Nightlife
Press Rewind, a Karaoke Cellar Opens in Long Island City
A boombox button, a zodiac cocktail list and eight private rooms that sing until four on weekends
The door is a boombox. At Rewind, a new cellar bar at 45-57 Davis Street in Long Island City, the way in is a button. Guests press rewind on an oversized stereo built in the style of the 1980s, and the bar opens up in front of them. It is a small piece of theater, and it sets the tone for everything below street level.
Rewind opened on Wednesday, September 9, according to Eater NY's running list of September openings. The underground space covers about 9,000 square feet. It holds a restaurant, a cocktail lounge and eight private karaoke rooms. AYS Hospitality, the group behind the Mr. Moto's restaurants, is one of its co-founders.
Long Island City is better known for glass towers than for last calls. Rewind is a bet that people will make the trip for a room built around a microphone.
The Lounge and the Zodiac
The lounge is the center of the place. The venue describes it in terms of warm lighting, rich textures and Asian-inspired art and decor, with seats at the bar or at marble-topped tables. Walk-ins are welcome, though the house suggests booking ahead.
The cocktail list comes from beverage director Ken Chen, who previously worked at Indulge Experimental Bistro in Taipei, Eater reports. His drinks draw on tea, the Chinese zodiac and the Five Elements. The menu is sorted by element, and each element stands for a flavor. Metal is spicy. Wood is tangy. Water is savory. Fire is bitter. Earth is sweet. Inside each group the drinks get stronger in flavor as you go down the list. You can order by taste, or you can start from your zodiac sign and let the calendar choose.
It is a clever answer to the problem every long menu has. You do not need to know the name of a single spirit. You only need to know whether you want something bitter or something sweet, and what year you were born.
The door is a boombox.
The food follows the same logic. Partner Alexander Lee's menu reworks Asian comfort dishes as playful small plates. Eater lists truffle mushroom congee, Taiwanese fried chicken and wagyu donburi. The venue says the kitchen pulls from Taiwanese street food, Japanese izakaya cooking and Korean flavors.
Rewind also plans a monthly guest bartender series. Eater names bartenders from Stone & Soil, Yawning Cobra and Red Sorghum among the New York bars in the rotation. That is a signal. The owners want the cocktail crowd, not just the birthday crowd.
Eight Rooms, Three Sizes
Past the restaurant are the karaoke rooms. There are eight, and each one has its own theme. One borrows the look of a modern recording studio, with speakers built into the ceiling and padded walls. Another is a dim 1990s Hong Kong parlor that tips its hat to Chinese and Hong Kong film. A third is papered with old records from the early 2000s, a salute to the stars of Mandopop.
The rooms come in three sizes. Small rooms hold up to eight people. Large rooms hold up to 22. The party room takes up to 30. The rates below are the ones posted on the venue's site in late September, and the house says prices can change. For most of the week, a small room costs $60 an hour, a large room $100 and the party room $160. The exception is Friday and Saturday after 10 p.m., when the hourly rate gives way to minimums of $388, $888 and $1,388. Per the venue, room fees can be put in full toward food and drinks, and taxes, service charges and tip come on top. Golden Ossetra caviar is an add-on at $138 an ounce. Birthday decorations are $88 extra, and the staff will plate a cake for $25. No outside food or drink is allowed, and a room booking requires a waiver and a credit card.
Four in the Morning in Queens
The hours are what make Rewind a nightlife story. As posted by the venue this month, it opens at 6 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and closes at 1 a.m. It is closed on Tuesdays. Friday starts at 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday start at 4 p.m., and Sunday ends at 1 a.m.
On Friday and Saturday the karaoke rooms run until 4 a.m. The lounge closes at 2 a.m. on those nights, which leaves the last two hours to the people in the private rooms. That is late for any neighborhood. For this corner of Queens, it is very late.
Families are welcome early in the evening. From 9 p.m. the house is strictly 21 and over, and anyone who arrives after that needs a valid government photo ID.
We have written before about how loud Queens gets after dark. Rewind adds a new kind of room to that map, with a designed cocktail list, a theatrical entrance and private rooms with a sense of place.
The formula is simple. Get the drink right. Give every room a story. Let people stay late enough to lose track of the hour.
On weekends the rooms stay open until four. That leaves plenty of time for one more song after the lounge goes quiet.