Delicatessen doesn’t open till 6 p.m. today, but last night, after two years in the making, it finally opened its garage windows for a party thrown by Interview. Despite the proximity to neighborhood killjoy Janet Freeman’s house, the D.J. wasn’t shy about blasting songs like “Everybody Nose” and “Cocaine.” Ironically, during the latter song we spotted a pair of naughty girls coming out of a restroom that (outfitted with mirror walls and hidden behind metal walls resembling airline cargo crates) is a throwback to nineties lounge design. As you might expect from the owners of Cafeteria, the rest of the place is, too. There’s not much new about the sleek surfaces, backlit back bar, and the cabinlike (odoriferous!) wood panels upstairs, but we were wowed by the square, eight-table room downstairs, where there’s a D.J. booth, a wall mural by José Heredia, and a sunroof offering a view of the tenement buildings above.
Downstairs, a narrow hallway with Edison bulbs hanging from the ceiling leads to a VIP room where Terry Richardson (who designed the menu covers) was photographing guests including Padma Lakshmi. Sigh, she disappeared before we could get a word, but we did manage to get a moment with pinball-size latkes topped with salmon caviar, thumb-size bánh mì sandwiches with portobello mushrooms and daikon radish, and cheeseburger wontons that tasted somewhat like fried White Castles. The drinks list promises jalapeño margaritas, a passion-fruit Cosmo, a mango mojito, espresso and watermelon martinis, and an absinthe Sazerac. Of course, the after-party was at the Beatrice.
Photo: Daniel Maurer
Photo: Daniel Maurer
Photo: Daniel Maurer
Photo: Daniel Maurer
Photo: Daniel Maurer
Openings: Delicatessen [NYM]
