Down to the Lower East Side we go, LADIES! To celebrate the recent engagement of a Lady Blogger (Ms.Hope), we ventured downtown for an extra special girls night out. With draping chandelier décor, delicious small bites to share and the finest of champagnes… yes, this Manhattan hotspot was the perfect choice for our glamorous bride-to-be. Red bottoms up, as we hailed taxis and ventured down to BEAUTY & ESSEX.  To our wonderful surprise the table was set with customized haute papier beside a colorful macaroon jewelry box…OO LA LA LADY, get your very own macaroon boxes here at Urban Outfitters! As we made a toast and opened our trinkets, we all smiled with the delightful questions awaiting us…

Will you be my Bridesmaid?

Will you be my Maid of Honor?

Well it’s pretty obvious why we love our generous bride-to-be… The real question you are asking is — What’s so great about Beauty & Essex? So what, it was on Sex and the City, right?

Are you traveling to NYC anytime soon? Planning a fun birthday celebration or girly get-together? YES! This is the perfect spot – LADYHATTAN approved. Here are some reasons to love this downtown spot and make a reservation right NOW:

• Sexy and Sultry “New York” atmosphere

• Swanky décor with a rundown façade – it makes you feel like you have found a secret speakeasy

• Mouth-watering bites for yourself or to share with the table, may we recommend the..

  • Tuna poke wonton tacos

  • Jewels on Toast (Oh the roasted bone marrow!)

  • Hudson Valley Foie Gras

  • Lobster Mac and Cheese (it’s worth a cheat day)

  • And you gotta swallow it all down with a Maker’s Mark Chocolate Milkshake for dessert!

What’s Everyone Else Saying?

NY MAGAZINE RAVES ABOUT THE FOOD:

Chris Santos seems to have figured out the formula for good-time restaurants: elegant surroundings, better than average food, and well-made cocktails. Here the bi-level space oozes early-sixties glam, from the two-story chandelier to the peacock-themed grand dining room to the free-flowing pink Champagne in the ladies’ room. Given this, and the beautiful crowd the place attracts, it wouldn’t really matter too much if the food were good, but for the most part, it is: a globetrotting menu of mostly small plates that emphasizes upscale ingredients. Skip the oysters, which you can find better elsewhere and go straight for creative bites like crostini with creamy ricotta, honey, sweet-sour nectarines and spicy chile, and veggie sides including grilled shishito peppers. Kobe beef carpaccio has a nice addition of crunchy sesame and wonton bits, but still needs something. Cocktails are strong and equally inventive, from the herbal, vodka-based Masterly Touch, with campari “pearls” settled in the bottom of the glass to the spicy Smoked Opal Martini made with chipotle vodka. For dessert, the “box of doughnuts,” which arrives in an actual box, is a must-order.

ZAGAT BREAKS IT DOWN:

Trendy” types duck through a “cheeky” pawn-shop entrance to access this double-decker LES “extravaganza” where it’s “easy to feel swank” nibbling “creative” New American bites amid AvroKO’s “gorgeous” decor; “exciting buzz” offsets “expensive” tabs and “hit-or-miss” service, and that complimentary “champagne in the ladies’ room is a kick.

THE NY TIMES SETS THE SCENE:

The lounge occupies what used to be M. Katz, a furniture store, next to the Essex Street Market. The front is set up as a pawn shop, with Flying V guitars and a Raymond Chandler-esque blonde behind the register. A back door leads to a night life emporium designed by AvroKo. The ground floor is a sleek restaurant that serves lounge-friendly bites like lobster bisque dumplings. Upstairs, past a staircase that spirals around a soaring chandelier, is a wood-paneled lounge with divans and another bar. There is free Champagne in the ladies’ bathroom. Men aren’t so lucky.

Hoping all of our New York and foreign friends enjoyed this Manhattan hotspot feature. Whether you’re traveling to the Big Apple or a local Yankee, it’s always an exciting venture to try new foodie favorites. With a million places to choose from on the exhilarating island we call Manhattan, it’s always nice to have some handy recommendations from yours truly, Ladyhattan! And remember… free champagne in the ladies room? Oui c‘est vrai.