fantastic date spot. Cozy little place with an excellent cocktail list, and it's stumbling distance from where you're staying.

If you're interested in beer, I'd recommend any of the Wiley brothers-owned bars in Brooklyn - Bar Great Harry, Mission Dolores, Owl Farm or Glorietta Baldy.

If you want to lose your face, I'd recommend Mehanata. It's a Bulgarian bar that has music, cheap drinks, and an "ice cage experience" where they put you in a subzero room with an insane amount of vodka and cups made of ice, and it's all you can drink for (I think) 2 minutes. Good times. http://mehanatanyc.com/

LES is littered with small indy art galleries; Here's a good sampling https://www.timeout.com/newyork/art/best-lower-east-side-galleries

You're also around a number of really great clubs for music. Pianos, Arlene's Grocery, Mercury Lounge, the Delancey and Bowery Electric all have pretty low-cover shows and interesting bands.

And Wylie Dufresne is currently cooking at NoMad bar, if you want to follow one of the guys who is sorely missed down there: http://www.grubstreet.com/2016/11/wylie-dufresne-cooking-at-nycs-nomad-bar-for-one-month.html

The Dutch is pretty great for dinner as well.

For soul food, I'd recommend Peaches in Bed-Stuy

If you are heading into Brooklyn, I cannot recommend Talde enough. Would also recommend checking out al di la, Convivium Osteria, or Frankie's 457. There's a really cool record and coffee shop near the last of those called Black Gold. http://blackgoldbrooklyn.com/

Also, fuck waiting in line at Grimaldi's. Go to a regular old slice joint; I'd recommend House of Pizza and Calzone over in Carroll Gardens/Columbia waterfront. If you have to have wood-fired, then go to Lucali in Carroll Gardens or Saraghina in Bed-Stuy. Or do the pizza tour- start at Spumoni Gardens and get their sicilian, then stop off at Di Fara in Midwood and work back to one of the places I mentioned earlier toward Manhattan.