Backstage At The Boom Boom Room

In the midst of the NYCWFF Eater Blogger Lounge madness, Mr. Andre Balazs himself was kind enough to offer a personal and extremely behind the scenes tour of the Standard Hotel, including a lengthy walk through and discussion of the oh so hot and oh so controversial Boom Boom Room 18th Floor Lounge. For all of the comments that the Boom at night generates, the space is probably more impressive during the day. Its floor to ceiling windows flood the room with natural sunlight, allowing all of that interior gold to sparkle. The day presented the perfect opportunity to get the skinny on Andre's reaction a few weeks after the opening. Balazs isn't fazed by reports that the Boom is boring, because he never intended for the room to be a crazy dance club.

According to Andre, the plan has always been to create a sophisticated cocktail lounge that evolves as the night goes on. They are just getting up to speed with BLT Market alum Chef David "Boom Boom" Malbequi's dinner service, offering small plates like Heaven's Duck Satay, Swedish Meatballs and Oyster Boom Boom, and an impressive Sweets menu with selections like Mont Blanc Nipples, Cracked Out Cream Puffs and 23K Gold Chocolate Bars. The bar is also fully stocked, offering an amazing variety of whiskey, tequila, brandy, cognac, rums etc., as well original and classic cocktails.

The room will go nameless for the near future until Andre and his team find one that fits. It will not be QT, but a suggestion of Le Room De Boom did generate some hearty chuckles. The design of the room is also being tweaked; Balazs plans to pull out some of the furniture that is not working and move the DJ booth to another part of the room. It's all part of what he feels will be the organic growth of the space, allowing the venue a chance to slowly develop its own identity. As for the infamous Black Bar, there apparently aren't too many specific plans. It will function more as an extension of the spa rather than a lounge, but to be honest, it is probably the first and only spa extension with a 30' bar.

So does all of this spell success? A visit on Saturday night found the Boom Boom filled with actors, models, chefs and their associates, and the door lived up to its #1 ranking. Reports from the ground had the doormen turning away groups of half naked ladies and anyone and everyone else that was not on the list. It's just not that kind of place. It is the kind of place where you will drop a whole lot of cash for the experience rather than the fun, which is not everyone's cup of tea. But with those views, they should have no problem finding 200 or so people to pack the place on a nightly basis and in the end, that's all that counts. Boom.

· The Boom Boom Room [~ENY~]
· NYCWFF 2009 [~ENY~]