Taylor Swift Has Already Been Twice: Is The Corner Store Worth It? | Eater NY
"Housed in the old Soho Dos Caminos space, the Corner Store has struck gold: it’s owned by Eugene Remm and Mark Birnbaum of Catch Hospitality and has already attracted celebrity traffic (Taylor Swift has visited twice, and Tilman Fertitta has been there). The room reads like a 2024 take on an ’80s fern bar — checkered floors, wood paneling, antiqued brass, pine-green accents, big mirrors (which can induce vertigo), cushy private booths, leather-topped barstools, and rounded recessed ceilings that feel like a retro train car; the back dining room is platformed so those seated there can see everyone. There’s an oddly specific dress code — “Smart Elegant attire” — and management reserves discretion to refuse entry; enforcement seemed arbitrary during an early-week visit, but walk-ins are often turned away and reservations are required and extremely hard to get (Resy shows two-week availability entirely on notify, and released reservations go at 10 a.m.). The bar was packed and the martini list (curated by Lucas Robinson, Alexis Belton and Dev Johnson) is the draw: seven martinis ($19–$21) include an espresso martini with vanilla, a tomato martini with Ethiopian koseret, and a gimmicky but enjoyable sour cream-and-onion martini served with chips; martinis are kept colder by serving a small glass with the remainder on ice in a tiny decanter. The menu skews small-and-pricey on apps (the red snapper crudo is $26, dressed in Sorrento lemon with wafer-thin slivers of caperberry; the pizza rolls are $18.50 — genuinely tasty, pillow-like cheese-and-pepperoni pastries served with honey and ranch but perhaps too molten in the center). Standout entrees include a splendid wagyu French dip ($35) with a very dark, intensely salty jus that’s perfect for dipping, and the lobster frites ($68), a sleeper hit: a two-pound lobster is poached, chilled, buttered, slow-roasted, finished under a broiler, dressed with pink peppercorn breadcrumbs, and returned to the shell so the meat and claws offer surprising bites; the fries are excellent when dipped in the lobster bisque left in the shell. Filled with scenesters and humming with kinetic opening-night energy, the room felt crowded and spirited; the entrees are strong enough that I’d return for them even if the buzz — and the reservation hassle — might not last." - Melissa McCart
