Sometimes in movies, people meet in restaurants or bars that look too crowded but then turn out to have the perfect booth or corner seats. That’s Milady’s, even on recent weekends at standard going-out times. It’s one uncontrollable way to make people feel welcome, and the rest adds up to more orchestrated comfort.
This also almost never happens, but 160 Prince Street might have even retained a little bit of its erstwhile local favorite namesake’s sparkle. The original Milady’s, which reportedly might have been operating since the 1940s, became so beloved serving Budweiser, Wild Turkey, potato skins and chicken wings that it got the whole New York Times wake reportage treatment when it closed in 2014. By then, it had become one of just a few destinations antithetical to surrounding Soho’s shopping mall sprawl.
“It’s a dive bar,” then-owner Frank Genovese told the paper at the time. “I serve burgers; a beer is 5 bucks. I can no longer sustain that formula. It doesn’t work anymore.”
The destination characterized as “blue collar” in that same article opened under the earlier name last October with New York City hospitality maestro Julie Reiner (Clover Club, Leyenda) in power. With at least one other business occupying the address in the interim, the interior’s new but the layout’s the same. Enter on the corner, bar’s on the right, tables on the left, though now between chairs and banquettes done in subdued sunflower hues against large windows and pale cornflower-colored walls that fade out of recognition at night when the place is particularly crackling.
Previously of Park Slope’s Applewood and Reiner’s own Clover Club, Executive chef/partner Sam Sherman’s menu is described as “dive bar inspired” in a press release—phrasing that courts all kinds of discourse and would undoubtedly invite derision were it not all as good as it is.
Brunch, lunch and evening fare’s all divided into “dive” or “high dive” distinctions. At dinner, jalapeño corn dog poppers ($16) are filed to the former, plated about six two-bite bits to an order, all terrifically rich and juicy inside with a whisper of heat, enrobed in a thin cloak of batter and paired with zippy yellow mustard to dip. The latter’s shrimp cocktail ($27), with its own nice sauce, is as fresh and finely presented as any, if a bit of a reminder especially after the fantastic sausage bites, that these categories are in the eye of the beholder.
The Milady’s burger ($23; “dive”) is among the best in class. Two beef patties are lightly smashed and prepared to a perfect not-too-doneness for their quick-to-heat dimensions, then joined by lettuce, tomato, onion, ideal American cheese and a creamy party sauce on an easily handled plush bun, and served with golden fries. A crab mac and cheese ($24; “high dive”) is likewise an excellent blueprint for the dish, packed with and wedded to its trio of titular ingredients, with gentle portions of Old Bay and green chiles.
Milady’s is a new classic restaurant and bar rather than a bar with food, but its drinks stand up to dedicated mixology spots. The menu, like at Leyenda, has a glass legend in the margin. A few options are listed in “cheeky” or “full-figured” sizes for $10 or $20. And all are printed with their alcohol by volume. The larger house martini, for example, with gin, rosé vermouth, fino sherry and Amaro Santoni comes in a more or less expected vessel (though less-so than the “Big Apple” variety) at 24.85% ABV. It also, like at Clover Club, comes with a sidecar. And its minor tweaks, crucial cold temperature and sensational finish make it an expert antidote to NYC’s recent martini and novel cocktail malaise.
Vitals
The Vibe: Lively, accommodating conceptually cohesive; loud at night.
The Food: Divided into “dive” and “high dive” categories, selections like former’s jalapeño corn dog poppers and burgers are wonderful. The latter’s shrimp cocktail and crab mac and cheese are quite nice, too.
The Drinks: Great cocktails, plus low and no-ABV drinks, wine and beer.
Milady’s is located at 160 Prince Street. It is open Monday from 4pm-12am, Tuesday-Thursday from 12pm-12am, Friday & Saturday from 12pm-2am and Sunday from 12pm-12am.
