I’m not keen on the phrase “guy’s night.” I feel that it carries with it a certain bro/frat connotation. The same way girl’s night alludes to: doing nails, drinking wine and belting “Single Ladies” into empty bottles of Yellow Tail. As I’m sure a girl wouldn’t be thrilled with that description I’m not crazy about being thrown into the “bro” category, so from this point forward we will refer to the above-mentioned evening as, Man Dinner. After all, the biggest thing making this night different than a normal one out is remembering to eat amongst the heavy drinking.
The Planning:
This is a crucial step because we all have our listservs and text chains, but you can’t use those. You must start a new chain for Man Dinner. It will be hard enough coordinating everyone’s schedules without the usual emails. With a date set you’ll now need to pick a place which is not as difficult as one would think; you’re going to a steakhouse (this needs no discussion). Now call around and find the place that can accommodate you on your chosen night. I’d recommend Wolfgang’s Steakhouse in TriBeCa.
The Execution:
Since everyone finishes work at a different time you don’t want to have a set plan for the pre-dinner drinks, but rather let the person out drinking first pick the spot. This spot will ideally be a dive bar. Why a dive bar you ask? Dive bars are great: bar games, cheap drinks and music. The only downside and the main reason you or your pals ever don’t wanna go to one is because there are never a lot of girls. Well, guess what? It’s Man Dinner so you get to that dive bar and start crushing beers and taking shots. Raccoon Lodge is great for this given its downtown location and proximity to Wolfgang’s and other steakhouses.
You’re at your steakhouse and it’s time to shed your dive bar persona. Head to the bar and grab a Macallan 12 and buy a couple for your friends nearest you. Let the liquor show your love.
Ordering should be simple with one guy acting as the go between. “Wine for the table.” “Seafood towers for the table to start.” “Steak for the table.” Feel free to improvise the sides.
The Aftermath:
This is when all Man Dinners begin to take a turn because you’re drunk and can no longer resist the urge to want to meet those of the fairer sex. Head to a beer hall. Houston Hall works perfect for this since you can continue to be manly drinking liters of beer while interacting with girls if that strikes you. This will be your last stop as you’ll soon realize you’re bombed and losing people quickly.