(Photo: Alex Tehrani)

• Merkato 55

  55 Gansevoort St., nr. Greenwich St. ; 212-255-8555

• 1. Jill Demos

  28, Pharmaceutical sales

  “It’s funny getting so dressed up in the daytime, but everyone does it. The guys wear nice shirts, vests, sometimes even jackets. I’ve actually seen people in really, really fancy dresses.”

• 2. Sheryl Simon

  28, Banker

  “I happen to work at a bank that wasn’t bailed out, so it’s nice to let loose. It’s a lot of finance people here, which is a little disconcerting, because it almost seems like people are kind of drowning. That would perhaps explain the debauchery.”

• 3. Peter Barsoom

  38, Hedge-fund manager

  “This is the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I’m not normally a big day-drinker—I have to work during the day. Bagatelle has a brunch like this, but I prefer the music here.”

• 4. Ashley Darryl

  27, Interior designer

  “This is a very European type of thing. They turn off all the lights and have sparklers everywhere, and then you leave at 7 p.m. and you’re like, ‘I’m so confused. Am I supposed to eat dinner? What time is it?’ ”

• 5. Meghana Rajadhyaksha

  28, Medical sales

  “I’ve never had hard liquor here; it’s always Champagne or like a rosé wine. I like white wines, and I love rosé. At every table, there’s a couple bottles of rosé. Maybe it’s coming back?”

• 6. Andre Edwards

  24, Asset management

  “I usually have an 11 p.m. rule—I don’t drink before that. But I break it for this party. Tonight I’ll probably be out until 5:30 a.m. I just kind of keep moving; I’m always on my feet. The minute I sit down, I start to lose it.”

• 7. Ritu Kaushal

  31, Finance

  “Last time I was here, I got four numbers, although I don’t really remember their faces. It feels like a fraternity in here, like you can talk to whoever you want or cross any borders. It’s like any typical trendy scene: Once you’re in, you’re one of them.”

From the 2009 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine