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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.

November’s Top 5 New Openings

DC • THE JEFFERSON • Timeless Hotel
An extensive, two-year renovation completed in August 2009 kept a bit of the best of the hotel’s former self—its Beaux Arts architecture, its displays of original documents signed by Thomas Jefferson—but otherwise transformed the property. Jefferson’s spirit reigns: Toile drapes in the guest rooms reflect designs in textiles that Jefferson brought home from France; 18th-century maps hanging in Quill, the bar, trace Jefferson’s journeys through Europe’s wine regions. Quaintly historic? More like “Jefferson in the 21st century.” Treatments in the hotel’s spa feature the same kinds of herbs and botanicals that Jefferson once cultivated at Monticello. The wine list at Plume (the restaurant) incorporates hundreds of Jefferson favorites, while its au courant menus draw their inspiration from ingredients popular in Jefferson’s day. Best room is the 8th floor’s Thomas Jefferson Suite, with views of the White House, just a few blocks away, and of the Washington Monument beyond.
$$$$ 1200 16th St. NW (M St.), 202-448-2300
jeffersondc.com

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LAS VEGAS • HOTEL 32 • Modern Hotel
The new hotel within a hotel, located on the top floor of the Monte Carlo, has a private porte cochere, an express elevator, and in-suite check-in, so you’ll never have to mix with the hoi polloi if you don’t want to. Rooms range from studios to two-bedroom palaces and include all the latest high-tech gizmos, from BluRay DVD players to iHome docking stations. Guests also receive an iPod touch with a mobile concierge application, so you can valet your car, order from a pillow menu, or get room service without picking up the phone. Hotel 32 is part of the Monte Carlo’s new look and feel, which is also defined by the Light Group-run Brand steak house; Andre’s, a temple to haute French cuisine; and Diablo’s Cantina, a Strip-side bar-cum-restaurant with stellar margaritas and live music.
$$ 3770 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Rue de Monte Carlo), 877-576-3232
hotel32lasvegas.com

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SAN FRANCISCO • FLOUR + WATER • Italian Restaurant
Simple, elemental food, much of it cooked in a wood-burning oven that reaches 900 degrees, is at the heart of Flour + Water’s menu. Pizza in particular is what makes this place a destination. Don’t look for pies tricked out with fancy ingredients. There are only four on offer, each thin-crusted and lightly topped, cooked for a maximum of two minutes. Don’t ignore the perfect pastas, especially corzetti stampati with Castelvetrano olives and local squid. The scene in the open dining space, whose tables are made of reclaimed wood, is upscale hipster types with a penchant for inexpensive, well-made Italian wine.
Daily 5:30pm–midnight.
$$ 2401 Harrison St. (20th St.), 415-826-7000
flourandwater.com

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TORONTO • SAMOVAR • Lounge
Located on the top floor of the historic Winchester Hotel in Cabbagetown, Samovar is the third Russian bar opened by local Rumen Dimitroff (who also launched Pravda and owns Rasputin Vodka Bar). Samovar benefits from its Old-World roots—the original long mahogany bar is a perfect centerpiece for the fashionable to belly up and enjoy vodka, absinthe, Champagne, and caviar. The salty charcuterie options work well with the drinks menu. True enthusiasts can toast and taste fine vodkas of the motherland in the walk-in freezer, for which fur coats and boots are provided. Thu–Sat 7pm–2am.
51 Winchester St. (Parliament St.), 416-925-4555
samovarroom.com

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SYDNEY • THE POND • International Restaurant and Bar
Sydney’s dining scene has welcomed a whole new breed—the “pop-up” restaurant. These underground dining experiences are run by people who host dinner parties for strangers in their own homes. The popular trend has now gone mainstream with The Pond, the latest offering from the folk behind iconic beer brand Pure Blonde. Located in a 178-year-old heritage-listed cottage, this temporary bar and restaurant serves up a feast of regional and seasonal delights in a convivial, eco-friendly environment. Floors are covered with recycled office carpet, furniture is carved from reclaimed hardwood timbers, and staff uniforms are made from organic materials. Wed–Sun noon–1am.
$$ 32 Burton St. (Langley St.)
findthepond.com.au