“I love it in here,” a black-lipsticked woman said, entering 88 Palace on Sunday night. “Is it just me or does this make you want to have some dim sum?”
The Chinese banquet hall installed under the rattling Manhattan Bridge where, yes, dim sum is normally carted around, was the site for Opening Ceremony’s post-show party and it was a venue that made total sense. Humberto Leon and Carol Lim always pick a spot like this — one in the depths of Chinatown that is tinged with the brand’s particular strain of Pan-Asian kook. This restaurant — all kitschy paper lanterns, gold banisters and worn damask carpeting — was just right. A little past midnight the room, suffused with brash fluorescent light, was littered with hipsters getting wasted off of bottled beer. Celebrity OC devotees (Rosario Dawson et al) also made it out.
“It’s one of those places that proves you’re a true New Yorker; you only discover it if you’ve lived here long enough. It’s a random, amazing secret spot,” Leon said of the venue, surveying the room. “And it’s perfect for a down-and-dirty party.”