Tomi Jazz - Upper East Side
239 E 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022
For a bar, Tomi Jazz provokes a price reflex: $10 minimum + $10 cover. You mean, I have a $20 tab and I haven't even ordered anything yet?
But it's cheap compared to what a concert might cost. This dark, basement bar is a Japanese Jazz club with sake, ramen, cocktails, and singing. A favorite regular of mine is Allegra Levy, frequently accompanied by the tall, lanky piano savant, Seán McCluskey.
After an ironically festive mojito for a bluesy joint, I simplified my cocktail to a whiskey sour. The blank-faced waitress smiled as I placed my order. She repeated it back to me, which I repeated back to her, hearing her hesitancy. We executed this exchange two or three times, each time with her voice ending in a high question tone, and each time mine responding in a stern, flat whiskey sour.
Five minutes later she returned with a whiskey soda.
At that point it wasn't even worth it. I stopped another waiter and asked for a few limes rather than going through all that again.
Still, it was a great night. Captivating music beats staying home on a Friday night (which was nearly the case). So, double win.
239 E 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022
For a bar, Tomi Jazz provokes a price reflex: $10 minimum + $10 cover. You mean, I have a $20 tab and I haven't even ordered anything yet?
But it's cheap compared to what a concert might cost. This dark, basement bar is a Japanese Jazz club with sake, ramen, cocktails, and singing. A favorite regular of mine is Allegra Levy, frequently accompanied by the tall, lanky piano savant, Seán McCluskey.
After an ironically festive mojito for a bluesy joint, I simplified my cocktail to a whiskey sour. The blank-faced waitress smiled as I placed my order. She repeated it back to me, which I repeated back to her, hearing her hesitancy. We executed this exchange two or three times, each time with her voice ending in a high question tone, and each time mine responding in a stern, flat whiskey sour.
Five minutes later she returned with a whiskey soda.
At that point it wasn't even worth it. I stopped another waiter and asked for a few limes rather than going through all that again.
Still, it was a great night. Captivating music beats staying home on a Friday night (which was nearly the case). So, double win.
No comments:
Post a Comment