It’s a big little place in the East Village
I thought Solas (232 E. 9th St, NYC) was going to be this tiny, intimate place from the looks of the outside. It turned out to have a few hidden rooms for parties and dancing. Well-packed with a variety of party types–most of whom were better dressed than me–navigating thru the main bar was a bit of a struggle. At this point I dreaded what the upstairs would be like.
I was on my way to meet my friend Ilana. Also on hand for the night were the lovely Lost Girls Amanda, Jen and Holly as well as my friends Dean, Holly and Courtney. Ilana joked about my ‘entourage’. That’s just how I roll … yeah, right. I was happy to see that our party corner was not too crowded. We were there for Ilana’s friend Susan’s birthday.
The mixed drinks at the bar were moderately priced ($8.00) but inconsistent in strength. The waitress working the tables was friendly, cute and only charged me $7.00. Not exactly a buy back, but I’ll take it. The music got the easy-to-please sorority/fraternity crowd hopping with New Edition, Kelly Clarkson and whatnot. Only my group seemed to noticed the DJ’s affinity for repeating songs.
The decor was brick red and heavy wood. Dark but not too dark. Candles on the tables with a combo of wooden chairs and stools. Funky hanging paper lamps that looked like weird ice cream cones. The leather couches were low and comfortable but felt a little too low at times.
As Courtney and I sat, catching up on life and the comedic wonders of ‘Married with Children’, a couple of strange men hovered about. We weren’t sure if they were trying to make eye contact with her or me, but a certain degree of personal space would have been nice. At least one free of crotches in my face.
All in all a fun night that ran later than I had expected. While I never made it to the other hideaways in the place, I’m told the best room is actually the Coal Room with it’s pool table. I’ll have to check that out another night.
