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Casa Mezcal rode high on a tidal wave of pre-opening blogosphere hype, and then went and lived up to most of it. There are three floors of solid Oaxacan entertainment here: first off is the downstairs, where a stage is set up for live bands to play (think Mexican hipster groups like Kinky) and a dance-floor for scenesters to try out their cha-cha-cha. Once fully renovated, the upstairs will serve as a gallery and fine-tuned lounge for those who want nothing but to gaze down upon the beautiful people of Orchard Street. Linking the upstairs with the downstairs is a carnivalesque bar that offers up a Spanish Armada’s-worth of different styles of mescals, some of which are so potent they’ll knock you back into Mayan Calendar time. Huge floor-space, colorful lights, easy-going bartenders, and they have deep-fried grasshoppers in bar-snack bowls. — John Wheeler-Rappe