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New Kid on the Block: Manhattan Proper Bar & Social Club
Biddy Early’s became Woodrow’s. Uncle Mike’s is giving way to Cricketer’s Arms. Now Murray Street’s gentrification continues with the Manhattan Proper Bar & Social Club, in the space that was Copper Barrel. (Can New York Dolls be next? Dare to dream!) The “social club” part of the name isn’t just a bit of wishful filigree. There’s a dress code—it’s dressy casual, so none of that oversized-jersey hoodlum look—and they’re considering offering membership, with monthly members-only parties.
The word that ought to be in the name is “restaurant.” When the full menu launches Monday, it’ll include classics like wings, a chicken club, and mac and cheese, but there will also be a boudin croquette, andouille sliders with Creole mustard and caramelized shallots, a Truffle Burger with a “balsamic portabella red wine reduction,” and smoked sea salt on the Caesar salad. (I’m charmed by the inclusion of “Specials — Sometimes” on the dessert menu, but a little concerned about “Home Made Cool Whip.”) Until Monday, a much smaller menu is available; both menus are at right. Lunch starts Monday, too.
The bar is up front, with about a dozen stools, a lot of standing room, and a large window that’s open on nice days. The dining room, in back, seats around 50. There’s a banquette on the east wall, with one coming to the west wall in the next couple of days. The aesthetic is very black-and-white and a little austere—art is on the way—with the exception of the five 70-inch televisions (a 103-inch projection TV will be unrolled for football games). Manhattan Proper has plans to become a hangout during Gators’ games, for one of the owners is a big fan. And if you don’t know who the Gators are, you should probably go elsewhere.
Downstairs, which has even more space than upstairs, should be ready by late fall. During the ongoing renovation they discovered a cache of old photos—evidently, during the 1970s, the space was an underground rock club where the likes of Janis Joplin and Alice Cooper played. (Anyone know anything about this? I’m begging Manhattan Proper to let me run the photos.)
Manhattan Proper is open Monday through Saturday, and Sundays during football season. Happy-hour specials are available, but delivery is unlikely. Share your opinions here or on the Manhattan Proper page in the Tribeca Citizen Restaurant Guide.
Manhattan Proper is at 6 Murray (between Church and Broadway), 646-559-4445; manhattanproper.com.
Recent New Kid on the Block/First Impressions articles:
• Atrio
• Saluggi’s Sandwich Shoppe
• Duxiana
• Aire Ancient Baths
• Demi Monde
• Maslow 6 Wine Bar
• Salvatore Barber Shop
• Tribeca Blu
• Josh Bach
11 Comments
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awesome, thanks! interested to try it out and see how the food is (truffle burger? sign me up!).
Another welome addition to the neighborhood. Yes, NY Dolls should be next on the list, but let’s not forget Quest (aka Remix), which still has a 4:00am license. They are now the only establisment with a 4:00am other than Eamonn’s as CB1 has one by one been forcing these places to go to 1:00/2:00 closings as they come up for renewal.
The good news is that Quest comes up in January, so for those of you tired of the 4:00am nonsense on weekends, get ready to make your views known.
If I am not mistaken, Eamonn’s recently closed.
@TribecaMom: I just called Eamonn’s and they said there’s a new owner, so they closed for a day or so. They’re open again, but there won’t be food for a couple of weeks.
Interesting! A new owner up and operational in a day or two?
Just tried Manhattan Proper Bar & Social Club. So pleasantly surprised! I will always give a new place a try & thought it would be fun. Ordered a Black Bean Burger (that was yummy) but the top bun was burnt. Didn’t say a word (whatever, new place!) and the server came over, removed the burnt bun and replaced it with a toasted one–totally unsolicited. Totally busy there when we were went – so the attention was surprising, welcomed and I’ll def be back.
Any place that is festooned with large TV’s is somewhere that I would normally avoid but it all looks and sounds interesting so I guess I will give it a go when I am next in town. Maybe they are not on all the time (he says, hopefully).
I’m not encouraged by the fact that they misspell or mispunctuate so many menu items — which are either standard-issue or overreaching — and that they have all those huge TVs and sound-amplifying brick walls. It just screams “FiDi FRATBAR!!!!!!!!!!!” to me. Especially unencouraging is the owner’s love of a college team and desire to inflict that love on patrons.
I tried this place last night and was disappointed. This is nothing more than a shiny new sports bar trying to avoid the tag. Not the upscale atmostphere implied by “social club.”
Its nice to see a new place open in the work area. A few colleagues and I stopped by, however, we were not impressed. The place is “OK” at best. Plain food, misleading name and far stretch from a “social club” , Cheaply painted bar with a young crowd. I would not go out of my way to come back.
Stopped by with some friends this week. Very good food…nice touch of pine nuts on salad. Nice atmosphere. We all agreed it’s def a place we’ll frequent.