The Ride-Along Report: First Takes From Last Night’s Dinner

"What It Is: A giant indoor/outdoor tiki-themed cocktail bar in Midtown Perfect For: Drinks & A Light Bite, First/Early In The Game Dates, Outdoor/Patio Situation Carbone, The Grill, Dirty French, Sadelle’s - we like all these places a lot, and the people behind them just opened a tiki-themed rooftop cocktail bar in Midtown. Like those restaurants, The Polynesian is a great time, and kind of looks like somewhere Jack Sparrow would frequent if he ditched the pirate stuff and got a job in finance. We hung out on the outdoor wraparound patio, drank cocktails served in skull-shaped glasses (that were on fire), and ate bar snacks like shrimp dumplings and some mini bacon BBQ burgers that are way better than the $31 kobe beef sliders you’ll eat on other rooftops. This place is giant, with plenty of indoor space too, so even when people find out about it you should be able to get a seat at a two-top or booth with table service. The Verdict: This hotel bar near Port Authority is worth a trip to Midtown. Yes, we just said that, and we’ve also added it to our Bar Hit List." - hannah albertine, bryan kim, katherine lewin, hillary reinsberg, chris stang, matt tervooren