A Night at Adélaïde’s Salon: Jazz, Burlesque, and a Hidden Speakeasy in NYC
Originally, I was going to wear jeans and a nice top and keep it casual. However, one of my friends insisted we dress in a manner respectful to the locale: Adélaïde’s Salon, an intimate basement club promising live jazz, captivating burlesque, and handcrafted cocktails. She, it turns out, had the absolute right idea.
So we threw on our fringe and sequins, tightened the buckles on our dancing shoes, and placed feathers in our hair. And while it turned out we were the only ones who went full 1920s about it, I highly recommend it. You feel so much more a part of the speakeasy experience, disappearing in a whip of furs and slipping behind the 1940s Coca-Cola machine that hides the entrance.
Seeing as it was absolutely freezing outside, it was genuinely shocking to step through the secret door and land in…a tropical jungle. We were suddenly surrounded by Monstera, Pothos, and Philodendrons. Walking down the stairs into the perfectly appointed lounge, you could feel that it was a love letter to Isabella Bird, the original adventurous heroine energy. The ceiling is still trailing with vines, but it’s also dripping with chandeliers and disco balls. Hot pink neon signs glow warmly by the fireplace, and front and center is the baby grand, close enough to lean on.
Then the music starts, and the whole room becomes the epitome of a sexy underground jazz club. Victor Neufeld’s Vintage Vipers, a five-piece jazz band, slide through hits from the 1800s to the 1960s. Cuddled up on velvet sofas, we ordered from the delicious, globally diverse cocktail menu. I grabbed the Alchem & Desire, which arrived smelling richly of lemongrass, with a lemon on top absolutely ablaze and delicious. Perfect for photos and for getting into the mood, honestly. The food was also fantastic, with the steak tartare and flatbreads being especially divine. I know, I know. In NYC, why would a flatbread be divine? But it was seriously on par with some of the best pizza joints in town.
And then the burlesque started. Olive TuPartie was jazzy, playful, and sultry, just enough to make us giggle and blush at the same time. And not to be crass, but truly one of the best booties I’ve had the pleasure of watching perform. The room is so intimate you can catch a glove, return a wink, or hide your blush behind a stray boa.
Then the real treat: tango dancers of international acclaim strode onto the dance floor. In such a close space, the tension between them felt like another instrument added to the room, strings pulled tight. Hypnotic. Enticing. Chemistry in real time: fizzing and dangerous. I honestly felt like a character in a book, something post-WWI, European, the room glittering, low chatter all around. All that was missing was a thick cloud of smoke and something gangster-related unfolding in the corner.
If you want a night that feels like you slipped through a crack in time, Adélaïde’s is the place to be. Dress up. Order something loud. Sit close. Let the music do what it does.
Then, when you get the chance, grab someone, lean in close, and ask them to dance.