Free Advice From GofG: Your Brother's 40th Birthday Throw-Down

Hello, dear readers. From time to time, our inbox  gets filled with notes imploring us to help with, say, a hot date. Today Eric writes us for some guidance to make sure his brother's 40th birthday comes off without a hitch. Stanley, to the GofG mailroom!Eric's email is below in bold, and my responses are italicized and framed by blue.

hey there,

Heyo!

i have had the responsibility of putting together my brothers 40 birthday celebration in february (saturday night/feb 12) and need some assistance if possible.

Right on! this should indeed be a festive occasion, and you've come to the right source for the 411. Might we suggest not using The Gentleman's Directory?

it will be a group of 8-10 people. we are going to meet at at me and my wifes apt in the west village and head to dinner at spasso at 730. from there, there is interest in going to apotheke to have a few cocktails to get the night going.

O.K., so a little wine action at your place before a night on the town. I'm with you all the way. If you're set on Spasso for sentimental reasons, so be it. To add a little more party vibe to the night later on, why not not hit up The Jimmy, the new bar at The James Hotel? It's a rooftop bar with great views of the Manhattan skyline. The feel is both contemporary and modern, and the crowd has a great age range.

from there we are falling short. the crew is aged 33 to 43 and there is a desire to go someplace with some energy/dancing. we will have a car so getting around wont be an issue but finding a spot where everyone will have fun is the challenge. my brothers wife is fine with getting a table somewhere but i am struggling to figure a place out that the older set wont feel a little "old" but dont want to go somewhere super lame and have everyone bored in the first hour itching to go somewhere else. please help!! any suggestions? thanks in advance?!

eric

/Sit on your LAVO throne/

I myself am no expert on this club thing, but if you're looking to have a groovin' night, why not do the whole shebang at LAVO? So say my colleagues here at the GofG hq. Though I'm sequestered back here in the mail room with Stanley who likes the taste of stamps. Some criticize the food at LAVO, but in terms of Taylorism and nightlife efficiency, this might prove to be your best one-stop shop. You can get a table there and have some vittles and libations before hitting the dance floor. For your age group, you won't be surrounded by 21-year-olds at Lit who might make you feel your age; you also won't have to deal with the difficult door at places like the Boom Boom Room. It won't be "lame," as the varied environment of the Italian-restaurant-cum-club  will offer a little bit for everyone.Enjoy it, and let us know how it goes.

RKU.

[From My Inbox: How To Entertain A Lady In NYC This Weekend]