I first toured the Ace Hotel over the summer and was impressed with the thoughtful layout and design, the general vibe of the place appealed to me right away. We were thrilled when they agreed to let us shoot the upcoming Boy Crisis video there. I can’t say enough about how great the staff was to work with and, as a result of the Ace being so accommodating, I think the video is going to be amazing (more details to come on that soon).
The Ace Hotel, 20 W. 29th St., New York, NY
Owner Alex Calderwood opened up the first Ace Hotel in 1999 in a former Salvation Army halfway house in Seattle. In an effort to accommodate, and appeal to, musicians and artists, affordability was a top priority. Ten years later, Calderwood has opened up three more Ace hotels—one in Portland, one in Palm Springs, and the newest hotel in New York City. The Ace Hotel New York has 12 stories and 260 rooms. The affordable rates make you feel like you know about a secret inside deal at one of the coolest hotels in the city. As you enter the lobby, you can smell the coffee brewing at Stumptown Coffee Roasters, a Portland favorite, that has a small coffee shop set up adjacent to the front of the lobby. Although there are long lines at times, it turns out that the coffee is worth the wait.
The reception area features an apothecary case filled with taxidermy (birds) and reclaimed laboratory tables that are used as the reception desk. The hotel commissioned artworks by local artists to decorate the lobby and many of the rooms. The lobby is a scene —bustling all day and night— with a laid-back vibe where at any given time you could find some hipsters on their laptops next to an eccentric artist sketching and a group of European tourists mapping out their next move. They kept the original mosaic floors and coffered ceilings in the lobby and it’s obvious that great care was taken in the construction and layout of each room, with a nod to the historically land-marked buildings’ origins.
Each room has a somewhat different layout and design; many include vintage refrigerators, chairs, and tables, customized Gibson acoustic guitars, plumbing pipes refashioned into clothing racks, and fur and leather accents and upholstery. These varied layouts enhance the illusion that you are in a cool apartment rather than a standard hotel room. And check out this view:
The event space downstairs, Liberty Hall, is another find. I first saw the space when it was raw, and then went to the Fader/ Levi’s show there in the fall and now it is completely finished and it looks great. You can use the whole space for a large event or break it down into three separate sections. If all of the above wasn’t enough of a draw already, The Spotted Pig’s Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield helm the newly opened Breslin Bar & Dining Room, which is located adjacent to the main lobby in a simple, elegant space.
-Melissa
When Tonda opened in late-March, they claimed that they would have New York’s “best fire-baked pizza.” True to their word, their menu highlights, including the thin-crust pizzas, paninis, foccaccia, flatbreads, and calzones, are all baked on a rotating stone pivot in an 8-foot-wide wood-burning oven (which maintains 1,000-degree temps). Located near the corner of 4th Street and Avenue B, Tonda has taken over the large space previously inhabited by the now-shuttered restaurant, The E.U. The rustic layout of Tonda makes it an inviting space with tables for different-sized parties, a small lounge area, and a large bar located adjacent to the wood-burning oven. To take advantage of the warmer months ahead, they also have tables set-up on their front-patio (i.e. sidewalk with an awning) with enough room to seat 26. 
We checked out local gem Zaitzeff for the first time on Saturday night. The menu at Zaitzeff is simple and precise. Their claim that they “get the best ingredients and fuss with them the least” seems to be true. We sampled the sirloin burger with mushrooms and cheddar, the veggie burger, and their mixed-fries (sweet potato and regular, cooked daily in cast-iron skillets) and everything was well-executed and delicious. Their burgers are served on Portuguese muffins which are a tasty compliment to the hearty burgers. With the $5 drink specials (Mojitos were on tap that night) and reasonable menu, we had plenty of funds left over to have a hell of a Saturday night! 
East Village to Brooklyn 