Bar and turned it into an Asian bistro. After that failed, Graydon got a hold of the space and restored it to its original scenery. Monkey Bar is meant to be very exclusive, not as bad as the Waverly Inn but its still a hassle to get a reservation. You can only make a reservation via email (reservations@monkeybarnewyork.com) and don't bother calling their phone line. Upon arrival you are greeted by a door man who is essentially an up-scale greeting comity. You walk through the doors and into the original Monkey Bar. You can tell that not much was changed as it has a very 1950s feel to it, very elegant even by today's standards. You walk over to the maitre de whom seats you in the very piano bar looking dining room. Only one problem with the dining room, it was empty. In Monkey Bar's email confirming the reservation...well I'll let you read it. It says:

"Please note that the table is rebooked for another reservation at 9:00 and
we only hold the table for 15 minutes."

Well let me tell you, there were about 15 other tables that 9:00 reservation could have been seated at. The crowd is the same crowd you'd see at Le Cirque, elderly and wealthy. But however Le Cirque has a much bigger name than Monkey Bar so it happens to drive in more patrons. According to every major magazine in New York (especially NY Mag), Monkey Bar was supposed to be this very in trendy place that's the next best thing to the Waverly Inn. Well let me tell you it isn't and don't believe all the hype. The vibe is very conservative and quiet and nothing near that of the Waverly Inn. But never the less, the food happened to be good. Monkey Bar has been through a few chefs and menus since its opening as they originally served Asian fair but now they have switched over to an American menu which better suits the restaurant. The linguine as an appetizer was good but the salmon wasn't anything to rave about. This brings up another problem, the items on the menu aren't anything new and original. You can get anything on Monkey Bar's menu any where else in the city for a fraction of the price. The food is good at Monkey Bar, but it's really not worth the price tag. After visiting Monkey Bar, I wouldn't return till I was maybe 60. It really doesn't live up to the hype everyone is giving it and is certainly nothing compared to the Waverly Inn. The place is gorgeous and the food is good but if its a trendy restaurant with a boisterous vibe you're looking for, please don't go to Monkey bar as you'll be set up for disappointment.

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