Article Written By: Life Is Grape In The City

Last Thursday I spent the night enjoying the after-work Battery Park City scene. First stop was the opening party for the new Artsee Optical boutique next to the Conrad Hotel for some Prosecco, eyeglasses and art.

The idea behind the boutique is to showcase one of a kind, cooler-than-me eyeglasses and promote upcoming artists. There are three locations: BPC, West Village, and Miami, FL. I would say the boutique meshes more with the Miami scene then the Wallstreet crowd. It’s a nice spot to check out if you find yourself staying at the new and luxurious Conrad NYC, ask for the owner Oleg who is awesome! P.S. If you find yourself there for an opening, careful with the prosecco, I ended up with an awful headache in the morning!

Photo of Blue Smoke Restaurant from http://blog.bluesmoke.com

Last stop was the new Blue Smoke adjacent to Artsee. With limited options in this part of the city, the restaurant is a welcome addition…think Wall Street after-work crowd. I tried three wines: Pinot Noir, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon, ranging from $9-$12 a glass. The first two were pretty awful, bitter, and tasteless. Order the Cabernet and petition Danny Meyer to get a new wine list.

Article Written By: Life Is Grape In The City