I love that scene in the Sopranos when Tony takes action in his favorite restaurant when a younger man doesn’t remove his baseball cap in the dining room. (Watch here.) I feel the same way. If I ever owned a restaurant, I would not only require men to remove hats, but limit the use of mobile phones at the table (more on that later). 

Last weekend (for the first time since COVID maimed NYC) we ventured back to Williamsburg Brooklyn to revisit some of our favorite spots and get our groove on to Antibalas at The Brooklyn Bowl (website).

Kicking off the weekend jaunt at Maison Premiere (click here) with a handpicked  array of oysters from four different regions and custom tequila “green drink” craft cocktails using the now annoying elusive Fortaleza Blanco was genius. That place is the real deal and features a host of five-tool bartenders and authentic ambiance that transports me to New Orleans.

With an increasingly list of high style hotels flanking the Brooklyn Bowl on Wythe Ave, we returned to the towering William Vale Hotel for the easy access to its restaurant (Leuca) and celebrated rooftop bar (Westlight). Avoiding the cold wind and rain outside pre-show was genius (again).

2 for 2 until we started to take notice of the people that surrounded us. 
 

Although I am fast-approaching 50 years old (just shy of 4 months from now), I have always enjoyed the hip nightlife scene of Brooklyn. I am no suburban waife. Just like our last trip to NYC’s Lower East Side, the classless behavior that is now considered acceptable anywhere at anytime is pushing me to stay home. Maybe home in a custom bubble is in my future. I may have been one of the few that really liked COVID bubble life, but I categorically missed being out and about. I’m not sure I am ready for the bubble again.

At Leuca the large very loud, baseball cap outfitted group of 40 something men and women were resting their feet on the booth seat and passing a vape device around.  It was an unnecessary distraction in such a high-priced dinner place. Like the cops in NYC, the waitstaff looked the other way.

Post dinner drinks upstairs at Westlight was fun (see pic above), but soon too the classless generation took center stage when a petite man with a beard dressed in high heals crashed a glass off our table while he was fumbling for his vape device that was lodged in his bra. You can’t make this shot up.

Despite the surrounding crowd, big fun was still had as we walked to check out Antibalas (website).  Unfortunately the show started much earlier than expected and was done by 10:30, the time when most headliners are just getting going.  

Singed by the same label (Daptone Records) as the mighty mighty Budos Band (see that story here), Antibalas play horn-heavy funk and groove music with little or no singing.  Like others in this category (Lettuce, Soulive) often just a few songs is plenty… and it was!

To close the show (see above pic) the band paraded through the crowd without missing a beat and connecting in a unique way with the crowd.

The final straw and situation that pushed me over the edge (sorry darling, I could not let it go) was our morning after visit to the diner (Cafe Collete). Let me start that I suggested we leave for another place soon after sitting down and being told they only have web-based menus that need to be viewed on a phone. I don’t live under a rock so am familiar with this concept but, typically am provided a paper menu when I explain I don’t carry a phone.

Like baseball caps in a restaurant or at the dining table at home, I have a BIG issue with the use of mobile phones at the table.  The communal nature of eating together without outside interruption brings me lots of joy and demonstrates a sign of respect for others.  Right or wrong, I feel strongly about it.

When I politely asked the waiter, not only did I get a sneer and snap… I was told to use someone else’s phone if I wanted to order. 

Encouraged (really forced) to take hold of their devices, most patrons were buried in on social media and swiping left and right to keep occupied. Towards the end of our overpriced meal, the insanely loud and obnoxious couple next to us shared a FaceTime call with a friend that was shopping at Whole Foods. They thought I was rude for staring at them and intruding on their call.

The pros and cons of bubble life were the topic of conversation as we sped back to the burbs.

Maybe I’m just getting old…