The form guide suggested AvroKO Hospitality Group’s Saxon + Parole would be a runaway winner, and the result is as expected. A group of hospitality, catering and design specialists with the Midas touch, AvroKO has a reputation for pairing classy environments with critic-pleasing food, so no one was backing against this venue on Bowery and Bleecker, but just because you are favourite, you still have to put in a winning performance.
There are subtle allusions to the equestrian – a pair of handsome portraits of the eponymous animals (champion racers from turn-of-the-century New York), a few bits of tack here and there, and a ceiling full of downward-facing horseshoes that would give a superstitious person a lifetime’s worth of nightmares – but although the overall look of the place has the sleek finish of the coat of a well-groomed thoroughbred, the venue certainly doesn’t feel overpoweringly “horsey”.
Being known to take a drink every now and then, one of our favourite features is the Cocktail Cabinet. Bar maestro Masa Urushido and his team will whip up a bespoke cocktail which can be labelled and stored in the attractive glass-fronted cupboard, ready to pull down and pour the minute the customer walks back in. It’s a great idea when you’re with friends, but may give the impression of an over-developed drinking habit if you’re bringing a date, or the boss. Still, to thine own self be true, as they say.
Photo, Jason Lang
Photo, Noah Fechs
Photo, Daniel Krieger
Photo, Jason Lang
Photo, Jason Lang
Photo, Jason Lang
Photo, Felipe Cuevas
Photo, Daniel Krieger
