second chance?

shortly after my final interview for my current job, i met up with Kiddo to celebrate finally transitioning back into the city after moving back home to NJ after law school. we had also made plans to meet up with JimmyDean and MrsButtersworth, although they had to work until later so Kiddo and grabbed drinks first.

this would be my first, but not last, appearance at Whiskey Tavern, Kiddo's favorite bar near his current job at NY County Supreme Court. i'd passed this place many times during my forays into Chinatown, but had never really been curious because honestly, who goes to Chinatown to drink? the answer: a lot of people, apparently. i don't really have an opinion about Whiskey Tavern aside from the fact the the drink prices are reasonable, the atmosphere is pretty good (it has the potential to be a local but usually tends to decently packed so you never feel like you've walked into a spaghetti western), and if you're an attorney often making appearances in NY County Supreme, you'll probably run into a lot of people you know at this bar. i did end up having an amazing honey-flavored Jack Daniels on the rocks, which was memorable.

i can't remember why, but we decided to migrate to another bar while waiting for JimmyDean and MrsButtersworth and ended up at B Flat. now this place, i love. a japanese jazz bar? get out! when we arrived, the place wasn't crowded at all and had a dimly lit, serene vibe; very "jazz-y" feeling. it was when we plopped down at the bar that i realized it was a japanese jazz bar. the cocktail menu offers various asian-influenced cocktails akin to Angel's Share but without the excessively long wait and white douchebags. the prices are on par as Angel's Share so i highly recommend coming here instead of AS. it's just so much better. 

after 1 drink, JimmyDean and MrsButtersworth met with us and suggested we go to Peels for dinner. i was pretty pumped since i'd never been, and Peels is on my "to-eat" list of NYC restaurants. however, the meal itself was sorely disappointing. and here's why:

1. the prices are outrageous. no, not Per Se outrageous, but are we really trying to claim Peels is akin to Per Se? i don't think so. the entrees are the only reasonably priced (and i mean NYC "reasonably priced") items on the menu and everything was upward of $20. that includes for fried chicken. so no surprise that Kiddo and i both opted for the $16.50 cheeseburger. which was good, but not $16.50 good. the fact that i can't even remember it says a lot.

2. drinks are just as expensive. $9+ for a beer and $12+ for a glass of wine. JimmyDean and i made the command decision to just order a moderately priced bottle of wine for the table. 

honestly, everything about Peels was just "so-so."  there was nothing particularly memorable about it except for the hefty price tag. and although i've all but written this place off as "over-hyped," the blogsphere keeps trying to entice me back. 

so i might make just 1 more trip. but only for brunch. in the hopes that it will be as good as this one was. even with it's redonkey kong prices.