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Favored by music/film/fashion industry types with expense accounts, the SoHo Grand Bar is a fittingly swank spot in which to imbibe in a high-end vodka tonic. The second-floor space is vast, with floor-to-ceiling windows and oversized lamps, chairs and plants—making the idea of "living large" quite literal. A range of cocktails is offered (including the now de rigueur Red Bull concoctions), along with a menu of shrimp cocktail, burgers, and the like. Size-two waitresses are suitably glam; the crowd ranges from nondescript suits to hipsters-made-good, like the Soundlab crew and the ubiquitous DJ Spooky, who can often be seen (and heard) name-dropping and spouting opinions over a glass of red wine. — Lissa T. Rodgers

The DJ situation at the Grand is iffy. Some nights bring high-end professionals spinning suitably atmospheric tunes, others a jaw-droppingly incompetent mixer whose presence could only be explained by the fact that he's someone's son. The hours are generally Thu-Sat, 10pm-2am.

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