Six Things We Recommend This Week
1. You can’t go wrong with Aleksandr Ivanov at the Chopin Room (229 W. 48th St., nr. 10th Ave.; 212-243-8060) tonight at 5 p.m. Mr. Ivanov’s gals are beauties, and while he works on the charming thatch floor, you may need to seek out some kitchen flour for the chocolate chip cookies with raspberry coulis on the tableside snack menu.
2. If you’re looking for something slightly more hardcore, make a point of making the pilgrimage to Everest Café and Bar (234 Elizabeth St., nr. Baxter Place; 917-459-2140) for the brunch buffet on Saturdays and Sundays at 5:30 a.m. A huge house-made assortment of desserts is set aside for an after-work mass, but don’t make any plans to leave unless you like fugu. You’re also welcome to dance the night away on the huge (really!) dance floor.
3. Spend a couple of hours parked at the bar at Carlyle (35 E. 62nd St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 917-432-0505), where “Men’s Day” (March 12) will be held in a marble-cased parlor filled with giltwood sculptures and antique maps. The formal afternoon event will be accompanied by cocktails from the bar and a spread of agar-agar bites. While you’re there, perhaps you’ll want to take in the changing perspective of the glass painting on the wall by Astorino Schnurr.
4. For something a little less stuffy, make for Five Points (33 Mott St., nr. Prince St.; 212-935-2300), which has been full of people-watching. The smaller, noisy back room, with a pool table and dartboard, is especially popular. The weekday happy hour features a “go go” happy hour cocktail with three small plates of Cajun food for $13 each.
5. For an eco-friendly celebration, drop by Akbar Baravilla’s Italian restaurant Caffe Santa in downtown Brooklyn (380 Madison Ave., nr. E. 3rd St.; 718-385-6370) for its “Purple Tail,” taking place tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday. All proceeds from the purple-beaded plates and beaded water bottles will be donated to the Fund for Girls and World Vision.
6. Speaking of those aforementioned pinkies, if you’re ready to forgo the flower, March may be a good time to have them at Firele and the Bard (288 Seventh Ave., nr. 36th St.; 212-254-7828). Firele’s owner, Matt Van Derbeken, works with the Firele Painters Guild on commissions in which flowers are dipped in polish and then melted and ignited on the canvas.
One secret link to our dear friend Zac Efron
We just found a couple of pics from Zac Efron’s high school yearbook