The Ride-Along Report: First Takes From Last Night’s Dinner
"What It Is: A small cocktail bar behind an unmarked door on the second floor of Freemans Perfect For: Drinks And A Light Bite, First/Early In The Game Dates Freemans is at the end of an alley on the LES, and it has multiple dining rooms filled with taxidermy, in addition to an upstairs that looks like the living room of a rich person’s hunting lodge. And now they also have Banzarbar - a speakeasy-type room behind an unmarked door on the second floor. We recently stopped by, sat at a candlelit table along the wall, and had a few of the signature cocktails, which were very good. And, since we were hungry, we also ordered “The Kraken” - a whole two-pound, tempura-fried octopus. Despite looking like a battered sea monster, this massive portion of octopus was actually pretty good, and so were the potatoes that come alongside. The Verdict: A solid date spot for high-end cocktails and snacks in a unique space. We’ve added it to our Bar Hit List." - hannah albertine, bryan kim, katherine lewin, hillary reinsberg, chris stang, matt tervooren
