Review: Forty Eight Lounge

Now that Atria is closed, Midtown is sorrily lacking when it comes to top-notch cocktail spots. When it was announced that a new lounge would open in the McGraw-Hill Building, we thought redemption might be at hand. Sadly, after a visit and a few drinks, the area’s reputation as a wasteland was not redeemed. Forty Eight isn’t bad, but there was nothing that really made it stick out. It’s just another place for the drinking hoards. And in Midtown, the drinking hoards aren’t worth the visit.

The scale of the lounge is impressive. There are cozy banquettes, an area with small tables, a line of stations to rest your drink on while standing, and a long and stylish bar. The swanky design was undone by the not so swanky crowd. There will always be a certain quotient of Midtown Meathead in any of the area’s bars, but the Meathead to Interesting Drinker Ratio was too skewed on our recent visit. Yes, there were those young PR types sipping wine and swaying to the music, but they were drowned out by the bellows coming from the suits. Their drink of choice? Coors Light, from a bucket.

Of course, a bad crowd can sometimes be forgiven. We could imagine being quite comfortable at 48 on an off night. An excellent cocktail list could have called for another visit. Instead, there are seven selections, only a few of which are inspired. The St. Zipang Sparkling Libation? Not too shabby. A French vanilla martini? We’ll take the bucket of Coors Light please.

Review – Forty Eight Lounge – 1221 Avenue of the Americas, Entrance on 48^th Street

Corporate Crowd – 2 Olives – If McGraw-Hill wanted to build a place for all of their employees to drink after work, they should have done so in their cafeteria.

Drinking Options in the Neighborhood – 2 Olives - Ugh, we had such high hopes for you Forty Eight. When heading out for Midtown Madness, we’ll stick to Beacon, The Royalton, or maybe Cellar Bar.

Prospects for the Space – 4 Olives – Even though it might not be our cup of tea, we don’t think Forty Eight will meet Atria’s sad fate. Even in a recession, the suits need somewhere to loosen their ties after work.

Cocktail Lounges with Small Cocktail Lists – 2 Olives – We’re all for having a straight glass of scotch, but we still like to see a variety of interesting suggestions. It’s like visiting a wine bar that only serves Pinot and Merlot.

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One of my dreams is could have a place where people can share good times, but I think that it is really difficult to kept this business because there are many places to go...but the idea is have a nice place where people remember just good moments.

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very nice place to go and have fun with a couple of friends. I think this city needs more lounges like Arita. The people need some place to hang out with the friends. I will love to build something like that in this small city.

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The quality of the cocktails you can find there is simply incomparable. I have visited different places, and I have tasted different cocktails, but definitely Midtown offers the best ones. Apart the ambiance is fabulous.

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