12/22/06

Your '06 Fix
The Year's Best and Worst

Try to contain your disappointment...we're off next week. We'll be seeing you in the brand newyear. Before then, though, we leave you with a modest list of our best picks of '06, along withsome of the more hope-crushing flops—but all in all, we'd have to say, not a badyear.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR '06 NICE

BEST NEW NIGHTCLUB

PINK ELEPHANT

We love the dancing, the high energy, the scent machine. Frankly, it's just nice-smelling and fun in the new Elephant.

BEST NEW LOUNGE/BAR

THE ROSE BAR

It's moody, it's sexy, it's understated in spite of the hype. And still has one of the smoothest door hosts we've come across.

BEST NEW CASUAL FOOD SPOT

DITCH PLAINS

Oyster shooters, mac and cheese on a dog. Good times are never far away when you start here with a half-bottle of wine or two.

BEST NEW GI-NORMOUS RESTAURANT

BUDDAKAN

Yes, it's big, it's loud, it's a little past its prime, but we still dig the decadent Grand Hall to throw down our edamame dumplings.

PROFILE OF THE YEAR

IZABEL GOULART

The newest Vicky's Secret girl on the block grew up this year with some tasty ads and singlehandedly doubled business at Bowlmor and Gyu-Kaku. We'll always love you, Iza.

BEST BUY OF THE YEAR

DICTIONARY OF CORPORATE BULLSH*T

Ridiculous year-end bonuses the same year you're equipped with a book to translate corporate BS...a coincidence? We think not.

BEST NEW MEN'S CLOTHING STORE

FREEMANS SPORTING CLUB

Sharp bespoke suits, a barber shop and a hidden archery range—normally we aren't good at multitasking, but this we can handle.

AND THEN YOU CAN'T WIN THEM ALL!

HOPE-CRUSHING NEW NIGHTCLUB

MANOR

You had us at bearskin rug. Unfortunately, while hope springs eternal, we should have known better.

HOPE-CRUSHING NEW RESTAURANTS

JAPONAIS

We were so excited about the rubber-ceiling-Frenchified-Japanese-name-foam-ball-tree combination. But the food kind of makes us forget it all. We still like the tree, though.

MR. CHOW TRIBECA
In spite of the madly dashing pics of Christopher Walken, the 'tude and food ended up making this a stay-away.