It seems like only yesterday that I was poking fun at the party brunch scene scattered across hip enclaves of Manhattan. Apparently I was dipping my toe in the waters of self-fulfilling prophecy because I just emerged today, bleary eyed and disoriented, from the new 'Day & Night' brunch at the Oak Room in the Plaza Hotel. Here is how I was kidnapped into thinking I was having goat cheese scrambled egg whites at the Plaza, and instead ended up witnessing table dancing and make out sessions over a 2 foot bottle of Champagne:
My Boyfriend: There is a brunch thing at the Plaza, do you want to go?
Me: Sounds fancy, OK, should we dress up?
My Boyfriend: Yeah, I guess so (then proceeds to put on a gray t-shirt and jeans)
I take my man's queues and throw on a collared shirt and we are on the way. I am envisioning high tea and cucumber sandwiches as we walk into the grand entrance. Wait a tick - there is a long line of silky dresses and Louboutins, and a bouncer is at the door. Why am I getting carded for eggs and home fries?
This is one of those times you look at your boyfriend and give him the stink eye because he has led you under false pretenses into a less than ideal situation. Luckily he was in my good graces (more on this later) so I took the surprise in stride. The food was so-so, but it was clearly not the main attraction. Leather pants, over-the-knee boots, and 6 inch platform heels were the norm, and the people watching was some of the best I've seen in a while. The next best thing from the cast of characters dancing to hip hop tunes over french toast was the enormous bottles of booze that were so large the waitresses were carrying them like a bushel of wheat on their shoulders. The sparklers on top of the bottles promised a very aggressive 2:00PM, and I fear some patrons may not have left until the dinner crowd was coming through.
My Boyfriend: There is a brunch thing at the Plaza, do you want to go?
Me: Sounds fancy, OK, should we dress up?
My Boyfriend: Yeah, I guess so (then proceeds to put on a gray t-shirt and jeans)
I take my man's queues and throw on a collared shirt and we are on the way. I am envisioning high tea and cucumber sandwiches as we walk into the grand entrance. Wait a tick - there is a long line of silky dresses and Louboutins, and a bouncer is at the door. Why am I getting carded for eggs and home fries?
This is one of those times you look at your boyfriend and give him the stink eye because he has led you under false pretenses into a less than ideal situation. Luckily he was in my good graces (more on this later) so I took the surprise in stride. The food was so-so, but it was clearly not the main attraction. Leather pants, over-the-knee boots, and 6 inch platform heels were the norm, and the people watching was some of the best I've seen in a while. The next best thing from the cast of characters dancing to hip hop tunes over french toast was the enormous bottles of booze that were so large the waitresses were carrying them like a bushel of wheat on their shoulders. The sparklers on top of the bottles promised a very aggressive 2:00PM, and I fear some patrons may not have left until the dinner crowd was coming through.
Bottom line - If you are a true scenester this place is for you. However, move fast before this party evaporates as quickly as the smoke from the sparklers inside. As I escaped for some normal Saturday activity I overheard an internal squabble about residence noise complaints and disapproval over poor public behavior around the hotel. I assume the folks at the Plaza had no idea what they were getting themselves into. Sounds familiar.
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