Last week’s Mark Hoppus Friday Fives got us all nostalgic for Pre-Infatuation times. As we pondered the past, we got to thinking about what this site might have looked like if we started it sometime in 2003, just after we had moved to New York City. Think about all the hilarious things we could have said about the places that we used to think were awesome, but have since closed their doors. Apparently they weren’t so awesome.
All week, we’re going to head down memory lane and point out some of our frequent restaurant and “nightlife” haunts in NYC that have since gone the way of the buffalo. If you moved here anytime after 2006, you probably won’t remember most of these places. But we’ll make sure to include some ridiculous photos of us from the era to keep it entertaining for everyone.
Infatuation Back In The Day
Canteen
142 Mercer St. (at Prince St.)
What is now Lure Fish Bar was once a frequent dinner destination for us circa 2002. It’s actually the first restaurant Stang went to the weekend that he moved to NYC. Canteen was a hot spot in its heyday, when all the cool restaurants only had one name (Butter, Commune, Tao, Craft). Were it still in existence today, it would get high marks for Action at The Bar and Scoping Hot Girls and Guys, which is probably why we always had on our finest Club Monaco button downs when we went. God we were lame.
Perfect For: Action at The Bar, Scoping Hot Girls and Guys
Dorsia
5 E. 19th St. (at 5th Ave.)
Not a restaurant, but a club that we used to think was amazing, despite the fact that the dude from Godsmack was one of the owners. A typical visit to Dorsia would go something like this: pre-game for four hours with seven other dudes, break up into two groups (to help our odds of getting in), end up in line right behind our other friends anyway…and get denied. But the handful of times we actually saw the inside of this place were pretty legendary.
Perfect For: Listening To Black Eyed Peas Mashups, except back then it was this song.
industry (food)
509 E. 6th St. (between Ave. A & Ave. B)
All we can really remember about “industry” is that it was dark, looked vaguely like an ultra-modern ski lodge, and had trees inside. It was also unmarked and adjacent to a gay bar, which made for a few entertaining text messages along the lines of “dude where are you guys, I don’t think I am in the right place…but the bartender is really cool.” We definitely ate here a few times, but can’t say any of it stood out. Apparently we were more interested in their vodka tonics at the time.
Perfect For: Action at The Bar, First/Early in the Game Dates, Drunk Hook Ups
APT
419 W. 13th St. (between Greenwich St. & Washington St.)
Just before the Meat Packing District went all Bobby Bottleservice , APT had a run where it was literally the coolest place to be in NYC. For a while, we were coming here once a week. That was back when going out and getting wasted up on Thursday’s was mandatory. Remember that? We all had a lot less on our plate when we were 23 than we do now. While APT definitely booked credible, underground DJ’s (aka not the kind you found at Crobar and Exit), the crowd thankfully wasn’t just dance heads. It was a mixed bag in the best possible way. There was just something in the air at APT; people got wild. In that downstairs room, anything could happen on any given night. And it did.
Perfect For: Action at The Bar, Scoping Hot Girls and Guys
Florent
69 Gansevoort St. (between Greenwich St. & Washington St.)
It’s safe to say that all of us New Yorkers, especially those who enjoy a late meal after a night out, can collectively agree that there isn’t a restaurant more sorely missed than Florent. It was truly one of a kind with a style and swagger all its own. The ultimate Late Night Eats destination where celebs, drunks, trannies, frat dudes and tourists all ate in harmony. Your belly couldn’t possibly find a better option at 4am than their Cinnamon Raisin French Toast and a side of french fries. Copycat restaurateurs can try to recreate those good vibes and positive energy all they want, but they won’t be able to. That sh*t was magic.
Perfect For: Late Night Eats, Scoping Hot Girls and Guys, Laughting at Euros in Crazy Outfits & Chronic Brunch
Bonus Round: Stang & Steinthal Circa 2003
