I didn’t make that up … it was on the invite
My good friend Liz Hartman, Director of Events for Ava Lounge in NYC, invited me to the unveiling of their new caterer called Sebastians. Everything was simply amazing. I can’t even remember everything I ate. Uniquely presented trays were floating around with all sorts of gourmet goodies. And poor me just had to keep eating.
One of the things I love about Ava is they do not rest on their laurels. Sure they could have kept going just fine with their previous caterer Dean & Deluca. It’s not that the food is bad (far from it) but D&D has a reputation that affords them no real incentive to strive to be better. Ava on the other hand always works to improve itself. So when the opportunity popped up to better the food, they went for it.
During all of this food and fun I noticed one thing. It was something I had known for a while now. As strange as this may sound, they make the best Jack & Coke in the city. Now how hard can that be? After all it’s a simple highball, right? It’s pretty hard apparently since I’ve had my share of too sweet, too weak, too flat, drinks in this city. Here … always perfect. This is because of their attention to details like soda gun hygiene and who supplies the various soda mixes. Sounds simple enough, but you’d be surprised how many places let that stuff fall away.
They also refuse to take on sponsors. You’ll never see a Budweiser banner or Captain Morgan coasters in this place. I know this from my last party here. I had gotten Singha to donate the beer for the night; we just could not put out any propaganda in the lounge itself. So when they choose a partnership, they base it on how it will improve or compliment the existing quality in the space. They don’t need corporate logos or catchphrases to attract patrons. It’s on that tip that I know the new relationship with Sebastians will be another step up for them.
On a more social note, I always meet or re-connect with interesting folks here. Tonight was no different. Michele (who used to work with Liz) was here with her mom Carol. We had a very nice, long conversation about music, yoga, Zen and more. There was Courtney who currently works with Liz. Although I’ve known her for a while now, I just discovered that she is a serious photographer. I’m trying to score her some work in the near future if I can. Then I met Shirley (yes named after Temple) and her sister Ava (yes …. Gardner). Shirley is a hardcore Black Jack player and was saying she could get us all to Atlantic City in two hours!
I also met DJ Chino Imperial. He was not spinning here tonight. Just like me he was here for the food, drink and atmosphere. Not to mention the hot bartender he was trying to chat up. He, his cousin Rob (who works for Dean & Deluca … don’t tell them he was here) and I were laughing so hard at one point I was in pain. I gotta party more with these guys. At the end of the night Liz, Chino, Jessica (escaped D&D to work for Sebastians) piled into Rob’s car. They dropped me at the Port Authority and my night wound down on the bus ride home.
See Also:
Ava Lounge
Sebastians
Dean & Deluca
DJ Chino Imperial
