Jaunted

There are two restaurants in Manhattan's Meatpacking District that draw models and the bankers who chase them to their renowned dance party brunches: Bagatelle, on W. 13th Street, and Merkato 55 at 55 Gansevoort. Bagatelle supposedly kick-started the latest Saturday brunch party craze last April with its French Riviera theme, constantly-flowing rosé, and hard-to-get reservations. Merkato 55 came along a few months later, with an African theme and a, well, slightly different use for rosé. The Times describes the brunch scene there one afternoon this way:

By 4 p.m., the place was wall-to-wall bodies, and people were taking hits from a rosé-filled bong in the shape of a flamingo.

It's funny how they just salt that little detail into the story and then move on to the mystery of who can actually still afford the three-, four-, and even five-figure bills that come with such decadent outings. The answer: bankers. Many of them had enough money put away from before that they can still afford the indulgence. As for the rest, one banker summarized it in a way that might make you want to punch him: “If you’d asked me in October, I’d say it’d be a different situation, and I don’t think I’d be here. Then the government gave us $10 billion.”

However the checks are being paid, I guess it's good that there's still some economic activity going on in the city. Maybe the rich and beautiful can party the whole country back into economic health. In the meantime, we'll stick to the bagel-and-coffee routine, saving our shenanigans for the night.

[Photo: The New York Times]

Related Stories
· Uncorked [The New York Times]
· Bagatelle [BlackBook]
· Merkato 55 [Official Site]
· Brunch Coverage [Jaunted]