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- The Rum House
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228 W. 47th St., nr. Broadway 646-490-6924
When the Edison Hotel’s sooty piano bar went dark in September, its crestfallen fans feared that the Times Square relic would, like so many neighborhood joints before it, transform into another antiseptic chain restaurant. In an unlikely about-face, the crew behind Ward III arrived to resuscitate the space in January. Instead of gutting and refurbishing the room, the team opted for largely superficial and, frankly, beneficial changes, including replacing the grotty green carpet with intricate tilework, restoring the copper bar, and covering banquettes in red leather. And just like old times, you can get liquor on the rocks and listen to chanteuses and lounge-poppers tickle the ivories.
See Also: A Look Inside the Rum House
Best Dive Revival
From the 2011 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine
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So what exactly does “best” mean in a city with thousands of pizza joints, hundreds of celebrity masseuses, and museum-worthy concept shops on every corner? Well, in the case of this, our annual “Best of New York” roundup, there’s a heavy emphasis on what’s new or what has somehow remained virtually unheard of (until now, of course).