Palace Gate
New York Palace Hotel, 455 Madison Avenue at 51st Street; (212) 891-8100.
Bar menu standouts: Suckling-pig tacos with salsa roja, queso fresco and radish, chicken wings tinged with yuzu kosho (the addictive Japanese paste of citrus zest, hot peppers and salt) and sesame aioli, and the burger with aged cheddar, house-made pickles and house cured bacon, sided with onion rings. (Everything comes from the kitchen of the Michelin-starred Gilt.)
They'll run you: $12-15.
Washed down with: A classic Pimm's cup (extra cucumber, please) or a Mariposa, a summery blend of mezcal, fresh lime juice and delicate candied violets over ice, which looks (but does not taste) a lot like Ricard. Also: fresh pineapple cream soda.
Tip: This week-old lounge is one of the most atmospheric outdoor drinkieries in Midtown -- Palace Gate is set within the gorgeous gated courtyard of the historic 1882 neo-Italian Renaissance-style Villiard Mansion (or, if you prefer more recent references, the old house at the foot of the tower where Lily van der Woodsen occupies the penthouse on Gossip Girl).
More on Palace Gate at Time Out.
