Flatiron Room - A Bar Review
It's hard for me to not like a whiskey bar . . . but there's a first time for everything. After a few dozen bar reviews, perhaps we were past due for a bad (or even a mixed) experience.
Atmosphere and Service: Flatiron Room is dressed to impress, and it's certainly an establishment that has devoted substantial resources to a top-notch, high-class appearance. If I had to describe it in a phrase, it'd be retro nightclub or old-fashioned private club. Which, in fact, is what it is -- patrons may choose to leave a bottle here as part of their club, in which case they can return and drink from their own private stash rather than the hundreds of bottles offered by the bar itself.
The biggest decorative element is also the place's biggest draw, its massive trove of whiskies that literally encircle the patrons in cabinets all around the room. I also appreciated the live music, performed by a singer and band who dressed in a kind of 1950s lounge act getup that complemented the old-world vibe.
However, the experience was marred by several big downsides that, to me, are nearly fatal when it comes to a good whiskey bar experience. The first one is that this place is snobby. No other word for it. The door staff has a standoff-ish attitude and give the distinct impression that they look down upon people who come without a reservation to have a drink at the bar (because, God forbid one not book ahead . . . at a bar . . .). We'd arranged to meet some friends here, and they each reported a series of belittling comments from the hostess as they arrived, culminating in one who was told, "There is no one for you here." In fact, we were standing just inside.
That being said, our bartender was more welcoming and freely offered suggestions based on our taste preferences.
Selection: Flatiron Room is one of a few places that boast of having the deepest assortment of whiskies in New York. While I can't definitively confirm that title, the bar certainly must be competitive in that category, with hundreds if not thousands of offerings.
The one downside to having that many offerings is that it seemed difficult for the bar to keep track of its stock! When we browsed through the extensive menu and began making selections, 3 of our first 5 or 6 picks were gone. Batting about .500 on the availability of items that a bar claims to have in stock is not ideal.
Rare Bottles: For those with deep pockets, Flatiron Room will pour an endless variety of exceptional (but, realistically for most of us, unattainable) whiskies. Their selection of rare independent bottles seemed particularly strong, as we could spot plenty of Signatory Cask Strength and other renowned lines of single barrel scotches on the upper shelves. They also do a great job of stocking unusual special editions at slightly more affordable prices, such as Laphroaig Cairdeas annual releases.
Value: And now we get to the second big downside here. Flatiron Room is really pricey -- even for New York, even for a whiskey bar. And, on top of that, the pours are pretty paltry compared to other top-notch places in the city, such as Copper & Oak or Whiskey Ward (both on the Lower East Side, and both of which get my strong recommendation over this bar).
To sum up, do you want to pay a lot for less of the same whiskey you can get at dozens of other high-end whiskey bars in the city, after being put down at the door? Of all the cities in the world, New York is one place where you do not need to put up with bad service to have a killer glass of scotch.