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889 First Ave.,
New York, NY 10022
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As leather-strapped and civilized as its sibling spots on Hudson and Lexington, the third Bar & Books, on Beekman Hill, turns up the lights and tightens the rules—so bring a jacket and ditch the sneakers. That’s not to say you can’t still enjoy a $25 tumbler and stogie, but here you’ll just have to take it out back, down a red-and-black lacquered hallway to the ventilated smoking annex, a smooth, self-service room that’s part playboy (zebra-print chairs and Bond movies looping on a flat screen) and part prep-school (mahogany walls, stands, and floors). Up front and away from the Macanudo plumes, a carved wooden bar of top-shelf pours faces the inclined street, rendered romantic by the film-noir effect its blinds have on First Avenue’s streetlight. Its well-curated book library—as deep and verbose as its menu of distinguished cigars, whiskeys, and brandies—joins a working fireplace, while sophisticated (if not sober) lighting recalls Masterpiece Theatre. In stark contrast to the hazy lair of its boozy brethren, this location’s leather armchair–ensconced professionals and upper crusters have most likely come to swap business cards—and unwind with their top-buttons taut.
Best of New York: Fun & Nightlife
Cocktails at the movies, a Monday-night bacchanal, and a great rookie-rap show.