When I Think About You I Touch Myself: Touch Nightclub Opens in Midtown
Posted at 03:53:13 PM in Bar openingsby Justine Goodman
Above: Behold the half-stocked bar at Touch, which opened to the "public" last night
Just when I swore that I would sooner eat a bullet than go to another nightclub in midtown, I found myself walking down West 52nd Street--which was swimming with crazed, show-tune addicts looking for a fix outside "Jersey Boys"--and rolling up to the entrance of Touch, the latest incarnation at the space formerly known as Float (and before that, Temple Bar).
Last night, Touch rolled out the red carpet for several hundred "VIP" guests, most of whom were either members of the media or there for a movie wrap party (Guest of a Guest reports that the movie is called "The Source," and stars John Legend, Wyclef Jean and others, though we didn't see any of them there last night and can't confirm on IMDB or elsewhere).
Although I still have a headache from inhaling the fresh paint fumes (and perhaps from the free Belvedere), I must admit the space is pretty nice, at least as gaudy midtown clubs go. A menu of $14 specialty cocktails like the Unforgiving Cider (cinnamon-infused whiskey, Port wine, apple cider, fresh lime and maple syrup) and Seductive Pom (Absolut Kurant, pomegranate juice, fresh lemon and sparkling muscato) will surely be a hit with, theater-goers and, um, Jersey boys, but it's difficult to say this early whether Touch will manage to escape the fate of its predecessors, especially since it's under the same ownership. Then again, we're pretty sure we spotted Gawker's photographer there, so maybe they're getting the right people on-board early.
The problem is, for a club on West 52nd Street to stay afloat, they're going to need some of the foot traffic provided by nearby attractions like Broadway shows, Times Square, Roseland, etc., but in order for a club to maintain its exclusivity and street cred, it's going to have to deny access to those very same people. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
I was there on Sunday night.....I have to say, I thought it was a great time. Didn't think it was gaudy at all with a great vibe.
Posted by: Ginnifer | December 03, 2007 at 09:26 AM
Unfortunately for Touch, I'm another person who's had an awful experience! On December 21st, I went there to meet up with a friend of mine for the Social Life Magazine party. They had a table with bottle service. Although one of the hosts of the party was leaving, he left the table to me and a group of people, even encouraging me to make use of it. I was the last one to leave and was at the table by myself for awhile. Eventually another group of people came over to the table, and I asked what was going on. Someone from the group told me that they had just bought the table and I explained that it was still in use. Someone from their party went to get someone from management, I kept a lookout and then motioned to the man who seemed like the manager, a bald man in a blazer, to straighten out the situation. I didn't have much to drink but having a table and being able to share drinks is quite cool so didn't want to give up the table unless there was a good reason. Without even attempting to discuss the situation with me, he grabbed me by the wrist and led (granted, not yanked) me out of the crowd of people at the table. If that wasn't insulting enough, after this I tried to wave to him a second time to get his attention, and he looked at me and dragged his finger across his throat...like he was slitting his throat. I never got one word of dialog or explanation of what happened from the club. When I was taken from the table there was still an unopened bottle of alcohol left and one about a half full and of course mixers. How this man handled the situation was rude, disrespectful, and insulting enough to ruin my entire experience and, while I tried to stick around the club was too miserable so left. Later, my friend told me that the Social Life Magazine table had been comped. I don't know if the magazine and club had a deal that the club could reassign the table at a certain hour or when the party dwindled down or if the club just got greedy and sold the table they weren't supposed to but it doesn't matter, they should have just explained the situation instead of leading me out of the table by the wrist like a child. I will not be returning there.
Posted by: Greg | January 11, 2008 at 12:13 PM
Def one of the top Saturday nights in the city. Extremely good looking crowd.
Posted by: NY Nights | January 24, 2008 at 10:15 PM