Milk and Honey, the dimly lit railroad bar on Eldridge Street with the fastidiously-prepared cocktails, "reservation only" policy, and unlisted number, blazed the trail for the city's current wildfire cocktail craze and speakeasy-style bars. In recent years, as owner Sasha Petraske has expanded his footprint with Little Branch, The East Side Company, new absinthe-centric White Star and that Community Board pariah Mercury Dime, Milk and Honey has also only gotten more popular, with the secret phone number posted on message boards and blogs as fast as Petraske can change it. more ›

When Greenwich Village resident Aimee Bell, a Vanity Fair editor, was asked by another parent where her daughter, then in fifth grade, would be attending High School, she jokingly answered that she was starting one herself. That was two years ago, and since then the wisecrack has turned into a reality. With a little help from Bell's well-connected friends (Graydon Carter! John Leguizamo! Bob Kerrey!), Greenwich Village High, a private academy, will accept 45 freshman next year with tuition set on a sliding scale from $1,000 to $34,729. An author of a guide to Manhattan private schools tells the Times that the school will help fill the city's fancy school void: “It’s really always been slim pickings downtown. Originally, it was a commercial area with tradesmen and lofts not meant for living, but now it’s a mecca for young families.” GV High's motto? “Work hard, be kind, take risks.” (Apparently there wasn't room for "Network!") more ›

Bushwick residents Jan VanDamme and Paul Nicholson surely weren't the first roommates with an ambitious dream of transforming their apartment into something special, but hot damn if the duo didn't follow through on it. As the story goes on their website, last April Nicholson "walked into the backyard of his Harman St. first floor apartment and stated, 'We have to build a beer garden.' Without a word, Jan nodded. The next three months would be an intensive whirlwind of wood gathering, sawing, digging, screwing and idea entertaining." more ›

Get excited: There’s going to be an “exclusive” lounge opening any day now on the Lower East Side! It’s called The Eldridge (named for the street it’s on) and it promises to fabulously fill the void left by Luv 24/7, the previous lounge at the address. But what’s going to make The Eldridge sail where Luv 24/7 foundered? Owner Matt Levine tells Grub Street that, for starters, his 13-table room is going to have movie and popcorn nights on Mondays. And it’s going to be closed on weekends, because “as far as the vibe goes, the people who go to the Eldridge, they’re not in the city on weekends.” Other selling points:
• "We’re going to run a very tight door. It’s who you are and who you know. Yes, bottle service is part of the experience, and it involves chocolates!"
• "Mixed drinks will run you $16 to maybe $32 for the Eldridge, which uses Armand de Brignac and real gold sprinkles. Bottle prices are standard — like a bottle of Belvedere is $400."
• To get past the doorman you’ll have to get possession of 400 laser-engraved entry cards that say Guest of Matt Levine.
• "We’re going to have a hospitality consultant that’s going to talk to people and figure out what they need. Their wish is our command. Rather than security guards, we’re going to call them chaperones. Rather than waitresses, they’re table attendants. Rather than bartenders, we’re calling them butlers."

There's a lesson that parents should learn before signing contracts for a private school: always read the fine print. The NY Times tells the story of a Soho couple (David and Michele Bender) whose daughter won a coveted, if pricey--$26,000/year--spot in the kindergarten program at the West Village's Little Red School House (pictured). more ›