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| - The perfect, swanky joint at which to be seen keeping up with the Joneses.
Paladar surrounds and embraces you from the moment you enter, as the host stand is a few feet back from the door -- requiring one to "enter the scene" even before they truly enter the scene. The place is busy, but in an "alive" sort of way.
The bar seems like a cool, comfortable place to chat and mingle, though I wouldn't really know. While crowd surfing and jumping and raising my hand to get a bartender's attention were routine in college, this place screams "adult"; if I have to leave the hoodie at home, they can too. Not sure how to rectify this -- but considering the space isn't all that tiny, I'd like to see an expanded bar area.
As there was no room in the bar area, we migrated to the restaurant -- clean, upscale, lively. The lighting was bright, but pleasant and strategically designed, contributing to the overall lively vibe. High ceilings enabled a great deal of this lighting design, while also contributing to the spacious feel of the restaurant floor.
Our group only had drinks and an appetizer or two. I had a Cuban Manhatten -- excellent, but overpriced...at upwards of $11. The food was tasty -- high quality, but again, slightly overpriced, IMHO.
All in all, this place is definitely worth a try. I'll even probably go back for a meal, at which point I may bump up to four stars. If you find something on the menu you love, more power to you! When I go out, however, I'm mostly concerned only with the quality of what's on my plate and/or in my glass. My overall impression was that too much of the atmosphere's aesthetics comprise a significant portion of the check. If you're into "being seen" however, this familiar, albeit veiled line item shouldn't discourage you in the least.
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