STONE ROSE LOUNGE

10 Columbus Circle

New York, NY 10019

(212) 823-9770

Stone Rose Lounge shares the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center along with Per Se and Masa, the two most expensive restaurants in New York City. Stone Rose Lounge, as evidenced by my eating there, is not the third most expensive. Still, with views of Central Park, Columbus Circle, and 59th Street, and with its backlit bar, dim lighting, and leather sofas or cushy chairs everywhere, there's no getting away from its posh, classy-yet-sexy atmosphere. If you're a baller looking to unwind after a hard day of making more money than you deserve, this is your spot. There's even a vintage air hockey table should you want to play.

It was Myna's birthday and with her office just a few blocks away, it seemed like a good place for a surprise drink and bite. As I said, sofas abound and the view from the windows is stunning. I arrived early and was given my choice of where to sit this particular midweek evening. The hostess and wait staff were all very pleasant. One of the largest complaints that people had on various review sites like Yelp was about service. Basically, people found the staff too inattentive. I do not disagree, but I'd prefer inattentive to constantly hovering. My main complaint was that the food was not what it could have been.

Stone Rose Lounge is, above all else, a lounge so food is secondary. Noticeably secondary. Cocktails run about $16 each. Liquors run anywhere from $12 to $300 per glass. Beers are about $8 per bottle. The food is mostly small shareable plates with some salads and sandwiches. Myna and I ordered everything to share and nibbled on the complimentary pretzels and mustard while we pondered.

All three plates we ordered basically came at once. Myna and I always find ourselves getting the Deviled Eggs wherever we see them on a menu. It's not intentional. We don't go looking for it, but somehow we always find ourselves ordering them. I think that a good deviled egg is a good test of a bar kitchen. If you can wow me with a deviled egg, you're probably gonna do the same with everything else. We were not wowed. Nor were we repulsed. They were fine. The same can be said of the Meatball Sliders, which came with melted cheese and a little bowl of marinara for dipping. These were fine as well, but Meatball Shop they are not. And last but not least we ordered the Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Bacon and Tomato. This was close to being great, actually, except that the tomato was tomato sauce instead of a sliced tomato and it threw off the whole thing.

There are only two desserts and we chose the chocolate plate, a selection of thee types of dark chocolate truffles. They were too salty and rich for my taste on their own, though with a glass of brandy, they worked and Myna and I somehow nursed them for nearly an hour.

My verdict is thus: I like Stone Rose. I would return and unlike a bunch of Yelpers, I do recommend it. If you want to go to a place with class and sex appeal and a great view and you don't mind spending a few extra bucks for the privilege, this is where to go. Do you want to impress a date or need an excuse to wear your little black dress? Go here. Do you want to take someone from out of town someplace for a swank drink without waiting in a line for a speakeasy? Go here. Do you want a rooftop bar but it's cold out? Go here. Do you want a delectable meal made with the freshest ingredients and paired with a side dish of impeccable quality? Go somewhere else.

Stone Rose Lounge wasn't cheap, though relative to its neighbors, it's practically free. We had three small plates, one dessert, and five drinks. The total came to about $150 with tax and tip.