Latest news with #ThePoloBar
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Kamala Harris spotted at NYC hotspot with husband Doug Emhoff, row over NYPD officers waiting outside
Kamala Harris was spotted at The Polo Bar in Manhattan on Sunday evening. Former vice president Kamala Harris was spotted at New York's hotspot on Sunday night as she went on a dinner date with husband Doug Emhoff at The Polo Bar in Midtown Manhattan. What started a row over this was the huge entourage of policemen who were on security duty for the former VP and the former second husband. Apart from 25 secret Service agents, there were NYPD officers either flanking the couple or waiting outside where four bulletproof cars and three additional SUVs were stationed. "Secret Service is fine; NYPD, no. NYPD needs to protect the people, we don't have enough of them," Republican NYC mayoral candidate Curtis Silwa said to "She's going to a bar to enjoy herself, and she's got an army of security paid for by us, not her." As a former vice president, Harris and her family are entitled to federally funded protection for about six months after leaving office. Silwa said the Secret Service was doing its job, but the heavy police presence should have been paid by the couple for their night out. "It's unbelievable... there were probably more security officers between the feds and the NYPD than there were patrons inside," Silwa said. — kamala_things (@kamala_things) The Polo Bar is known for its exorbitant prices and also for its exclusivity. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Cost Of Amusement Park Equipment From Mexico Might Surprise You Amusement Park Equipment | search ads Click Here Undo The jaunt which was opened 10 years ago as part of Ralph Lauren's foray into hospitality is a favorite among the celebrities. Bookings are generally made over the phone, a month before. Kamala Harris's costly appearance came just ahead of Met Gala which she may attend. Her expensive outing came amid speculations over hernext political step, which she soft-launched in her searing attack on President Donald Trump at a recent speaking event. "President Trump and his administration and their allies are counting on the notion that fear can be contagious," Harris said in her first major speech after her election defeat -- on the 20th anniversary gala for Emerge America. "What they are overlooking is that fear is not the only thing that's contagious, courage is contagious," she said.
New York Post
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Kamala Harris and hubby Doug Emhoff take 25 Secret Service agents, bodyguards for jaunt to NYC hotspot Polo Bar
Kamala Harris took more than two dozen bodyguards, including taxpayer-funded Secret Service agents to dine out with husband Doug Emhoff enjoyed a date night at one of New York City's most exclusive bars. The failed Democrat presidential candidate was spotted leaving celeb hotspot The Polo Bar on East 55th Street on Sunday night ahead of her rumored appearance at Monday's Met Gala. Advertisement Inside, the couple mingled with the elite guests, many of whom had booked their tables weeks in advance, and posed for pictures and chatted with patrons. 3 Kamala Harris were flanked by security guards as they left the ritzy club. DIggzy/Jesal / BACKGRID 3 Heavy security surrounded the couple as they left the bar. BACKGRID Pictures show at least 25 bodyguards including Secret Service agents and NYPD officers flanking the couple or waiting outside, where four bulletproof cars and three additional SUVs were stationed. Advertisement As a former vice president, Harris and her family are entitled to federally funded protection for about six months after leaving office. 3 The couple mingled with patrons of the exclusive bar, a favorite of celebrities. DIggzy/Jesal / BACKGRID The Polo Bar is known as one of the toughest reservations to get in New York. Seats at the Ralph Lauren-owned bar are released roughly a month in advance, and the dress code is strict. Advertisement T-shirts, athleticwear, beachwear, hoodies, hats and ripped jeans are all forbidden. A corned beef sandwich will set you back $36 while the most expensive bottle of wine, a Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, costs a staggering $14,500.
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Kamala Harris takes 25 taxpayer-funded bodyguards to ritzy NYC bar after trashing Trump over economy
Kamala Harris and her husband were protected by a phalanx of two dozen Secret Service agents and cops as they dined at one of New York's priciest bars. The former vice president was spotted at The Polo Bar in Midtown Manhattan on Sunday night, ahead of a rumored appearance at the Met Gala tonight. Harris emerged from the renowned celebrity hotspot with her husband Doug Emhoff about 9.30pm and stepped straight into a waiting bulletproof car outside. The couple were happy to mingle with other diners, many of whom booked their tables a month in advance, and took photos with some of them. Several Secret Service agents accompanied them as they dined for about two hours, with many more waiting outside to secure the entrance. All up, there were at least 25 Secret Service bodyguards plus NYPD officers, and a motorcade of four bulletproof cars and three additional SUVs. Harris, as a former VP, and her family are entitled to substantial federally funded protection, and were also given a police escort courtesy of NYC taxpayers. Harris laid into Donald Trump about his handling of the economy, particularly his tariffs, at the Emerge 20th Anniversary Gala in San Francisco on April 30. 'It's an agenda, a narrow, self-serving vision of America where they punish truth tellers, favor loyalists, cash in on their power and leave everyone to fend for themselves,' she said. 'All while abandoning allies and retreating from the world.' Harris said the tariffs were 'clearly inviting a recession' and called them 'greatest man-made economic crisis in modern presidential history'. Her comments were among the first since her election defeat and subsequent end of her vice presidential term on January 21, as she mulls whether to run for Governor of California or have a second tilt at the White House in 2028. The Polo Bar appears to be a favorite spot for the former second couple when they are in NYC, as they also dined there on February 15. Six Secret Service agents were stationed near the couple that night as they again took photos with diners including Queer Eye star Carson Kressley. Harris rubbed shoulders with Hollywood figures Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Hamm, and NFL legend Peyton Manning, who all appeared on the various Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary specials that weekend. The Polo Bar opened 10 years ago as part of Ralph Lauren's foray into hospitality, and is still extremely popular with celebrities and almost impossible to get into. Getting a reservation is one of the most difficult feats in NYC's dining scene, unless you are rich or famous like Harris. Bookings are only made over the phone, starting at 10am a month to the day before you want to attend, and almost always already full. Diners reported spending an hour or two on hold, only to be told there were no bookings left. Those lucky enough to get through were asked very specific questions, and often still denied. Other ways to get a table include using a service offered by high-end credit cards and hotel concierge, knowing someone who works there, or simply buying it off another customer. Some diners claimed they managed to get last-minute reservations after a cancelation. The Polo Club is polarizing among those who managed to get in, with many saying the food is wildly overpriced and the bar overall not worth the extreme effort. Cocktails will set you back $24 to $55 each, martinis are $35 to $38, and even a bottle of beer is $16. Bar snacks range from $18 for pigs in blankets to $140 for caviar and potatoes. Dinner meals include a $35 burger, a 16oz New York stripe steak for $78, soups for $21, and $16 for a side of mashed potatoes. The cheapest bottle of wine is a 2022 rose from Puglia in Italy for $75, and the most expensive costs more than a car.
South China Morning Post
13-04-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Booking a restaurant table in New York? Online trade in reservations faces a crackdown
Fancy some pasta at New York's posh Italian restaurant Carbone or maybe a whisky at The Polo Bar, Ralph Lauren's first New York restaurant? Advertisement Hold on to your wallet, because some folks are shelling out hundreds of US dollars just for the privilege of booking a table, not even for the food. In a city that never sleeps, money talks – especially when it comes to dining out. As it is often impossible to get a table in the city's most popular restaurants weeks in advance, an online marketplace for table reservations has developed. A view of Prince Street Pizza, a restaurant in New York, with a queue of people waiting to get in. Photo: Shutterstock On these portals, people with deep pockets can bid for reservations that others have previously bought.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Third-party apps offering hard-to-get NYC restaurant reservations fuming over Hochul crackdown
Scoring a restaurant reservation at a coveted hotspot in New York City once required a combination of skill, charm and savvy — until third-party, bot-driven scalper sites began selling them for astronomical rates. Tourists and other deep-pocketed gourmands have used apps like Appointment Trader to skip the line over the holidays by paying $2,500 to reserve a table for two at Big Apple hotspot The Polo Bar, Side Dish has learned. Other diners have committed to paying $350 a person at a restaurant in order to secure a hard-to-get rezzie at A-list magnet Carbone, via another third party app. The practice has caused a divide among some in the industry who support the third-party apps and state officials, who passed legislation last week to crack down on the 'predatory' black market for reservations. The main issue for Gov. Kathy Hochul is that some of the 'pay to play' sites cut out the restaurants from the process – unlike apps like OpenTable, Resy, Dorsia and Access, which partner with the establishments. The new rules now levy civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation per day for unauthorized listings by the third-party apps. 'It's simple. If third-party apps want to sell reservations, they should have a contract with the restaurant and not scalp them on the underground market to profit off the backs of restaurants,' New York City Hospitality Alliance executive director Andrew Rigie told Side Dish. 'This practice hurts businesses and workers when tables go empty and harms the guest experience when diners are seated under an alias.' But Jonas Frey, the founder of 'pro-consumer' Appointment Trader, called the legislation 'horses—t.' 'Appointment Trader works because it's so hard to get reservations at places like Carbone and Four Charles,' the Miami-based software engineer told Side Dish. Big Apple restaurateurs like Stratis Morfogen, of Brooklyn Chop House, is also outraged by what he sees as government overreach with the new legislation, which he labeled 'un-American.' 'These politicians have never run a lemonade stand, let alone created jobs. They should stay out of it,' Morfogen said. 'These apps are providing a service and people are willing to pay for it. It's basic supply and demand. Economics 101. No one is getting hurt. Why should government get involved?' Morfogen pointed to the popularity of third-party sites for tickets to the theater, concerts and sports events — and noted that many who flock to the city are locked out of landing a reservation. Frey agreed, adding that he hoped the law that regulates theater, concert and sports events, known as Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, could be ammended to include restaurants. Morfogen did concede that if a person pays an app for a reservation and then fails to show-up, there should be a penalty. Since the new law went into effect on Feb. 17, Appointment Trader has stopped offering reservations to Big Apple restaurants, although someone just paid $7,000 to score a table at London's two Michelin-starred Indian sensation Gymkhana, Frey said. Frey says his site does not use bots and that restaurants are welcome to participate for free, and share 50% of the profit with Appointment Trader, which also covers the cost of no-shows. The refunds, however, go to the initial person who booked the table on the site, not to the restaurants. Other third-party apps like Access, which launched in December, have found success by partnering with restaurants. Founded by Evan Felcher and Mattia Ros, the membership-based reservation platform guarantees 'keys' for prime tables even at prime times — without minimum spends. If members don't use their keys each month, they carry over to the next month. Felcher and Ros first met in college on the competitive tennis circuit and reconnected when they both worked on Wall Street. Basic membership starts at $1,788 annually and runs up to $11,988 for corporate memberships. It's a subscription-based service that generates recurring revenues. 'I believe that the recent legislation is a long-awaited relief for restaurants,' Felcher said, adding that 'restaurants saw their prime-time seats being stripped away without any control or opportunity for monetization.' Calum Gordon, 27, an avid diner and Access member in the 'automotive protection business,' says he likes the membership because there are no minimum spends. With another app, he had to agree to spend $350 a person for four people to secure a table at Carbone. 'Believe it or not, it's really hard to spend that much if you don't buy really expensive wine, and there's so much wasted food,' he told Side Dish. We hear … Chef Eyal Shani is opening Shmoné Wine this week. The wine bar, at 65 W. Eighth St., is next to his Michelin-starred Greenwich Village restaurant, Shmoné. It's the star chef's first venture into the beverage space. 'Wine is not just a drink, it is liquid poetry,' Shani says. The space is around 1,000 square feet and comes with 28 seats. The shop, formerly a tattoo parlor, serves curated wines with an emphasis on small producer, family-owned brands and growers from around the world. There are also small 'hyper-seasonal' bites from some of his signature dishes, like Hot Jerusalem Bageland the Stretchy Stracciatella Pyrex Lasagna, as well as the 'How we start our evening' section highlighting oysters, and 'Bar Creatures,' with dishes like chopped chicory salad and deviled egg togarashi. Other menu items include a 'cheese and charcuterie' section and 'pantry staples,' with tinned fishes, olives, and a selection of fresh seafood. The kitchen will be helmed by executive chef Orienne Shapira, who formerly led Shani's team at HaSalon. Shapira will also be leading the kitchen next door at Shmoné. The vintages — from Germany, Italy and France — start at $16 per glass and $60 per bottle from wine director Yonatan Chaitchik, formerly of SAGA. The restaurant's design is by Turjeman Yaakov of Jacob Turgeman Design. Eyal's hospitality group, The Good People Group, encompasses 40 restaurants around the world, says partner Shahar Segal. That includes eight in New York, including Malka, Shani's first kosher restaurant, Port Sa'id, HaSalon, Shmone and Shmone Wine. We hear … Twin Tails had a stealth opening last fall at 10 Columbus Circle, where Landmark used to be, in what was once known as the Time Warner Center. It's on the third floor, where its sister restaurant, Bad Roman, also stands. Both restaurants are part of Quality Branded. That's the hospitality company from father-and-son team Alan Stillman (founder of T.G.I. Friday's and Smith & Wollensky's) and Michael Stillman, who launched Quality Meats, Quality (Italian), Zou Zou's, Don Angie, San Sabino and more. The menu is from chef/partner Craig Koketsu. Twin Tails is Quality Branded's first Southeast Asian restaurant, featuring Thai and Vietnamese food, with some dishes from Cambodia and Laos, in a massive space that somehow feels quiet and grand, while leaning into an epic 80s feel. Think mirror paneled walls, floor to ceiling windows with Central Park views, and amber glass chandeliers, along with rosewood tables, green leather seats and velvet banquettes. There's also a speakeasy bar to have a salted lychee martini, Bangkok screwdriver or Sambal margarita before or after dinner. 'We love Southeast Asian food. Growing up in Manhattan, there was Mr. Chow, which was modern, but nothing like this. The idea was to bring the design and narrative forward,' Michael Stillman tells Side Dish. The design is by AvroKo. With 140 seats, the eatery is inspired by 1980s greats, with 'It feels like the type of place you'd go if you were having an extravagant affair,' a fellow diner quipped. Dishes include raw offerings like yellowtail with watermelon nuoc cham and shiso; salmon with gaeng om, coconut milk and cashews and kusshi oysters with spicy clamansi shaved ice. There's also starters like green papaya and kumquat salad, as well as King Crab and uni buns, and green curry escargot. Main dishes include Dover sole with tom kha beurre blanc; crispy garlic shrimp and red curry sea bass, plus shared dishes like cho lon duck; and lemongrass ribs. Desserts include a Thai iced coffee affogato with Thai coffee caramel and roasted peanuts along with a selection of souffles like pistachio-pandan, coconut red curry and passion fruit.
