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Let’s be honest. This is probably not the first time grown up women in Manhattan have dressed as naughty schoolgirls for the sake of a free four star meal. However, this week at Park Avenue Winter is probably the first time they’ve done so at the actual restaurant. In order to celebrate its appearance on Gossip Girl (Chuck Bass eats there!) everyone who visits Park Avenue Winter in schoolgirl attire gets a free dinner with cocktails!
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No, seriously. Personally, I imagined a “free dinner” would consist of a tiny selection of some less expensive items off the menu. Not so! Park Avenue Winter, like an eccentrically lecherous old man, is offering you free filet mignon and champagne in exchange for wearing a plaid skirt, and maybe some pigtails.
But what about – and I wish there were a font style to convey a ghostly whisper – the recession? Owner Michael Stillman remarked “with everything else going on in the world, we thought it would be fun to do an event that wasn’t all about discounting.”
The women there seemed to be as enthusiastic about it as Stillman himself (probably because for them it was almost like a discount. Actually, wait, no, it was like a delicious gift). Jessica Bargman remarked “I’d dress like this all the time if it were appropriate.” Others, like Jessica Sleater showed because they were “avid fans” of the Gossip Girl. Park Avenue Winter also gained some new devotees such as Amanda LaMarca and Becky Konigsberg who stated that they’d “never been before, but we saw it on the show, and we cheered!”
So put down the Ramen, and get out your kilt. The promotion runs through the 20th, the food is unparalleled, and the atmosphere surprisingly non-creepy and delightful. Besides, everyone looked adorable. No wonder Chuck Bass is a fan.