New York - February 15, 2001

Villard Opens

Villard Bar and Lounge Opens

Okay. So you’ve been to a bar.

You’ve been to a lounge.

You’ve been plied with whatever-it-is-a-tinis, sat in cooler-than-cool retro seats. Even seen women dance in cages.

Well, retro just got way more retro (none of that seventies biz).

This week, Villard Bar and Lounge opens, and the owners have pulled out all the stops — in high-style nineteenth century form. Housed in the New York Palace Hotel, the two-story space plays off an obsessively ornate theme with gold leaf chandeliers, plush velvet walls, fireplaces, etc. (You get the picture: We’re not even going to get into the “It’s like being inside a Faberge egg” shtick they’re using.)

(P.S. The place used to be a storage room.)

The drink list is impressive — there’s the much-hyped Hardy Perfection Cognac (a mere $500 for two ounces), the Rubino (fresh pomegranate juice and champagne), a killer Bellini, and every sort of port, grappa, and Scotch you could imagine.

Our only question is, can Miki at Prive do a Marie Antoinette bouffant for you in time to make it there?