Great Expectations… Beauty & Essex- (Part Two)

Continued from Part One…

It was a late reservation- 9:45, and like I said, I was a tired kitten.  Day one in New York had not brought me the ‘perfect’ day- nor the handsome stranger - Times Square had just kicked my ass and I was ready to pack it in….

… But for my expectations.

I still wanted that thing that was in my mind - The New York I had envisioned.  So I opened my heart, and the mini-bar, poured myself a stiff glass of get-over-yourself, and got ready.

I wanted real New York nightlife.  Not a club (I’ve been to Ibiza), not a quaint, perfect wine-bar (we have those at home), not even a huge event.  I wanted New York.  This may be an unclear concept to you New Yorkers out there, to whom it would be just ‘any old night’, but for those of us outside of Manhattan - living in that collective consciousness bubble - New York nightlife is this fantastical thing.  It holds the promise of something bigger than everyday.  I’m not a small-town girl, but to me, dining out in NYC, would be magical. 

Beauty & Essex had been a recommendation from a colleague who used to live in New York.  It’s one of two restaurants by Chef Chris Santos- (a happy coincidence as I’m a huge Food Network junkie.)  It was a place she used to go with her girlfriends, not a tourist destination at all.  I was stoked.  It sounded perfect.  My expectations were on fire.  (Uh oh.)  We hopped in the cab and sped towards Oz… what would we find behind the curtain?

And curtain there was…

We pulled up to a storefront.  Literally.  It appeared to be a vintage store or pawn shop.  Could this be right? Yep, there was the sign… Beauty & Essex…

We were greeted by a lovely pair of ladies who checked our names off the list and we followed them through the quiet store and into… my fantasy.

It was perfect.  High ceilings, busy bar, awesome chandeliers, stylishly jam-packed with ‘real’ New Yorkers sipping champagne cocktails.  The shoes, the dresses… the men.  I’ve traveled all over the world, but have ever felt so much like a kid in a candy store… and Beauty & Essex had great candy!

Stay tuned for the Review in Part 3... !