Cabin fever? Tired of your own cooking? Want to have a festive drink? When you want to venture out in the fresh air high atop the world with a great view, good food and peace, here are our three favorite spots.
L27, the rooftop bar above the downtown Westin, has always been one of our favorites with their jazz nights and cozy bungalows. But this year, they've done it up for the holidays with their 27 Below Winter Experience. Festive cocktails and bites as well as cozy, heated cabanas are available.
Zeppelin, a bar and restaurant on the rooftop and 7th floor of the new Town Place Suites in the Capital District of downtown, just off Gay Street. Far from Broadway, this expansive place features covered and non covered seating for your comfort level. The outdoor deck is large with multiple firepits to keep you warm while you take in the almost 360 degree view. The food is meant and served to be shared and is west coast inspired. The Shishito peppers are a total homerun, blistered perfectly in a puddle of marcona almod cream with crunchy panko atop. Oh yes, and there's miso in there soemwhere too. The Hamashi crudo, which we almost didn't order, was fantastic and perfect with slices of hamachi (for easy eating) in a soup of pomegrante juice and lime. Perfection! We didn't have to wrestly with a clunky pork chop, in stead it was sliced for easy serving and was super moist and tender. And definitely enough for 2. Social distancing at its best.
The Joseph is a new Luxury Collection Hotel that opened in August and is ready for guests. Before Prosecco and oysters even arrived at Denim, the rooftop bar, we wandered over to the open fire set-up to see what was cooking. There, the chef was melting a large teardrop of the Southern Italian cheese, caciocavallo, over the open fire and slathering it on sourdough bread with a piece of grilled rib-eye. Um. Yeah. This was followed by a mezcal drink garnished with a pop-rock salsa for a snap, crackle Rice Krispie effect. Fun and delicious. The open air rooftop is complete with cozy cabanas, a living green wall and a fantastic view of the city, taking you above it all for a bit.
