Renaissance Chicago Launches Soft Opening for Swanky Bar Novo

Where: 1 W. Wacker Drive [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60601

It looks like theWit's hot Roof bar has some competition. As part of the Renaissance Hotel's rebranding effort, the Renaissance Chicago Hotel had a soft opening for its new upscale Bar Novo on Sept. 17 and the lounge will post an official "open" sign on Oct. 1. And like any good business these days, the Bar even has its own Twitter page.

Formerly a stodgy cigar bar—hello, the Chicago smoking ban made cigar bars so 2007—the new space is warm and inviting with reds and deep wood. But the pièce de résistance of the decor is an open chef's station that's the hub of the bar. The station uses an special induction style cook-top that eliminates the use of open flames and bulky hood systems so that you can watch the chef, who has traded in his tired toque for a sleek fedora.

And while we love a place with a cool vibe, we're more interested in sampling the menu. Among the gourmet bar eats, we will go all carnivore and gobble down the "truffalo" wings served with ranch dip; the smoked prime rib nachos doused with Gloucester cheddar and heirloom tomato salsa; and the grilled Kobe beef sliders with miso onions and wasabi cheddar on a sesame brioche bun. For some variety, we'll end the meal with the housemade s'mores fondue.

If we have to have some fruit and veggies, we'll take them in our cocktails. Okay, that's stretching it, but it gives us an excuse to have three helpings in drink form: the cucumber pepper margarita with Milagro tequila, cucumber, bell pepper, lime, agave and jalapeño; the watermelon caiparoska with Finlandia grapefruit, watermelon, lime and sugar; and the basil tangerine gimlet with Finlandia tangerine, basil and lime. With that much alcohol, we might not be able to stumble our way to Roof for the after-party.

Bar Novo is open Monday through Friday from 4pm to 2am and Saturdays from 11am to 3am. Sundays are open from 11am to midnight. by Jennifer Kester - HotelChatter

[Photo: Urban Daddy]

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Bold Faced Names Welcome Standard’s Boom Boom Room

Where: 848 Washington St [map], New York, NY , United States, 10014

There’s no word of it on The Standard’s website yet, but naturally the celebrities are already all over it. Madonna (and Jesus), Jude Law, Jon Bon Jovi, Josh Harnett, Rachel Zoe, Lindsay Lohan, Courtney Love—and did we mention Madonna?—were just some of the guests on hand to help Andre Balazs celebrate the opening of the Standard’s new penthouse bar, the Boom Boom Room, on Saturday night.

Scrolling through slideshows of the party snaps like this one at the Huffington Post give us a good look at the mustachioed bartender, hostesses in Jetsons-like dresses and headpieces, and Courtney Love giving the finger—but the pictures show little of the space itself other than the nighttime view through the floor-to-ceiling windows. (Also, they don’t answer our burning question: was Paul Lekakis in the house?)

But today the dudes at UrbanDaddy have the first look inside the Boom Boom Room, and we’ve got to admit, the place looks like a mighty fine place to party. Or as UrbanDaddy puts it:

“The whole place has the feel of a party lounge Donald Trump would have built on his yacht in 1979, only 18 floors above the Meatpacking District and filled with the likes of Bar Refaeli and Karolina Kurkova.”

The gold-lined main room, with its buttery cream banquettes and chandeliers, and the smaller black-tiled room housing a hot tub open for private parties and to those members of the public with the good looks, connections, our straight-out chutzpah to get in, later this week.

Don't forget: if you get past the doorman, please do stop back here to tell us all.

For more photos, see the slideshow at UrbanDaddy.

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