Andaz 5th Ave: Eight Shaken, Six Stirred and Lots of Fun Bites at The Bar Downstairs

photo: courtesy Andaz

Being a blogger isn’t always as glamorous as one might believe. There’s writers’ block, tech issues, financial and time constraints and all kinds of people and troll issues.

But when I received a communication from the Marketing Communications Manager at the Andaz 5th Avenue in New York City saying:

Eight Shaken . . . Six Stirred and lots of fun bites in between!

Join us at The Bar Downstairs and enjoy the Spring Mixology and Chef Experience

I couldn’t say YES quick enough!

I’ve been to many events at the Andaz 5th Avenue, but this was my first time at The Bar Downstairs, which is, you guessed it, downstairs at the hotel. To me, it has the feel of a tapas restaurant in Madrid or Lisbon.

So, from 4pm to 6pm on a recent Tuesday, a small group (less than 10) of bloggers and journalists were seated with Andaz professionals and the procession of fabulous curated drinks and bites began. Poor us. It’s a tough job, but someone had to do it!

One by one, the chefs and mixologists introduced the new menu items to us. We sampled at least 4 (or was it 6? I lost count) items on the cocktail menu, and at least the same number of bites. I was in mixology heaven. The food appetizers were all delicious too. I really loved the sliced fish item, which reminded me of a really high quality sashimi. Everyone was wowed by the foie gras but I didn’t try it (duck is one of the few foods I don’t eat because I had a pet duck, named Tijuana when I was 10).

My verdict: The Bar Downstairs is a class act.

Here are some photos, in random order, of the restaurant, the menus, the presentations and the food and drinks.