THE SCENE: When you’re not in the mood for the boisterous crowd at neighborhood standby Joshua Tree (above), you can mingle at the intimate new Vanguard Wine Bar (below). (Brian Zak)
(Rahav Segev)
THE DRINKS: The creamy Cinnamon Slide at Tonic East (left) is, like, so last year. Sip a fresh gin swizzle at Middle Branch. (Jemal Countess (l.) / Brian Zak (r.))
THE FOOD: Caliente Cab Company’s belly-busting burrito (left) just too much? Try the artful Korean barbecue tacos (right) at Salvation Taco. (Jemal Countess (l.) / Christian Johnston (r.))
The old Murray Hill scene largely catered to beer-pong-playing, suds-swilling frat boys conjuring the spirit of John Belushi in the bro-tastic “National Lampoon’s Animal House.” (
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The new breed of Murray Hill bar: At the Windsor, bartenders mix cocktails with precision — and an eyedropper. (
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The colorful new Mexican restaurant Salvation Taco was humming last Saturday night. In one corner, a group of three reclined against a black banquette as they sipped rye cocktails and nibbled on sweetbread tacos and kimchee posole. In another corner, a couple played pingpong inside a sleek private room while sipping white wine.
The scene easily could have been one from any of a number of chic bars and lounges in New York City’s traditional “hot-spot” neighborhoods — the West Village, the Lower East Side — but Salvation Taco is located in, believe it or not, Murray Hill.
The famously fratty nabe — the go-to destination for many new college graduates moving to the city for the first time — is a lot more grown up these days. Last year, the median age of Murray Hill residents was 37 years old, with a median household income of $97,323, according to data from real-estate firm Citi Habitats. (Earlier data was not available.)
“It’s no longer just college kids; it’s the foundation for young professionals or families,” says Douglas Elliman director of rentals Mark Menendez of the neighborhood roughly found within 23rd Street, 42nd Street, Fifth Avenue and the East River.
And with that shift comes changing tastes, with residents seeking a respite from the sea of 24-year-olds in sports jerseys who clog the sidewalks outside Third Avenue’s Irish pubs every Saturday night.
“People think, ‘Oh, Murray Hill — it’s all young; all they want is $2 shots and $4 beers’ — and that’s not the case,” says Paul Grieco, who opened a location of his popular wine bar, Terroir, on Third Avenue in September 2011. “The neighborhood has rallied around the wine bar.”
Many other New York food and nightlife mavens are taking note — from the mixologists behind downtown’s legendary Milk & Honey bar, which opened Middle Branch on East 33rd Street in late August, to April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman, the restaurateurs behind the Spotted Pig who just debuted Salvation Taco on East 39th Street.
Stefan Mailvaganam, who opened Vanguard Wine Bar on Second Avenue near 30th Street last month, says the more refined offerings make a welcome change. “Sometimes [the Third Avenue pub scene] is a little overwhelming for people who are past that age — or for people who are looking for something more sedate.”
Vanguard has quickly garnered a following: Last Tuesday, the Franco-American wine bar was filled to near capacity at about 7:30 p.m., quietly buzzing with locals nibbling on small plates such as open-face shrimp and melted leek sandwiches.
Friedman says local residents are embracing the influx of sophisticated dishes — standouts at Salvation Taco include Moroccan-spiced lamb “tacos” served over naan — in stark contrast to the friction he’s experienced in other neighborhoods.
“When one tries to open in the East Village or West Village, you get all this aggravation — [residents] don’t want another bar or restaurant,” explains Friedman.
Still, he says he was initially skeptical about setting Salvation Taco inside the Pod 39 Hotel in Murray Hill — with business partner Bloomfield gently reminded him of a certain other wildly successful hotel project.
“April said, ‘Remember when they took us to the Ace Hotel? It was even worse,’ ” he recalls, referring to the hotel marooned in the wholesale district around 29th Street and Broadway, where he and Bloomfield now run popular eateries the Breslin and the John Dory Oyster Bar.
“And that turned out to be the greatest thing we ever did.”
And where Friedman and Bloomfield go, others are following.
“There’s very little real estate in Manhattan. This is one of the areas available,” says chef Shaun Hergatt, who garnered a Michelin star for Financial District restaurant SHO Shaun Hergatt.
Next up for the acclaimed cook is Juni, a 55-seat boutique restaurant in East 31st Street’s newly refurbished Hotel Chandler opening in April. Hergatt describes the cuisine as “vegetable-centric,” with the menu changing six to eight times a year based on fresh, seasonal ingredients.
And last month, restaurateur Sean Largotta opened a second location of his upscale West Village sports bar, the Windsor, on 29th and Park. Describing his crowds as “sophisticated, clean — not guys coming in with jerseys on and jeans,” he’s added items (chicken paillard, an “extensive” Champagne list) one would never see on the menu at a more typical Murray Hill watering hole like the Joshua Tree.
It all adds up to the neighborhood getting a new attitude.
“These types of places were lacking in that area of the city,” says Citi Habitats senior associate Rory Bolger. “This is a whole new level of service and atmosphere — much like what you’d see downtown.”
christina.amoroso@nypost.com