Recommendations

A French/Brazilian lounge cum restaurant (skip the restaurant part) that's a good spot to meet up for drinks on a night out on the LES.

Guide: Euro (Giancarlo)
Location: LES

Strengths

• Go for the French/Brazilian vibe and the drinks, not the food or the service- both are mediocre.
• It's a good meeting spot during a night out on the LES. They have a DJ every night but it's not super loud, so you can relax and enjoy it without having to shout.
• It was very hip at one point, and has cooled off a bit, but I kind of like that because you can always get in, and it's pretty laid back.

Shortcomings

• It can be a pain to find. Some people don't realize Ludlow goes all the way down to Canal.
• I'll reiterate: go for drinks, not the food, and sit at the bar. Otherwise, you'll be in service hell.

Insider tips

• Sit at the bar, or at the tables when they are not full of dinner customers.

Anecdotes

• Last time I went was a while back, but I remember thinking I'd stay for one drink at the bar (a Caipirinha) and getting sucked in by the menu of exotic drinks. I had something called a Posto Nove, and then a Lemon Incest, and soon the drink names turned naughty, hipsters filed in, and things got a bit blurry.