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Where to watch the NFL games this season? Murray Hill's Highland Park is going all out to attract female football fans.
Starting Monday, September 12, Murray Hill's new gastropub kicks off
"Casa La Femme", a special night aimed at "mature, smart women" who
also happen to love football, says managing partner Christopher
Collins. "It's a place they can go to have a drink and enjoy the game
without getting puked on."
Indeed, Highland Park is not your average, sweaty, beer-stained
man-cave/sports bar. With its tufted leather couches, rustic high-tops
and chic exposed-brick walls, the 2200-square-foot locale looks far different
than when it housed the beloved but decidedly less fancy Bar 12, which
shuttered last month.
So what's the game plan? First, fantastic food. With Pop UP chef Nadia
Day as a partner, the upscale watering hole hopes to capture female
customers' hearts by appealing to their tastebuds while not forgetting
their waistlines. The menu features several interesting salads that
venture beyond many pubs' lone iceberg-tomato-and-onion option. And
should vegetarians opt to forgo the greens for hardier fare, there's
several naughty-but-nice choices under Snacks, like the 5 Cheese
Truffle Baked Maracroni and a grown-up Grilled PB & J made with
elderflower-infused jam on brioche.
Collins, however, swears by the burger: angus with gruyere and whiskey
caramelized onions. Add cheese if you must, but he says this one's
good enough to go it alone. "Right now there's no better burger in
Murray Hill," says Collins, who also has a stake in Katra on the
Bowery. "If you don't like the burger, I'll give you every penny
back!"
Along with the extensive list of drafts and whiskeys, ladies can sip
an array of distinguished cocktails, such as the popular Highland 34,
made with Bulldog Gin, St. Germane, fresh lime juice, muddled with
cucumber and topped with champagne.
An Irishman who comes to New York by way of Chicago, Collins' last bar
was Cagney's, the Windy City's official New Orleans Saints
game-watching headquarters, as sanctioned by the team's fan club. But
Collins says that shouldn't stop New Yorkers from coming by to watch
their teams on one of Highland Park's 24 TVs.
"My heart is with the Jets," says Collins, whose second favorite is
the Bears, since the first American football game he watched was
Chicago's 1985 Superbowl XX win. "But Highland Park is so big and has
so many screens, we'll be playing all of the games. There's plenty of
room for everyone."
Highland Park is taking reservations for this weekend's college and
pro games, as well as Monday Night Football.
