Best Weekend Ever 10.25.07

Finally, weekend.



Restaurateur John McDonald (Lure, Chinatown Brasserie) has had a string of hits over the years. Add Bar 44 and Brasserie 44 to the list. To be fair, the food is good (order a satisfying 28 Day Aged Rib Eye and the Bitter Chocolate Mille Feuille with Candied Walnuts) but it’s the gorgeous interiors that steal the show.

Bar 44 & Brasserie 44, 44 West 44th Street (Fifth & Sixth Avenues), (212) 944-8844, royaltonhotel.com

Fabulous pizzas. Decadent risottos. Creative pastas. Life is good at Serafina and even better for Midtowners with their newest location debuting at Vikram Chatwal’s Time Hotel. Opens next week.

Serafina at THE TIME, 224 West 49th Street, (212) 757-9719, serafinarestaurant.com

Your quest for the perfect Guinness is noble. Get a cold one at The Sixth Ward, the just opened Irish bar on the LES. Owner Ray Burns flew in one of Ireland’s finest beer technicians to master the nitrogen and CO2 levels. We’ll drink to that.

The Sixth Ward, 191 Orchard Street (between East Houston and Stanton Streets), (212) 228-9888

It’s cuvées for a cause tonight at Flûte Gramercy’s FlûteFest. Benefiting The Doe Fund, the annual tasting will feature 20 Champagnes, hors d’oeuvres and a live DJ. Go to sample the boutique producers, or to indulge in your weekly Perrier-Jouët fix. Thursday (10/25), 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. Tickets are $50 and available at flutefest.eventbrite.com or by calling (212) 529-7870.

Flûte Gramercy, 40 East 20th Street (Broadway), (212) 529-7870, flutebar.com

Stock up on classic pieces at GANT’s Sample Sale from their Fall/Winter 2007 collections - at 75% off retail! Featuring men’s and women’s sportswear and select accessories. Thursday (10/25), 8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Friday (10/26), 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

GANT Sample Sale, 20 West 55th Street (5th Avenue), 11th floor, gant.com