When you want drinks that also has its history on music venue Cake Shop, you should check out Kind Regards. This cocktail lounge has an attractive bar that also has a small open kitchen where the cook is shucking oysters of the day and bar food. Most patrons hanged out here but my friends and I migrated to the back where the room is outfitted with brightly colored vinyl sofas and coffee tables like a hip living room and a couple of semicircle tables with stools on the sides of the room for smaller groups. A DJ was spinning sets of familiar 1970s to early aughts pop and dance music and an occasional classic hip hop song while we’re there.
For our first round of drinks Rhubarbara Ann, Easy Breezy, Reno Wedding, and Party Shirt were very good. Distinctive personalities and tastes for each drink. The Rhubarbara Ann is a rhubarb infused Old Fashioned that actually works nicely. A touch sweet and tart with a bitter end note that I always seek in an old fashioned. Easy Breezy is essentially a vodka soda inspired by spring from elderflower syrup, fresh cucumber and lemon. The Reno Wedding is a take on the classic Aviation but uses grapefruit instead of lime juice to make it spring inspired. It’s potent and dominant on the botanical, bitter flavors spectrum from the gin and grapefruit. The Party Shirt was transported us to the beach or tropics, as tasted like a pina colada but balanced out with the slightly bitter, citrus-y Aperol.
These drinks went with our dozen shucked slightly briny Wellfleet and Blue Point oysters topped with a sweet citrus mignonette. The fried olives topped with garlic aioli is a great briny snack that’s crisp enough for textural contrast.
The next round of drinks were more tequila and mezcal based that’s good and strong. Crimes of Passion is a smoky, slightly tart cocktail made of mezcal, tequila, passionfruit, agave and lime. The Old Gator is a slightly sweet, bitter cocktail made of rye, cocchi, Montenegro and bitters served on the rocks. Many Likes is a pretty pink cocktail made of aquavit, chartreuse, mint, lemon and Peychauds. It’s an anise and herbal-forward drink from the aquavit and chartreuse.
For a substantial dish, the plate of fried chicken thighs served with house made potato chips and spicy pickles is a tasty mix in a plate. Crunchy potato chips, very warm fried chicken that has a good crispness from the crust and moist thigh meat, and the pickles to cut through the fatty goodness.
For the vegetarians who need something to soak up the alcohol, they do have flavorful vegetarian tacos. The evening we were there the kitchen had a portobello mushroom taco that texturally it’s meaty and the sauce were good. The cauliflower taco was good too. If there’s any issue I have with these tacos is the tortilla being a bit dry and brittle.
Overall, we had a good time at Kind Regards. The atmosphere and music was chill with good beats to potentially dance if you wanted to. The drinks are strong and good and the food options are quite tasty given the fact that it is a bar. (Typical bar fare tends to be decent at best but this is way better.)
To view more photos of this visit, please view the gallery below or CLICK HERE for the photo set:
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Information:
Kind Regards
Official Website
152 Ludlow Street
New York, NY 10002
Phone: (212) 253-0036
