Opening Alert: Stop in for Sazeracs at Porchlight, Danny Meyer's First Bar

Tonight, legendary restaurateur Danny Meyer opens Porchlight, his very first standalone bar, along with Mark Maynard-Parisi, the senior managing partner of his barbecue empire, Blue Smoke. The bar is a Blue Smoke offshoot of sorts, serving Southern-style cocktails alongside Southern-leaning bar snacks from Blue Smoke chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois. It also has an actual porch inside (not outside), furnished with rocking chairs – the best seat in the house for slowly sipping a sazerac and forgetting for a moment that one is in a cool bar in far West Chelsea. There are, of course, plenty of seats besides those, however, plus a game room in the back.

The bar is helmed by Booker & Dax vet Nicholas Bennett, who serves cocktails like a whiskey and cola made with Fernet and house-made cola syrup, and a variation on a Hurricane made with two kinds of rum, lemon, grenadine, and passion fruit. Cocktails on tap will debut soon. There are also a few non-alcoholic housemade sodas, including a Shirley Temple, with other virgin cocktails to come soon. Beer, wine, and a good selection of whiskey are also available. Food, meanwhile, includes snacks like smoked beef jerky and jars of pickles, as well as larger things like avocado and crab toast, fried frogs legs, and a $16 bison burger. Also of note: Porchlight opens at noon every day except Sunday (when it's closed), and will offer "blue plate specials" from noon to 4 p.m. (gallery workers and Google employees take note). Happy hour runs every weeknight from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and the bar is open until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.