Fun drinks and great food
If you are ever near Midtown West, specifically near W 48th and 8th, and you’re looking for really great drinks and tasty food then your best bet is to head over to Latitude Bar and Grill. Whether you’re in the mood to sit at the bar and hang out or you would rather sit down and enjoy yourself, this place has the best of both worlds. Not only is the bar fully stocked with every possible drink you could think of but the bustling crowd and the high energy is enough to have a good time in and of itself. But if you would rather unwind with the people you are with and sit down then you can always head over to the back of the restaurant to have a seat and be served by some of the friendliest wait staff around. Just upon entering Latitude Bar and Grill you just know that you are in for a good time.
If you are looking for some of the best cocktails and drinks around then Latitude Bar and Grill is the perfect place. The entire drinks menu is original and fun and above all, delicious. If you’re looking for something sweet, but not over the top then the lychee martini is the perfect drink. The lychee martini is simply just lychee juice with vodka and with a lychee nut garnish and although this drink sounds very simple, it has a lot of flavor. This drink tastes exactly like a lychee nut but with a kick at the end. However, if you have never had a lychee nut in your life then just know that this drink is sweet, has a very subtle nutty finish right after the sweetness passes, and then you are immediately hit with the kick from the vodka. Another great drink choice is the Raspberry Peach Lemonade made with Absolut Peach vodka, raspberry puree, a splash of sour mix, and topped with a sugar rim. This drink is sweet, especially having a sugar rim at the top and tastes just as it sounds, like raspberry and peach lemonade, except with a small hit of vodka at the end but it is also very fresh and light. This drink is pretty much for the person who loves sweet and flavorful drinks. But, one of the all-time best drinks to be had at Latitude is the Jolly Rancher Martini made with Smirnoff Watermelon vodka, sour apple pucker, peach schnapps, and a splash of cranberry. If you have ever had the sour apple jolly rancher candy and the watermelon jolly rancher candy, just imagine those two put together and then add in alcohol. You first get the taste of watermelon from it which fills your mouth with a lot of sweetness but is the balanced out nicely with the sour apple pucker. At the end you get the subtle peach and cranberry note at the end but what really brings you back to this drink is that watermelon and sour apple combination.
As far as food goes, Latitude Bar and Grill takes bar food to the next level as far as flavor profiles go. For starters, some of the must haves on the menu are the steakhouse spring rolls and the hummus platter. The steakhouse spring rolls are made with mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and sliced steak in a crisp spring roll and served on the side with are three sauces to go with it: Latitude’s homemade steak sauce, a black peppercorn reduction, and A-1 steak sauce. The spring rolls were crispy and the mashed potatoes and creamed spinach added a lot of flavor to the steak inside, which was so tender and juicy and seasoned perfectly. And paired with the A-1 added a really great smoky and spicy flavor to it which was a great way to enjoy the spring rolls. Also, the homemade steak sauce was sweet but also had a tangy finish to it which was a nice pairing with the savory and seared steak. The hummus platter with spiced pita bread and an assortment of vegetables was a great starter too especially with the three different kinds of hummus: the sriracha hummus, the edamame hummus, and the baba ganoush hummus. The edamame hummus was delicious with how it tasted very earthy but not in a bad way and at the end if you pay attention very carefully, it has a subtle tangy note that is perfect for someone who doesn’t like anything too spicy but rather something mellow but tasty. However, the best hummus on the platter is the sriracha hummus hands down. Paired with the spiced pita bread, the sriracha hummus is spicy but not overwhelmingly so, and maintains the great flavor of sriracha for those who love that taste. And after you finish with it, it leaves a nice heat at the back of your throat that isn’t really a bad thing at all.
One of the best entrees at Latitude is the fried chicken and waffles made with a crisp waffle, buttermilk fried chicken, and served with a side of maple syrup. If you were to eat the fried chicken alone you would then notice that the batter has a bit of a heat to it which is from a mixed rub of cayenne and black pepper. However, to get the perfect bite you would have to pour the sweet maple syrup all over the chicken, almost as a glaze to the chicken, and eat that with the waffle to get the great crunch from the waffle, the spicy and juicy flavor from the chicken, and the sweetness from the maple syrup that meshes together perfectly.
Latitude has only a small selection of desserts being their vanilla bean cheesecake and their hot chocolate lava cake. The hot chocolate lava cake is delicious though with the moist cake outside that when you break it with your fork the gooey and rich chocolate comes oozing out of it. When eaten together with the cake and the hot chocolate, you get this blast of chocolate flavor which then paired with the strawberry reduction on the sides of the plate for a tart taste, it becomes the perfect bite.
Overall, Latitude Bar and Grill is a great place if you’re looking to have fun, eat delicious food, and drink some amazing tasty drinks. The place itself is chic and fun and you will most definitely leave there with a smile on your face and wanting to come back another time.
