East Village is a great spot to chill with friends or meet a date. A great outing is a stroll along Avenue A. Start off at Raclette, the delicious swiss restaurant and stop by Please Don't Tell the speakeasy tucked behind the hot dog shop.
Raclette is a quintessential New York date night spot. The word Raclette is derived from the French verb racler, meaning, "to scrape"). A traditional meal comprising Alpine cheeses melted on the wheel and then scraped onto accompaniments such as potatoes, other vegetables bread and meats.
The space is small but the ambiance is great. Plan ahead and make a reservation to guarantee seats. Try the Fig Tartine and the Suisse Raclette. Take note you can always ask for another serving of cheese of your food :).
Inside Crif Dogs you’ll notice a red phone booth. Hmm that seems out of place, do they really think I need to make a phone call while eating a hotdog? Not exactly. You enter the phone booth and pick up the handset. One wall of the phone booth will open and ta-da! You’re in a hidden cocktail spot, or a “speakeasy”. It’s very small and doesn’t seat many, so it’s very intimate. If you want to be sure to get a spot you can make a reservation over the phone prior to your visit. If not, I recommend going to the phone booth first to check the wait time, and then eat the delicious hot dogs while you wait.
