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NIGHT+DAY Ins and Outs (IOs)

Whether you are keeping a dogeared Night+Day guide as your bible to exploring a city, or just relying on NightandDayGuides.com, you’re in the right place for the latest and greatest happenings. Herewith are hotels, restaurants, nightlife, and attractions that have been open long enough to be tested and earn our recommendation.

August’s Top 5 New Recommendations

LOS ANGELES • GOAL • Bar
Scoring a prized leather booth at this upscale Mid-Wilshire sports bar may be harder than snagging Lakers floor seats. In LA, exclusivity breeds desirability, which is why you might find Leo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and the whole Entourage crew watching the game here on one of 13 flat-screens instead of at Staples Center. It has the cozy look and feel of an East Coast tavern, with dark wood, vintage sports pics, and an arrow-shaped bar in back. The menu is restaurant quality (baseball steak with homemade shoestring potatoes, a four-ounce burger with pepper jack, and a ceviche cocktail), while the $10 drinks flow as regularly as the stream of aspiring starlets who pop in and out, looking to be noticed.
Mon–Sat noon–midnight (hours vary during football season).
8334 W. Third St. (S. Flores St.), 323-655-5955

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MIAMI • MIA AT BISCAYNE • Lounge
A buzzing nightlife scene in downtown Miami—not South Beach? Mia is the latest mainland hot spot to offer a lounge scene and entertainment into the wee hours. The good-looking crowd enjoys edible cocktails like the Cuba libre (dark rum gelée, Coca-Cola granizado, lime espuma, and Pop Rocks) and mystical witches’-brew-like nitrogen concoctions. Chef Gerdy Rodriguez brings inventive Latin-Asian cuisine to the space, serving up lots of tapas, tiraditos, ceviche, and small plates for lunch right up to late-night snacks. Friday night happy hour is a great time to go.
Mon–Tue 11am–2am, Wed–Fri 11am–5am, Sat 6pm–5am.
20 Biscayne Blvd. (Flagler St.), 305-642-0032,
miabiscayne.com

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NEW ORLEANS • MIKE’S ON THE AVENUE • Fusion
In the 1990s, fusion cuisine was the word and Mike Fennelly was the hottest chef in town. At Mike’s on the Avenue, he blended Asian, Southwest, and local flavors into a cuisine that earned him a spot on the cover of Food & Wine magazine as a “chef to watch.” And then he disappeared. But this year, Fennelly returned to the spot where he first made his mark. The airy space is as white as an art gallery and decorated with Fennelly’s semi-abstract paintings. At lunch, high-powered businesspeople and young ladies who lunch nibble on Gulf shrimp tiki masala or oyster burritos with tomatillo sauce. At night, old streetcars glide past at irregular intervals and the mood is more playful than professional. Mon–Fri 11:30am–2:30pm and 5:30–10:30pm, Sat 5:30–10:30pm. $$ Lafayette Hotel, 628 St. Charles Ave. (Girod St.),
504-523-7600, mikesontheavenue.com

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NEW YORK • TOP OF THE STRAND • Hotel Bar
Space is at a premium in New York, which means that rooftops are prime real estate. The latest lofty spot to open in Manhattan is Top of the Strand, which crowns the sleek Strand Hotel. A retractable glass roof keeps revelers warm even on chilly nights, and views of the brightly lit Empire State Building are spot-on. While Manhattan rooftop bars generally get so packed that you can barely saunter through, this spot is still relatively intimate and chill, with a friendly post-work crowd sipping cocktails under the stars. Mon–Thu 5pm–midnight, Fri–Sat 5pm–1am, Sun 5–11pm.
33 W. 37th St. (Sixth Ave.), 212-448-1024,
strandnyc.com

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TORONTO • LA PERLA BAR AND CANTINA • Mexican
A relaxed traditional cantina, this new second-story bar on Queen Street West is hoping to convince the late-night crowd that they should be indulging in Mexican delicacies such as tortas (sandwiches with roast lamb or pulled pork) and Baja fish tacos, as well as a unique list of Mexican beers and 100 percent pure agave tequilas. Cool kids with a palate for spicy flavors welcome the patio space as much as the specialty oyster offerings in this laid-back hangout, where conversation—and not the DJ—is king. Thu–Sat 10pm–2am.
$$ 783 Queen St. W. (Bathurst St.), 416-366-2855
milagrorestaurant.com

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