Nightlife Notebook: Avenue Turns One, Counting Room Praise

MEATPACKING— Avenue, the Strategic Group's gastrolounge that has attracted their high end customers away from Marquee, is celebrating its first anniversary tonight with a massive party. And because it's after Memorial Day, guests have been asked to dress in white attire. Seriously. Time flies when you are having fun. [EaterWire]

SOHO— Speaking of parties, tomorrow night is the annual NBA draft, meaning you can expect to see some extremely tall and newly wealthy draft picks celebrating in New York City club's. M2 had been booking most of these athlete related events, but since its bascially closed for good, the business is up in the air. If you want to party with the likely #1 pick, Kentucky guard John Wall will be throwing down at Greenhouse. [EaterWire]

MEATPACKING— Nightclubs are the latest business to try and take advantage of the online sample sale craze.This morning's Gilt Group email blast included a sale at Tenjune, offering a table with a bottle of either Absolut Vodka or Perrier-Jouet champagne and guaranteed entry for four people. All of that could have been yours for the low, low price of $208, a 40% discount off the list price. What a bargain! Unfortunately the package sold out quickly. Maybe next time. [Gilt Group]

WEST VILLAGE— He may no longer be involved at the currently closed Charles, but Cobi Levy told us that he is busy working on building permits for his planned tapas restaurant in the former Beatrice Inn space. As for our old friend Bea, the now defunct bar is currently being used as an outdoor garbage dump, something that the neighbors prefer to Paul Sevigny and Andre's old neighborhood lounge. [Purple Diary]

MEATPACKING— Speaking of Andre Saraiva, tonight's opening of Le Bain, his new partnership with Andre Balazs at the Standard, promises to be a shit show of epic proportions. Apparently the guest list has many more names than the space can hold. Maybe they will send the overflow to the hotel's courtyard like they told this guy. [EaterWire]

WILLIAMSBURG— Blogger Boozy NYC checks out the new wine bar Counting Room and gives it high praise, although laments that the servers will send you down to the basement bar if you are interested in a cocktail or anything that isn't wine. A strange policy for a place that BNYC says gets mostly everything else right. [BoozyNYC]