24 Prince: Hidden In Plain Sight? Again?

Tomorrow 24 Prince is hoping to jump into the seriously choppy waters where La Esquina and most recently The Back Room ( covered by the Times over the weekend) started: the hidden bar. Today, Thrillist, the Daily Candy for guys' guys, reports that the bar will actually coax you into drinking. Superhero style.

-The liquor cabinets will be thrown open and the wine bottles -- starting at $22 -- will start flying off the shelves faster than Daredevil ruined Ben Affleck's life.
- Sensing that you are a drunk-in-distress, the proprietors will rescue you from a sobering post-meal lull by encouraging you to linger at your table and get lit.
- Serious guzzling will take place in the secretive basement -- which, like Batman with his cave, the owners claim doesn't exist. Also like Batman, they are liars.

Why do the liquor cabinets need to be hidden? Is there really a need for one more Mac and Cheese interpretation in Soho? Us, we never needed to be talked in drinking and think the ploy is getting a little old. Especially for those of us without superhero fixations. What do you think- will you be checking out the new space? Or will standbys like Fanelli's and Milady's stay your Soho stalwarts?

24 Prince
between Elizabeth and Mott
(212) 226-8624

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Martha Burzynski in Food on November 3, 2005 1:17 PM

Comments [rss]

Alex

I think that the place is not hidden at all. What do you mean by seriouse guzzling it seems to me that something more than pure drinkig?

Ben

I'm not sure how you guys got the impression that this place was hidden.

The only thing the Thrillist piece calls "hidden" is the liquor during the day. The owners promise the place will undergo a transformation from lunch spot to boozy bar scene and there is a mysterious downstairs room, but there is nothing hidden about 24 Prince itself. I think the place will be great, I know the food is and hope the place does well. Good vibe, nice people behind it....

Neil Epstein

test

Brian Van Nieuwenhoven

Stop in, order one drink, say you saw the place, get the hell out. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

And if you're lucky, you'll drunkenly approach a celebrity co-owner and ask him what's on his iPod. The story is worth more than the finger food.