I spent hours looking for a lounge to celebrate my 28th birthday. My criteria were: (1) in my neighborhood (EV or LES), (2) dance floor, (3) hip-hop and/or Top 40, (4) affordable table service, (5) little or no cover for my guests.
Sutra fit all those criteria. I emailed and left a message about my party and received a call the next day. Here are the rules: one bottle (cheapest is $175) gets you the table for the ENTIRE night. I ended up with 3 tables once I got there because the people who had the ones next to mine left early. I wasn't required to buy more bottles. Each reserved table gives you free admissions for ladies all night, and free admissions for the first 10 men if they say they're there for your party. The music is hip-hop and reggae and great for dancing.
Some tips: I stopped by beforehand to see which table I wanted. Thanks to the reviewer who recommended a table on the dance floor -- it's definitely more fun, because otherwise you're off to the side by the bathroom line and crowd by the bar. Definitely get 1-2 bottles because the bar area gets packed, althought it's not hard to get drinks.
Ariel was great to work with. She told me it would be crowded that night because Sutra was celebrating its 2-year anniversary, so I told all my friends to show up early. I probably had about 20 or 30 there for my party, which was a good number. Anything bigger and Sutra would've been too small. Gail, my waitress, was very nice and sweet.
My one complaint -- watch out for the bouncer. He can be very arrogant and was VERY defensive when I asked him why my guy friends had to pay $5 cover when I didn't see 10 guys already inside. Also, it does get very hot inside so dress light!
Pros: Great music; one bottle reserves your table all night; easy to work with
Cons: Cocky bouncer; only two bathrooms; crowded by the bar
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