Mé Bar is Where I’ll Be When the Weather Gets Better

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so every week our Happy Hour Correspondent “Mamacita” will post about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap.  Mamacita is out of town so this week our man Ultraclay is taking over drinking duties…

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Over the last week, the weather has gone from 70 degree sunshine to snow and sleet. The ridiculous swings in weather have driven Mamacita a little wonky (she’s curled up in a corner begging for winter to end already) so, this week, I’ll be subbing for her.

We all cope with weather in different ways and I’ve decided that I’m just going to act like the weather doesn’t suck and tell you about drinking outdoors at Me Bar on the roof of the La Quinta hotel in Koreatown. Because the best way to get through this is to plan for the inevitable arrival of warmth (however far off it may seem.)

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There aren’t a lot of options for drinking outdoors in midtown, particularly down in Midtown South. A few blocks out of bounds, 230 5th is well known with the velvet ropes crowd, but that’s far too much of a scene for my tastes.

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My summertime favorite has always been Me Bar. It’s small, the staff is friendly and inside and out it sports one of the best views of the Empire State Building you can get without being knocked into by tourists.

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The bar stocks a surprisingly interesting selection of beer for a hotel bar. My usual favorites are the ones from Hawaiian brewery, Kona. There aren’t a lot of places that stock them. Sadly, when I stopped by earlier this week, they hadn’t gotten their shipment of them yet. Instead, there were three different varieties of Beer geek favorite Dogfish Head ($7-8) along with some unexpected international varieties ($6). For the less choosy beer fan, Bud, etc runs for $5.

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Cocktails run from $6 to $8 along with a winter special of hot apple cider spiked with your choice of whiskey or rum for $8. Top shelf booze will run you $9.

The indoor section of the bar is small and cozy with glass walls and ceilings making it all feel a bit more open.

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Really though, it’s about the patio. In the dead of summer, it fills up pretty quickly, but when I stopped by on Wednesday, a little after opening, it wasn’t crowded at all. There are heat lamps and a tent cover to protect you from the elements, although that probably won’t help against thundersnow.

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There’s no food at Me bar besides the free popcorn they give you to snack on, but in the heart of Koreatown, you should be able to find something to eat pretty easily.

I know. The forecast doesn’t have anything in it over 43 degrees for the next week. It sucks. But, I know where I’ll be the next time the mercury breaks 60.

Me Bar, 17 W. 32nd St., 14th floor. 212.290.2460.

Opens 5:30pm nightly.

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