Secret, Underground Phooey

I think the reign of "anonymous" and "unlisted" hip restaurants and bars is finally coming to a close. Nice idea folks, but frankly it's another trend that has hit "overkill" on the fad barometer. Not, that I'm immune to the cocktailian charms of LES's Milk & Honey or the uber-attitudinal draw of the Meat Packing District's APT, but the fact that I can find sites with the elusive phone number for Milk & Honey and the address of APT for my earlier hyperlinks is evidence that the whole obscurity wave has curled. Thank goodness. The "underground" concept was kind of appealing for a minute, but it became tiresome very quickly when you realized that everyone walking down 13th Street was heading to the same "secret" hot spot.

Last night, I paid a visit to Hudson Lounge, a low-key Tribeca haunt owned in part by Robert DeNiro, a late victim to the "obscurity" trend, refusing to divulge its address when it first opened. Clearly a ridiculous stance. Not only was the bar nowhere near full last night, but the location isn't even out of the way - it's right next-door to Tribeca's fave brunch spot, Bubby's. Needless to say, at this point the bar's address, phone and all other baseline info can be found on the likes of Shecky's . Hopefully, that'll mean a few more happy patrons sidling up to their bar for tasty Sidecars and brilliantly bitter Negronis. And, what's truly important, is that it means more take for Bobby. (Cause you know I'm worried about his bankroll these days!)