winners-entertainment

The Plaza Hotel's Oak Bar Wins Luxist's Editors' Choice Award (with Video)

The Plaza Hotel's Oak Bar wins the Luxist Awards Editor's choice award for best bar.

One evening at the Oak Bar in New York's Plaza Hotel, a patron noticed a diamond ring on the floor and alerted the manager. Remembering that a customer seated in the area had just departed, the manager called the room number on the bill. Within minutes the guest was downstairs to collect her ring-and promptly ordered a bottle of Dom Perignon for the manager as a token of thanks. "You don't understand," she said. "That ring is worth over $1 million."

Such is the aura of the Oak Bar, Luxist's Editors' Choice award winner for best in entertainment. Nestled in the northwest corner of the Plaza Hotel, the bar has been serving well-heeled guests-with a few extended breaks for prohibition and various renovations-for over a century.

Walk into the ancient room today and you'll find rich wood paneling surrounding sumptuous banquettes, vast murals of Central Park mirroring the actual park that sits on the other side of enormous picture windows, and on any given night a clientele whose collective wealth is likely enough to buy a medium-sized country.

Gallery: The Oak Room At The Plaza Hotel, New York

The Oak Bar in the Oak Room at The Plaza Hotel, New York

Tags: awards-main, bars, Best hotel bar, luxist-awards, New York, Oak Bar, Oak Room, oak room bar, Plaza Hotel, The Plaza Hotel, winners-editors-choice, winners-entertainment

Continue reading “The Plaza Hotel's Oak Bar Wins Luxist's Editors' Choice Award (with Video)”

The Oak Bar Wins the Luxist Awards Readers' Choice Award for Best Hotel Bar

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

The Plaza Hotel's Oak Bar wins the Luxist Awards readers' choice award for best hotel bar.

The Oak Bar in The Oak Room, a New York landmark and iconic meeting spot is the winner of the Luxist Award for Best Hotel bar.

Located on the first floor of New York's fabled landmark, The Plaza Hotel, The Oak Bar is one of the most romantic meeting spots in Manhattan. The Oak Bar serves as an informal gathering place for New York's luminaries, with distinctive cocktails and a separate bar menu along with the classic view of Central Park South from its windows.

Bringing old-world glamour to the 21st century, The Oak Room was originally designed by Henry Hardenbergh in 1907 as a bar for men only. It closed during Prohibition and re-opened in 1934 as a full service restaurant. The Oak Room is known for its detailed wood-paneled walls and barrel-vaulted ceiling. The three carved niches feature beautiful murals of German feudal castles with one mural featuring the former Cornelius Vanderbilt II mansion, which is now the location of luxury goods department store, Bergdorf Goodman.

Gallery: The Oak Room At The Plaza Hotel, New York

Tags: awards-main, best hotel bar, cocktail lounge, hotel bar, Luxist-awards, Oak Bar, Oak Room, Plaza Hotel, winners-entertainment

Continue reading “The Oak Bar Wins the Luxist Awards Readers' Choice Award for Best Hotel Bar”

Starbucks Wins Luxist Awards Readers' Choice Award for Best Coffeehouse

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Starbucks wins readers' choice award for best coffee house

Starbucks is the winner of the Luxist Awards Readers' Choice Awards for Best Coffeehouse.

Unless you've been living under a pile of Sumatra beans for the past few decades, you've probably visited one of Starbucks' 16,000-plus locations. If so, you're one of the millions of customers who pass through the company's doors every day.

It's taken Starbucks nearly half a century to achieve its current success. The company's origins date back to 1971, when its first store was established in Seattle's Pike Place Market to sell fresh-roasted whole bean coffees from around the world. Named after Captain Ahab's first mate in Melville's Moby Dick, the Starbucks moniker was dreamed up to conjure images of the first seafaring coffee traders.

In 1981, current chairman Howard Schultz tasted his first cup of Starbucks coffee and was hooked. He joined the company a year later, and soon he was traveling the world researching coffee. He grew so fascinated with Italy's coffee houses that he left Starbucks to start a chain called Il Giornale; in 1987, he returned to purchase Starbucks for $3.8 million. As CEO, Schultz guided the company to its peak before leaving in 2000, only to return to his position in 2008 amid concerns of over expansion.

Starbucks is perhaps best known for steering America's tastes beyond a simple cup of Joe. With offerings including espresso, cappuccino, latte, and a variety of specialty items including the trademarked Frappuccino, the company's lingo has worked its way into the American vernacular. Beverage sizes (tall, vente and grande, instead of small, medium and large) have given Starbucks aficionados a language of their own.

In an effort to broaden its scope, the company now offers a variety of products, including sandwiches, bottled water and even CDs, in addition to coffee and breakfast. As Starbucks enters its fifth decade, the company's growth prospects are cloudy – hundreds of under-performing stores around the world have been shuttered – but there's little doubt millions fans will keep streaming through Starbucks to satisfy their caffeine cravings.

Tags: awards-main, best coffee, coffee, luxist-awards, Starbucks, winners-entertainment

Silver City Brewery Wins Luxist Awards Readers' Choice Award for Best Brew Pub

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Spirits

Silver City Brewery Wins the Readers' Choice Award for Best Brew Pub

Though Silverdale, Wa. is about 20 miles from downtown Seattle as the crow flies, the body of water that lies between the two towns makes the trip a bit more complicated than one might expect. The journey from Seattle takes you down around the southern boundary of Puget Sound – 70 miles by car – but it's worth the time if you're headed to Silver City Brewery, the Luxist Awards Readers' Choice Winner in the best brew pub category.

The Silver City story starts long before the brewpub's 1996 debut. Steve and Scott Houmes first went into business together in 1990, opening a restaurant called Top Notch Burger. Six years later, feeling squeezed by the big burger chains, they decided to regroup and try a new approach by entering the brew pub business. They remodeled their Silverdale location into its modern form, and the rest, as they say, was history.

Gallery: Silver City Brewery

Silver City brews its beers on premises. Some favorites include Clear Creek Pale Ale, a blend of three lightly roasted British malts and hints of caramel; Panther Lake Porter, a dark, chocolatey ale; and Fat Scotch Ale, a malty and whiskey-esque brew that clocks with a hefty 9.2% alcohol content. Silver City sells beer by the glass at its bar and restaurant, but for those who want to take home a larger quantity, the microbrewery sells kegs as well.

The food at Silver City's restaurant makes for a great accompaniment to the delicious brews. The menu includes a variety of salads, appetizers, main courses and desserts – and of course, the Houmes' specialty: a good, old-fashioned cheeseburger.

Tags: awards-main, beer, brew pub, luxist-awards, microbrewery, Silver City Brewery, Silverdale, winners-entertainment

The Local Vine Wins The Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award for Best Wine Bar

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

The Local Vine is the winner of the Luxist Awards Readers' Choice Award for Best Wine Bar

The moment When you pry open the heavy wooden doors at 2520 Second Avenue in Seattle, you'll be struck by the magnitude of The Local Vine's Wine collection. An eternity of bottles soars to the ceiling, some accessible only by ladder. Selection is just one of the many reasons The Local Vine is the winner of the Readers' Choice Award in the best wine bar category.

Founded in 2007 by Harvard Business School graduates Allison Nelson and Sarah Munson, The Local Vine boasts both an air of sleek sophistication and a refreshing accessibility. Free wireless internet, down-to-earth advice on wine, and a casual atmosphere complete with a fully functional fireplace make it more like a coffee house than a strict wine bar.

Gallery: The Local Vine in Seattle

And there's plenty of wine to go around. The Local Vine's list consists of over 100 wines by the glass, with a focus on wines from California, Oregon and Washington. Oenophiles with more exotic tastes won't be disappointed, as the menu is packed with vintages from all around the world, ranging in price from $5 to $485 per glass.

If this all sounds very appealing but you're thousands of miles away from Seattle, don't worry. The Local Vine ships its wares all around the world, and its monthly wine clubs offer an easy and customizable way for patrons to indulge in communal wine enjoyment. Memberships range from the Picks of the Month Club ($49/month), which includes two reds and a white delivered to your home, all the way up to the Collectors Club ($600/quarter), which brings six rare wines to your doorstep every three months. All of the clubs can be purchased in 1, 3, 6 or 12 month increments. (Contact: orders@thelocalvine.com or 206-441-6000).

Tags: Awards-main, Best Wine Bar, Luxist-awards, seattle, The Local Vine, wine, wine tasting, winners-entertainment

Harry's Bar Wins Luxist Awards Readers' Choice Award for Best Cocktail Lounge

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Harry's Bar in Paris wins Luxist Awards readers' choice award for best cocktail lounge

No matter what country they're from, everyone seems to love Harry's New York Bar, a Paris venue that is the winner of the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award for Best Cocktail Lounge.

Since 1911, Harry's New York Bar has been mixing masterpieces for Parisians and international celebrities like Ernest Hemingway, FDR and the Duke of Windsor. The expatriate community is celebrated and encouraged there -- a somewhat atypical attitude in Paris -- and the bar is adoringly referred to as "Sank Roo Doe Noo," which is what the address sounds like if your French is terrible.

The bar is in the style of a proper classic cocktail venue; the main wooden bar is cozy and intimate, the walls are layered with college football pennants and black and white photos, the ceiling is dark and ornate, the downstairs piano bar is sultry and sophisticated and the lighting is warm and low. Be sure and take note of the Scottish crests on the walls; the original owner, American star jockey Tod Sloan, hired Scotsman Harry McElhone to run his "New York Bar," and he left his mark everywhere including the neon marquis out front.

Gallery: Harry's New York Bar in Paris

Woman enjoying a Sidecar at Harry's Bar in Paris

Harry's New York Bar has the distinguished distinction of (and our eternal gratitude for) having invented the Bloody Mary, the Sidecar and many other cocktails during their 99 year history. Perhaps one of their current concoctions will one day be as successful. Our bets are placed on the "Web Spirit" (5 cl mezcal, 2 cl cranberry juice, 1 cl lemon juice and 2 cl peach liqeuer), which they created for the launch of their website -- simple, yet devastatingly effective.

Though it's a long way to travel, you're certain to be welcomed at Harry's New York Bar -- and if you find yourself in Paris on Thanksgiving or The Fourth of July, there's no better place to be for American splendor (and drink specials).

Tags: awards-main, best cocktail lounge, cocktail lounge, Harrys bar, luxist-awards, Paris, winners-entertainment

Nominees for Best in Entertainment

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Spirits

Best Wine Bars

The first nominee offers an authentic Tuscan experience in the heart of Manhattan while the second nominee is an inviting and chic wine bar that is a favorite of San Francisco residents. The third nominee is sure to please every oenophile with its vast selection of wines from around the world while the fourth nominee offers a stunning selection and intimate ambiance with a European feel. The final nominee is a cozy, yet sophisticated establishment that attracts wine country royalty.

Accademia di Vino

Bar Bambino

The Local Vine
Mercy Wine Bar

Underwood Bar & Bistro

Best Cocktail Lounges
The first nominee is a monumental place with a magical atmosphere while the second features handcrafted liqueurs and innovative imbibables. The third nominee takes a culinary approach to the art of cocktail making while the fourth has been mixing masterpieces for Parisians and international celebrities since 1911. The final nominee is housed in a two-story barn that dates back to the 16th century England.

Best Coffeehouses
The first nominee is known for discovering unknown and exotic coffees from around the world while the second is focused on its craft of making the best coffee. The third nominee is the largest chain of coffeehouses in the world while the fourth nominee knows coffee the way oenologists know wine. The final nominee features artisan-roasted beans and single-origin coffees and teas from around the world.

Zoka

Best Hotel Bars

The first nominee offers the royal treatment and is located within one of the world's most glamorous hotels. The second nominee blends grand heritage with modern panache while the third offers spectacular service and stupendous views. The fourth nominee is a decadent, elegant and decidedly dressy bar while the final nominee is a New York landmark and iconic meeting place.

Best Brew Pubs

The first nominee is in Vemont and the only way to sample its beer is to go there yourself. The second nominee has won countless awards while the third nominee features hand-crafted beer. The fourth nominee brews its award-winning beer on the premises while many consider the beers made by the final nominee among the best in the world.

The Alchemist Pub and Brewery

Four Peaks Brewing Co.

Lost Coast Brewery

Silver City Brewery

Spuyten Duyvil

Tags: awards-main, beer, best brew pub, best cocktail lounge, best hotel bar, best wine bar, claridges, Cocktail Lounge, four seasons, Four Seasons George V, hotel, luxist-awards, Plaza Hotel, Starbucks, starbucks coffee, wine, wine bar, winners-entertainment