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Rum House: The revamped Rum House in the Edison Hotel has opened its doors (and its lobby entrance, allowing for many a confused guest to stumble in and crowd the doorway). Although we’re not sure what kind of “revamping” it has undergone—save for a tile floor replacing the grimy old carpet and a scrubbed-up bar exposing a copper countertop—we’re happy to see it back. The bartenders serve up solid, if slightly generic, cocktails (at least compared to sister bar slash mixologist’s dream, Ward III). The Tortuga (aged rum, fresh ginger, citrus and cinnamon, $12) is definitely worth a go, as is a Caipirinha (not on the menu, but due to patrons from nearby Little Brazil, the bartenders shake up a mean one). But the main draw here is the piano. On any given night, you can see a traditional take on “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” or Nirvana covered in a Billie Holiday-style for a crowd that could be best described by the two most popular drinks on the menu—“The Manhattan” and “The Old Fashioned.” If only they threw in “The Stagehand,” “The Zegna Shoes” and “The Befuddled Tourist,” then the entire clientele could be neatly summarized by the cocktails. With an old-time feel that avoids feeling dated, it may be a bar in Times Square, but it’s certainly not a Times Square bar.
Reviewed: 3/4/2011
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