Mother Of Pearl, New York City, NY (restaurant)

Name:Mother Of Pearl
Type:restaurant
Street:95 Avenue A
City:New York City
State:NY
Zip:10009
country:USA
Phone:
Status:unknown

Description:
Looks like this is coming soon to Manhattan. Anouncement in the New York Times here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/23/dining/a-new-bar-will-replace-gin-palace.html?_r=0

I went on Monday night but it isn't open yet. There are some more interior pictures now up on Yelp and the folks at Death And Co on the same block (and owned by the same people) said soft opening might be in the next two weeks.

Open now apparently.

Pictures: http://ny.eater.com/2015/7/2/8883285/ravi-derossis-tiki-bar-mother-of-pearl-starts-pouring-fruity-drinks#4781364

Drink menu (which doesn't exactly sound very tiki to me, but what do I know): http://www.motherofpearlnyc.com/cocktails/

I've seen pics of this place. All white & bright...I dunno...

That's a very.... unique... fusion of Victorian, Modern, and Industrial with some nods to Tiki...

Thats fucked up! NOT TIKI!!!

Definitely not my bag. Way too sterile. And too gentrified Manhattanite, for my tastes...my husband was a stagehand on Broadway for 23 years, and we lived 2 blocks off of Times Square, so I'm allowed to say that! :wink:

It reminds me more of a soda fountain.

The Dude does not abide!
See what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass!

You get inbred, damaged DNA ass babies from an alternate hell bound Tiki universe!

It sure isn't getting any love from me. Aside from the whitewashed bar stools there's nothing tiki or even tropical about it!
The reviewer even called them totem poles not tiki poles, dumb.

[ Edited by: tikicoma 2015-07-18 18:17 ]

It's like a Nagel !!!

Wife and I just went to Mother of Pearl 2 weeks ago and I disagree. Yes, it's bright in there (but so is Lost Lake in Chicago, and Archipelago in DC), yes it's a lot of white (but so is Kindred, which isn't even a tiki bar, it just offers a "tiki night" that has been spoken of favorably in several threads here) and yes it's modern architecture, and there's only palm tree wallpaper, and no thatch, or bamboo (again just like Lost Lake, and The Polynesian in NY). But the vibe and the drinks are undoubtedly Tiki. The craftsmanship that goes into the Tiki cocktails is without question, the presentation is great, and the feeling of escapism is there. Just my opinion, and I hope that some would agree. I'd always prefer a "true" Tiki bar, like Hala Kahiki, Frankie's Tiki Room or Foundation, but they're definitely worth a pop in for a solidly crafted Tiki cocktail if you're already in NYC to visit the Polynesian, Otto's, Zombie Hut, or any other NY version of a Tiki bar you're going to.

Aloha!

On 2018-06-20 09:20, Kahiki Guy wrote:
Wife and I just went to Mother of Pearl 2 weeks ago and I disagree. Yes, it's bright in there (but so is Lost Lake in Chicago, and Archipelago in DC), yes it's a lot of white (but so is Kindred, which isn't even a tiki bar, it just offers a "tiki night" that has been spoken of favorably in several threads here) and yes it's modern architecture, and there's only palm tree wallpaper, and no thatch, or bamboo (again just like Lost Lake, and The Polynesian in NY). But the vibe and the drinks are undoubtedly Tiki. The craftsmanship that goes into the Tiki cocktails is without question, the presentation is great, and the feeling of escapism is there. Just my opinion, and I hope that some would agree. I'd always prefer a "true" Tiki bar, like Hala Kahiki, Frankie's Tiki Room or Foundation, but they're definitely worth a pop in for a solidly crafted Tiki cocktail if you're already in NYC to visit the Polynesian, Otto's, Zombie Hut, or any other NY version of a Tiki bar you're going to.

Aloha!

I'm glad you said this Kahiki Guy. I'm starting to visit the NY Metro area tiki bars and this one kept coming up on searches. I kept dismissing it based on the interior pictures. I thought "this can't possibly be a tiki bar". I'll put it back in the queue to check out. Mahalo!

So I visited Mother of Pearl last night. I found it delightful. The descriptions at the start of the thread really aren't accurate. The photo from the old New York Times article makes the bar look bright and sterile.

In reality, the bar is dimly lit, and the effect was that the white trim, some walls, and other white features looked almost opalescent, like a pearl. Hence, the name of the bar seems accurate. I got a tropical beach dive bar feel, similar to some dives that I saw in Hawaii.

The atmosphere was relaxed. Music was subtle, and I actually don't remember what was playing. No televisions. We were there around 6ish and it was busy but not crowded. We got a table in the coziest, darkest corner of the bar. Our server treated us like Ohana. She guided us through the drinks and recommended the ones that are her favorites.

I ordered the Shark Bite drink ("passion fruit. lemon. maraschino. dry curaçao. bourbon. rye. tiki bitters") and it came in a shark mug. When the server placed it down she started humming the Jaws theme and then dripped maraschino on the mug to simulate blood. My partner got the Night Bird cocktail ("lemon, white flowers, cinnamon, pineapple, bourbon"). We shared a stuffed churro dessert and then shared a Sugar Cane Magik (their version of a pina colada). Everything was outstanding. The drinks were complex and full of fresh flavor and spice. We had just visited Otto's Shrunken Head a few blocks away. I mentioned this to the server, and she said "You're on a tiki mission! Yeah!" Otto's was a cool dive bar, with more pure tiki aesthetic perhaps, but Mother of Pearl's drinks were 100x better.

I'll add another vote here to say Mother of Pearl is worth your time.