I used to come here all the time - it was my LES ""go-to"" spot on any given night because it was laidback, never too empty/full. As it says in some old descriptions and reviews, this place used to be the best spot in the city for actually being able to have a conversation and it was versatile enough for groups of friends or canoodling couples. But in the past few months (just like the rest of the LES) it's been taken over by the same Vuitton-carrying, pop-collared crews that frat party-up the UES bars. Also a sign of the time: Verlaine's menu used to be etched in these gorgeous frosted glass tablets that you'd have to hold over a candle to read. Now it's laminated to survive the party-party crowd. Woohoo.
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